Carbon Chainset (compact)?

richa
richa Posts: 1,632
edited April 2009 in Road buying advice
Any recommendations for a carbon chainset? Comes with Ultegra double on a Giant TCR Advanced and I want to get a compact. Considering 'upgrading' to carbon.

What are FSA SLK like?

Many thanks
Rich

Comments

  • guilliano
    guilliano Posts: 5,495
    Why carbon? An Ultegra compact will be nearly as light and shifting on any Shimano chainset is going to be nice and smooth
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/guilliano/
  • maddog 2
    maddog 2 Posts: 8,114
    just picked up a SRAM Red. Looks good. I'll fit it this week and we'll see.
    Facts are meaningless, you can use facts to prove anything that's remotely true! - Homer
  • richa
    richa Posts: 1,632
    guilliano wrote:
    Why carbon? An Ultegra compact will be nearly as light and shifting on any Shimano chainset is going to be nice and smooth
    Could go for the Ultegra compact. But thought it was a good opportunity to 'upgrade' to a lighter chainset. And for a not too large an upgrade cost.

    Ultegra is c800g. Carbon (such as the FSA @ 540g) offer some decent weight savings for not too much dough...

    Will an FSA SLK or SRAM Force shift be much worse than Ultegra?
    Rich
  • Poulsy
    Poulsy Posts: 155
    Cheap FSA carbon compacts on Planet X at the moment.
  • salsarider79
    salsarider79 Posts: 828
    Just a question, is the FSA and shimano weighed with or without the BB?
    SRAM cranks are very stiff and light for the money, I'd look at Force/Red as well....
    jedster wrote:
    Just off to contemplate my own mortality and inevitable descent into decrepedness.
    FCN 3 or 4 on road depending on clothing
    FCN 8 off road because I'm too old to go racing around.
  • richa
    richa Posts: 1,632
    salsarider79 wrote:
    Just a question, is the FSA and shimano weighed with or without the BB?
    With BB cups.
    Rich
  • richa
    richa Posts: 1,632
    Poulsy wrote:
    Cheap FSA carbon compacts on Planet X at the moment.
    That's the one I spied...
    Rich
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    I've just fitted a FSA SLK Compact from Planet-X on one of my bikes - at £135 a lot cheaper and lighter than Ultegra and doesn't 'clash' with the Campagnolo drivetrain. Don't believe the 'myths' about flexy cranks - in a German magazine test the difference between the stiffest and the flexiest crank under normal loads was a mere 1mm - imperceptable on the road. I'm not a big fan of SRAM / Truvativ cranks - GXP BB's aren't too durable - I've got two fitted to my bikes and the sealing isn't as good as the FSA.
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • maddog 2
    maddog 2 Posts: 8,114
    salsarider79 wrote:
    Just a question, is the FSA and shimano weighed with or without the BB?

    there's no way the FSA is 540g with cups. Cups are about 90-100g which would put the cranks themselves at 440g ish.

    I don't know the exact weight of the FSA SLK MegaExo but I suspect it's more like 800g ish with cups. That's what weightweenies has it at, and the more expensive FSA cranks struggle to get below 720g ish
    Facts are meaningless, you can use facts to prove anything that's remotely true! - Homer
  • maddog 2
    maddog 2 Posts: 8,114
    have a look here for some weight info (and a good crank test)

    http://fairwheelbikes.com/forum/viewtop ... =77&t=5991
    Facts are meaningless, you can use facts to prove anything that's remotely true! - Homer
  • london-red
    london-red Posts: 1,266
    Are those cranksets that Planet X have for £135 actually carbon? It doesn't say anywhere that they are...
  • maddog 2
    maddog 2 Posts: 8,114
    yes

    slk, slk light, team issue and k-force light are all carbon
    Facts are meaningless, you can use facts to prove anything that's remotely true! - Homer
  • richa
    richa Posts: 1,632
    maddog 2 wrote:
    yes
    slk, slk light, team issue and k-force light are all carbon
    Apparantly some are just carbon wrap???

    I am leaning back towards Ultegra.
    Rich
  • maddog 2
    maddog 2 Posts: 8,114
    oh the slipperiness of language :? ... what I meant was that all the chainsets are referred to as 'carbon', not that they were made out of 100% carbon.

    The Ultegra is a solid buy for sure. I've thought for a while that i's a shame they didn't make the 2008 DA as a compact, as that would have been nice. They gave us the R700 but that more Ultegra than DA, and the new 7900 compact costs a fortune!
    Facts are meaningless, you can use facts to prove anything that's remotely true! - Homer

Categories