Should I move from 50/34 to 53/39?

pblakeney

My method of addition varies from yours! 🤣
50/36 are quite common these days.

schlepcycling

webboo said:

I went from 50/34 to 52/36 a few years ago with a 11/28. This worked fine as I was living on the Yorkshire wolds at the time. However when I moved to the North York Moors it wasn’t so good and ended up getting a 11/30 which helped. I don’t think that I have ever really used the 11 sprocket and rarely use the 12.
I think the ideal for most people would be 52/36 with a 13/32 if you could buy such a cassette.

Malcolm at https://thecycleclinic.co.uk/ sells Miche cassettes with a choice of 11-16T start and 25-34T final position.

webboo

Yes I was aware that Miche do them but I have also heard that the shifting is not that great, plus my DA rear mech is only supposed to go up to 30.

shortfall

pblakeney said:

My method of addition varies from yours! 🤣
50/36 are quite common these days.

Yes you are right I have edited my post. What a bell end!!! Anyway, I have Campag and I haven't seen a 50/36 available yet but I will be looking as it sounds to be just what I need 👍

N0bodyOfTheGoat

webboo said:

I went from 50/34 to 52/36 a few years ago with a 11/28. This worked fine as I was living on the Yorkshire wolds at the time. However when I moved to the North York Moors it wasn’t so good and ended up getting a 11/30 which helped. I don’t think that I have ever really used the 11 sprocket and rarely use the 12.
I think the ideal for most people would be 52/36 with a 13/32 if you could buy such a cassette.

Apparently it might not work brilliantly, but I often thought mixing a 14-28 cassette with an 11-34 would work well enough for me with a compact chainset as a non-racer, who likes climbing despite my age and the excess ~5Kg I've collected since Feb.

Bit pricey those junior cassettes though last time I looked!

pblakeney

shortfall said:

pblakeney said:

My method of addition varies from yours! 🤣
50/36 are quite common these days.

Yes you are right I have edited my post. What a bell end!!! Anyway, I have Campag and I haven't seen a 50/36 available yet but I will be looking as it sounds to be just what I need 👍

Potenza was available with it but now discontinued. NOS?
Or a compact chainset with a Stronglight 36? https://www.bike24.com/p237309.html

daniel_b

shortfall said:

I have always preferred a 53/39 chainset because I don't like the big gap changing down to the inner ring on hard, fast efforts when I want to carry some of the speed up a hill. I'm now getting to the stage though where even a 12/28 at the back is getting hard work on some of my local Dales climbs and I'm in a bit of a bind what to do about it.

What groupset are you running?
My bike came with 9100 and a 53/39 chainset.
After much reading up, I bought a 9100 36T ring for a whole £36, and swapped them out.

The change is perfect, literally feels like a factory setup job.

I appreciate you don't like the gap, but all I do is adjust the rear gear to 'soak up' the change.

shortfall

daniel_b said:

shortfall said:

I have always preferred a 53/39 chainset because I don't like the big gap changing down to the inner ring on hard, fast efforts when I want to carry some of the speed up a hill. I'm now getting to the stage though where even a 12/28 at the back is getting hard work on some of my local Dales climbs and I'm in a bit of a bind what to do about it.

What groupset are you running?
My bike came with 9100 and a 53/39 chainset.
After much reading up, I bought a 9100 36T ring for a whole £36, and swapped them out.

The change is perfect, literally feels like a factory setup job.

I appreciate you don't like the gap, but all I do is adjust the rear gear to 'soak up' the change.

I've got Record. I can get aftermarket rings at a reasonable price but my cassette has still got plenty of life in it yet so I'll wait until that needs replacing and do the chainrings, cassette and chain in a oner.

StillGoing

ugo.santalucia said:

I have 36/46 and I think it's by far the best combination. Even in a completely flat time trial, I rarely need the 11 T sprocket...

Just converted my winter trainer to 46/36 in order to make more use of the block when in the big ring.

chippie_chappie

No.

thecycleclinic

Most of the people here dont like 53/39t. I do. It also changes quicker and more smoothly.

thecycleclinic

pblakeney said:

shortfall said:

pblakeney said:

My method of addition varies from yours! 🤣
50/36 are quite common these days.

Yes you are right I have edited my post. What a bell end!!! Anyway, I have Campag and I haven't seen a 50/36 available yet but I will be looking as it sounds to be just what I need 👍

Potenza was available with it but now discontinued. NOS?
Or a compact chainset with a Stronglight 36? https://www.bike24.com/p237309.html

Potenza never had 50/36T

thecycleclinic

daniel_b said:

shortfall said:

I have always preferred a 53/39 chainset because I don't like the big gap changing down to the inner ring on hard, fast efforts when I want to carry some of the speed up a hill. I'm now getting to the stage though where even a 12/28 at the back is getting hard work on some of my local Dales climbs and I'm in a bit of a bind what to do about it.

What groupset are you running?
My bike came with 9100 and a 53/39 chainset.
After much reading up, I bought a 9100 36T ring for a whole £36, and swapped them out.

The change is perfect, literally feels like a factory setup job.

I appreciate you don't like the gap, but all I do is adjust the rear gear to 'soak up' the change.

Feels fine until you start seeing chainring wear then the changes because slower chain might drop e.t.c all this will happen sooner than it would with a 39t inner ring.

Your also under hard shifts more likely to see the chain drop. The more careful you are the less likely you will see problems but your claim it works fine needs context.

pblakeney

thecycleclinic said:

pblakeney said:

shortfall said:

pblakeney said:

My method of addition varies from yours! 🤣
50/36 are quite common these days.

Yes you are right I have edited my post. What a bell end!!! Anyway, I have Campag and I haven't seen a 50/36 available yet but I will be looking as it sounds to be just what I need 👍

Potenza was available with it but now discontinued. NOS?
Or a compact chainset with a Stronglight 36? https://www.bike24.com/p237309.html

Potenza never had 50/36T

They didn't?

https://hollandbikeshop.com/en-gb/campagnolo/campagnolo-potenza/campagnolo-potenza-crankset/campagnolo-potenza-chainring/

super_davo

To echo Malcolms point, I used to have a 50-34 compact for riding in Essex and apart from the very steepest hills I never used the inner ring. On 53-39 I flick between the two much more. If you're going into a headwind on a false flat the 39 is useful; 34 is just way too low for anything other than climbing.
Having said that when I travel somewhere hilly I wouldn't want the 39, even with a 30 cassette I'd want lower. But that's what 52/36 was made for...

First.Aspect

God there's a lot of willy waving on this thread.

For all of you who barely use the small chain ring take a look at the map of Stockholm, or climb by bike of the area. Pretty sure there aren't many 300m ascents in Essex.

MattFalle

i have semi compact and 53/39 and tbh theres not a lot in it. I ran a 54 for ages on the commuter bike as it was cheaper than buying a 53.

I'd go with whatever one you like the look of best/get cheapest.

you'll use the whole of the cassette if you're running 53 so don't worry about that.

Also may be worth looking at the price of a new crankset as sometimes a whole new crankset is cheaper than new rings

rick_chasey

I was quite macho about gearing and ran 53/39 until I noticed the best rider I knew rode 50/34 or whatever it is - very small, and he rinsed me at every opportunity.

I then worked out the power needed to be adding any value at the speed at which I would spin out on 50x11 would mean I had seriously improved, so I went compact and I'm very pleased I did.

Having said that, I did all my PB times riding 53/39 so maybe there is something in being forced to stay on top of a bigger gear, but that's a psychological issue, not a tech one.

super_davo

I had a similar gearing epiphany but went another way solved it with a 12-25 cassette; there is nothing like the feeling of having so many single gear steps. I don't miss having an 11 at all with a 52/36. Easy to swap out with an 11-30 (or 11-32 with the right mech) when the terrain demands, and a damn sight cheaper than having multiple cranksets.

First.Aspect

rick_chasey said:

I was quite macho about gearing and ran 53/39 until I noticed the best rider I knew rode 50/34 or whatever it is - very small, and he rinsed me at every opportunity.

I then worked out the power needed to be adding any value at the speed at which I would spin out on 50x11 would mean I had seriously improved, so I went compact and I'm very pleased I did.

Having said that, I did all my PB times riding 53/39 so maybe there is something in being forced to stay on top of a bigger gear, but that's a psychological issue, not a tech one.

It is age, not gearing, RC.

rick_chasey

First.Aspect said:

rick_chasey said:

I was quite macho about gearing and ran 53/39 until I noticed the best rider I knew rode 50/34 or whatever it is - very small, and he rinsed me at every opportunity.

I then worked out the power needed to be adding any value at the speed at which I would spin out on 50x11 would mean I had seriously improved, so I went compact and I'm very pleased I did.

Having said that, I did all my PB times riding 53/39 so maybe there is something in being forced to stay on top of a bigger gear, but that's a psychological issue, not a tech one.

It is age, not gearing, RC.

Don’t think the difference between 24 & 28 is all that