Why so many compacts

cyberknight

I use a standard compact with a 12-25 cassette for commuting duties on a hilly route, loaded with lights ,rack ,guards and panniers full of c**p i need all the help i can get , on the flat i am pushjing 50x17 at around 90 rpm to give me about 20 mph, not fast certainly but fst enough at 6 am this time of year
50x12 would give me close to 30 mph @ 90 rpm before i spin out, i know i can hit 40 ( downhill) and still have room to spare , sheldon brown says i can hit 40 mph @ 120 rpm .

I have a gear range from 35-109 inches ,plenty of spread and it does the job for me

Lillywhite

Pross wrote:

Also, from the people I have ridden with who use a compact I would have said they tend to stay mainly in the larger chainring when not on the steepest climbs and do less switching between chainrings than I do on a standard double. I haven't ridden a compact myself but would be interested to hear whether those who ride both find they switch more or less on a compact.

I would endorse this. I'm a cyclist approaching 64 and have only been using a 50/34 compact chain set since last May with an 11 speed cassette. I seem to be riding the large chain ring a lot more than the set up on my other bike which has a 52/42/32 triple chain set with a 7 speed cassette. On this bike I hardly ever use the 52 ring.

de_sisti

Simon E wrote:

dulldave wrote:

Compact chainsets are basically a lot less hassle than triples.

I'm not sure why you think that is the case, my Tiagra triple chainset has been no bother at all.
I'm with chrishd883 - I find the greater choice and smaller jumps between ratios, and the 39T middle ring is ideal for steady riding and all but the steepest gradients.
.

I'm with Simon on this one. Any half decent bike mechanic should be able to ensure a triple
set-up shifts well without constant fettling. :roll: I'm not that good with tools and I have no problem
doing this.

As for the (extra) weight of triples, I'm not convinced most riders would be able to notice the
difference anyway (especially when you consider other things that my contribute to the
bike's overall weight, like full drinks bottles or saddlebag). :roll:

I have 50/34/26...48/34/26 and 46/34/24 on my bikes and I have no trouble shifting between
any of the front chainrings. Neither do I find that I'm shifting un-necessarily or excessively
on the rear cassette.

freehub

For me:

Compact - Big ring 80-100% of the time
Double - Little ring 90% of the time at the moment on rides between 17 and 20mph avg.

I use 39 ring and 3rd cog from the bottom on the rear most of the time. Like the double, no slower up the hills.

Both are good.

I don't know if a double would improve sprinting, on a compact I did 37 on the flat but only for like 100 meters, I was not spinning out, going down a hill on a compact I can spin it up to 50mph (50/12)

Mossrider

Try a 50/36 up front and a 11/23 on the back (roughly equivalent to a standard 53/39 12/25). For sportives, the Alpes etc I pop on a 12/25 on the back.

Having said that I live in a Pennine area so generally do lots of hills and trained up a few years ago on standard gears.

MikeWW

I've got a 50/34 and a 50/39 which I normally run with a 12-25 cassette. I'm not sure which I prefer. The switch from the 50 to the 39 and back is far easier. Also gives me more options on the slower winter rides. On the other hand with the 34 inner ring although I hardly ever used it, it was good having it there for the bigger hills(in Scotland etc) Have just bought an 11-28 cassette primarily for cross but will try it when up in the Lakes next month and see how it works with the 50/39. I've not needed bigger than a 50 so far on the front

neeb

Try a 50/36 up front and a 11/23 on the back (roughly equivalent to a standard 53/39 12/25).

Yup, it's nearly identical, not just in the total range of gears but also the range on each chainring, so you will be shifting chainrings in exactly the same situations. There is also effectively the same jump between the chainrings, so you avoid the slightly-too-big gap you get with a 50/34.

I've used a 50/36 + 11//23 and a 53/39 + 12/25, and they feel exactly the same. The compact just gives you a bit more room to play with if you need lower gears. The standard looks more macho though...

jibberjim

neeb wrote:

The standard looks more macho though...

Especially as you're pushing it up the hill and being passed by the one legged bloke on a brompton (which actually happened on a club run!)