chainset confusion 48 or 50 ?

ellerino

Had my mind set on a Giant Revolt 2 but seein as its only a 16 speed thought i would opt for the dearer Revolt 1 which is 20 speed. Looking at the specs the cheaper Revolt 2 runs a 50/34 chainset whilst the more expensive 1 runs a 48/34 why would they do this,is there any advantage and would the 48 be slower. both have a 11-32 cassette just the revolt 1 is 10spd as appossed to the 8 help !!!!!!!!!! :x

vecfluxx

You'll probably get a little more use out of the 48 than a 50 although there isn't much difference (4% smaller gear in same sprocket), i really like the 46 big rig on my cross bike for this reason. You won't spin out 48/11 until you're over 35mph either so no, it won't be any slower.

ellerino

exactly what i needed to hear, thankyou very much

simon_masterson

Chainrings aren't forever; at some point you will have to change them anyway. There's nothing wrong with 8 speed, though. With the greatest of respect, if you have an 11-32 cassette and you have to ask, I don't think you have any cause for concern about performance!

ellerino

Simon Masterson wrote:

Chainrings aren't forever; at some point you will have to change them anyway. There's nothing wrong with 8 speed, though. With the greatest of respect, if you have an 11-32 cassette and you have to ask, I don't think you have any cause for concern about performance!

Its not necassarily a concern about performance, its more about getting the right bicycle for my needs within my budget. I couldnt understand why the bike manufactuer would put a 50/34 on a lower budget bike and 48/34 on the dearer bike. My current road bikes runs a 50/34 compact and 13-26 cassette and that sometimes isnt not enough. I'm a recent convert from MTB's. I live in a very hilly area so know i need the low gears but was concerned about the high gears and whether the £200 extra for the 20 speed 48/34 was worth it. I dont confess to being a performance cyclist hence posting inthe 'road beginners' section.

simon_e

The 2 teeth chainring difference is negligible, as vecfluxx said. You'd get slightly lower gearing if you fit 28mm road tyres, which would also be lighter and roll better, making steep hills a little easier.

The only benefit of 10 speed is having closer ratios, so the steps between each gear is smaller. But IME this is a luxury, is less beneficial on hilly terrain and certainly not worth £200. Replacing a 10 speed chain and cassette is a lot more expensive too! Use the money for some quality clothing or whatever that takes your fancy.

ellerino

Cheers saved me a couple hundred quid

Mad_Malx

Without doing the sums, I think 48x11 is a higher gear than 50x12, which is sufficient for most of us anyway.

marcusjb

vecfluxx wrote:

You'll probably get a little more use out of the 48 than a 50 although there isn't much difference (4% smaller gear in same sprocket), i really like the 46 big rig on my cross bike for this reason. You won't spin out 48/11 until you're over 35mph either so no, it won't be any slower.

Yep. I have a 48 as my big ring and spinning that out (with the 11 tooth rear) just isn't an issue. I will only spin that out on downhills - I am not racing, so really don't need every last bit of speed downhill.

11 teeth sprockets really do change everything.

rolf_f

Simon Masterson wrote:

Chainrings aren't forever; at some point you will have to change them anyway. There's nothing wrong with 8 speed, though. With the greatest of respect, if you have an 11-32 cassette and you have to ask, I don't think you have any cause for concern about performance!

It took me at least 14000 miles in all weathers to kill the chainrings on my Ribble. If I kept out of the rain they'd have lasted far longer. I suspect that, in beginner road bike terms, that is pretty much forever!

Not convinced the 8 speed is a great idea either. A friend of mine got an 8 speed and I mentioned that the 12-25 cassette it came with might be rather tough for the Dales sportives she'd entered - so I had a look for lower geared alternative cassettes and there is very little choice. It's one thing living with obsolescence and finding it works perfectly well but another thing to hamstring yourself by deliberately buying in to it to save a few quid.

markhewitt1978

8 speed is by no means dead; Shimano just renewed their 8 speed setup. But the point you make is valid; there is less choice in 8 speed, and even in 9 speed. Whereas in 10 speed (due to Shimano having three 10 speed groupsets until recently) there's all the choice in the world. But you buy what you can afford at the time.

ellerino

Cheers everyone good advice thankyou

Monty Dog

Plenty of 8-speed cassette options, fitted a 12-28 SRAM to a friend's bike along with a Stronglight triple with a 28 inner ring for touring duties

drlodge

I've got a 7 speed setup with 34-50 and 13-28. I occasionally spin out 50-13 but it takes a long & steep hill to do so. I just coast for a minute...Probably use the top gear 0.01% of the time.