I have a 55-42 chainrings with a 12-27 cassette in the rear. Where I live there are a lot of steep hills and I can’t keep my cadence up in the lowest gear so I’m thinking about going to smaller chainrings. Is 53-39 the most common size chainrings on tri bikes these days?
Thanks!
Rather than make a slight gearing change, you might find it worth your while to move to a compact crank setup. Then you could go with either a 50/34 or 52/36 and have much better climbing ratios. Even the lowly Shimano 105 is an excellent crank for meer motals.
YMMV,
Hugh
a power meter
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Just change the 42 to a 39…and run a sram 11x28 cassette and you are set.
That is the setup I use on my TT bike and it works prefect for a flat, hilly or hill climb race (I live in the heart of the Rockies)
Just change the 42 to a 39…and run a sram 11x28 cassette and you are set.
per the SRAM Red rear der. manual:
» Cranks / Chainrings: 10 speed compatible 53-39 / 50-34 / 50-36 / 48-34 / 52-36
also : More clearance with 28t cassettes thanks to a longer B-knuckle.
so 55-39 is technically “out of spec” *but *I also run a 55-39 in front and 11x28 in back and it generally works just fine.
However, I am running a 55T Rotor Q-ring and this creates an additional “problem” in that in order for the front d. to be mounted high enough be correct for the large chainring (which I think is an “effective” 56 or 57 per Rotor), when I am in the small ring, the chain will rub on the back of the front d. cage when in a rear 4th cog or smaller. At that point I either ignore the small bit of rubbing (if it is the “perfect” gear or a critical/short time in that gear) or just upshift to front ring and 2nd or 3rd rear cog which solves the problem. (as you know, there are critical times when an upshift is not practical or do not want to risk dropping chain, etc. E.g., “Tour de France, Frank Schleck Alp D’Huez fuck-up”).
I have checked ratios with a gear chart and it works out about right although I forget the exact gear inch numbers at the moment. (i.e, front small-4th cog/front large-2nd cog)
Riding with a 55 in the front and a 11-28 is quite funny.
Just change the 42 to a 39…and run a sram 11x28 cassette and you are set.
That is the setup I use on my TT bike and it works prefect for a flat, hilly or hill climb race (I live in the heart of the Rockies)
Well you must be one stud to use that in the rockies…only gives you 4 gears under 16mph(on the sm ring). Wish I could climb mountains like that in a race and push a bigger gear than Cancellara in the flats
Riding with a 55 in the front and a 11-28 is quite funny.
Seems sensible to me. Assuming you need the 55x11, you will only need it on steep downhills…which means you will also need a gear for steep uphills. I would run that for the Gila TT if I was very strong. Granted this is a rare use case!
But anyway, first step is a 53x39 because that is cheap and easy. If that isn’t small enough, then swap to a compact crank.
Rode 54-38 /11-23 combo for awhile. First I found the shifting doable but not really great ( if the fsa trimax can do great anyway)
Second I found that I used 54-11 only on a few downhill sections that it doesn’t makes sense to have it.
Turned back to the original 52/38 and try to use the whole range of gears more often.
Interesting, 52 fits on a non compact? That is cool.
And yeah, especially for longer distance triathlon purposes, it is very rare to need/want more than a 53x11. It happens but it is rare and the downside of not having it is much less than running out of easy gears!
Rode 54-38 /11-23 combo for awhile. First I found the shifting doable but not really great ( if the fsa trimax can do great anyway)
Second I found that I used 54-11 only on a few downhill sections that it doesn’t makes sense to have it.
Turned back to the original 52/38 and try to use the whole range of gears more often.
It’s a 110mm bolt pattern though. Came specd on the B10.
I like the 38 more than the regular 34 even 36 on the compact.
Why so snarky, it may not work for you but it works for many.
A 55 for many? Not even many pro’s, let alone in the mnts. Not snarky, those are studly gears for the mountains. period.
I think you should go to the Gila TT and see what most of the teams are running…I know what we’ll be running.
Some like little gears, some don’t.
a 16k unique tt is not nearly the same as “most people use on tt bikes in the mountains”…teams at Gila are not "most amateurs on slowtwitch where you recommend a 55…So back to most people use a 55 on there tt bike in the mountains for not select races but all the time…nice try…but hey, seriously if you can hold 35+ in the flats, good for you amd hats off.
I hate to agree with Beachboy, because he hates freedom, but if you dabble in time trials or stage races, encountering downwind-tailwind situations where you still want to crush it isn’t that rare. Even for avg joes. I can think of 3 courses in the last 2 years where 54x12 wasn’t enough. Gila I would have wanted a 55x11 if I was racing it for sure. (didn’t race it, just rode the course)
a 16k unique tt is not nearly the same as “most people use on tt bikes in the mountains”…teams at Gila are not "most amateurs on slowtwitch where you recommend a 55…So back to most people use a 55 on there tt bike in the mountains for not select races but all the time…nice try…but hey, seriously if you can hold 35+ in the flats, good for you amd hats off.
Ok…I am wrong. For the avg joe…most, as in at least 51%, the besrt chinrings for general purpose or if only chainrings you have, should be a mijimum of a 55 in front in the mountIns…
Don’t forget. Very useful for Strava crushing too!
Not the mountains no, really the rolling windy hills =)
Honestly I don’t think it matters much. Until it does. Then you want a compact really badly.
Ok…I am wrong. For the avg joe…most, as in at least 51%, the besrt chinrings for general purpose or if only chainrings you have, should be a mijimum of a 55 in front in the mountIns…
Just stay out of the SRAM or ZIPP crankset !!!
I got 2 defective products: a SRAM red front derailleur and a ZIPP compact crankset.
ZIPP /SRAM would not recognize the problem and simply did not stand behind their product.
They have great products…… if they don’t come with a defect! And if this happens……beware ! You may get lucky…. but……not always!
ZIPP/SRAM customer service policy really sucks….!
So, buy a Shimano…. Never a single problem and I heard from friends that if it happens, they will honor it without thinking twice!