Sram force advice

dillonw
dillonw Posts: 39
edited September 2010 in Road buying advice
I'm just in the process of sorting out my bike.. Decided on the ribble stealth 2011

I was going to go with the SRAM force groupset but being a total newbie was after a bit of advice

The groupset is the Sram Force 10 Spd Groupset and the cassette is a Sram 10 Spd PG 1070 Cassette.

I'm getting the bike for triathlons and i will come across the odd hill where i live.. Am I right in thinking that the 12-25 will be suitable ?


The chainset is a Sram Force 10 Spd Chainset. For my size (medium) i was told that i would need 172.5 but what are the differences between 39/53 and 34/50. is 34/50 the compact ?

Sorry for such stupid questions but totally new to this.
"Never rub another man's rhubarb"

Comments

  • All depends on your fitness level and if you prefer to crank big gears or spin. Also the choice of front chainset will transform the gear ratio's at the back. The 34/50 is the compact big gear 50 teeth and small one has 34 teeth. This will tackle most hills easily. The compact chainset will have bigger jumps in the gears compared to teh standard 52/39.

    I personally struggled on some rides this year so I will be looking into a compact to make those hills easier to tackle. I rather spin a bit harder with the legs.

    Have a chat with Ribble and see what they say. Also do a search on compact versus standard. Some people like the compact and some people hate it. It is very much a personal thing. Also have a look around what terrain you will be tackling. what do you need.

    Good luck
    Dennis
  • I run Force with a double(53/39) and a 11-25, my Cube has a 48/39 front ring with a 12-27, to be honest the 39 gets me up most if not all accents, I do notice the 53 to 11 ratio more going down hill. If you are new to cycling then the Compact may be a better buy depending on your location, Suffolk no Cumbria yes. That said if it is mainly for Tri then go for the bigger ring.

    Its just an opinion

    Freedom of choice is the only freedom we really have.
  • thanks for the help guys
    "Never rub another man's rhubarb"
  • inseine
    inseine Posts: 5,786
    Compact v standard depends on the terrain/fitness. I was glad of a compact in the Lakes and the marmotte and I have'nt bothered going back to a standrad set up. The closer ratio you have at the back the better but you need to know you have a suitable low bottom gear. As for top end, I find 50x12 good for up to 60kph ish but I peddling a bit too fast by 70. If you often go faster go for a 53. I probably would for TTs.
  • dru
    dru Posts: 1,341
    If you've got low or medium fitness then you don't want to fry your legs for the running paert of tri. Plenty of people run compacts on their bikes for triathlon.