Is A Compact Faster Than A Standard Chainset? GCN Vs. The Mortirolo | Giro D'Italia 2015
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- čas přidán 25. 05. 2015
- The Mortirolo. Lance Armstrong called it the hardest climb in Europe. That makes it the perfect for finding out which is better for climbing; a compact or a standard chainring.
Comment below with your guess before you watch the video!
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Bike tech has come on a lot in recent years. Climbs like the Mortirolo in the Giro, the Angliru in the Vuelta and the Hautacam in the Tour will always be tough. But, have compact gears made them both easier, and faster?
It sounds counter-intuiitive - compact gears give you a lower gear, which is generally thought of as slower, so, surely, 39x25 will be faster than 34x32?
Watch and find out...
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For those interested he climbed 1:02 hour on the compact and 1:06 on the standard chainset.
how did u know ?
@@denzleonhart88 strava
sometimes standing on the bike with steep climb with huge gear front and small gear at the back behind doest make u faster but makes u even more tired
My bike came with a compact and 11-28 cassette. But most of the climbs round me are 15%, some sections over 25%. So I bought a sub-compact chainset (46-30) and fitted an 11-32 cassette. I very quickly got a ton of PRs and several KOMs on Strava.
one of the BEST episodes to date!!! Awesome effort Si!
People here debating about "compact vs standard" but im in the clear ive got a 3x
Triple will save the day,makes the super hard bearable
Ahha. Word
I believe they didn't show the data because he climbed faster using the standard.
But if he indeed climbed faster on the standard, it was definitely because he had to put a lot more power to keep the cadence. I would say 90% of the riders who uses the standard should be using compact as they are not capable of keep a good cadence on climbs like this one.
Woah! Great job on the climb and proofing the point. That deserves two thumbs up.
I loved the shots with the gradients and corresponding power meter readings.
Glad I had a custom-made bike where the exact same compact chainset and cassette were added. I can sure see how important it is now by this great video.
You know why I think a compact crank with an 11-28 or 11-32 isnt more widely used than it currently is?
Because of the elitist attitude that is so common in the non-pro cycling world.
Ask a question on a bike forum about getting yourself a larger rear cassette because you're constantly stuggling on the climbs, and there will not be a single post talking about gearing. There will however, be twenty posts, about how the rider needs to HTFU, Get better, and stop leaning on the granny gear clutch.
Listen Im not saying one way or the other about those who say such things.. it is what it is. But anyone who does their own research, knows that higher cadence is a far more efficient, and turns out, easier, way of riding your bike.
If you can spin up ventoux on 39/25, congrats. Truly, whoever you are, you're an inspiration, and Ill hope you'll share your doping regimen with all of us who want to get better.
Me, Ill take all the guff you wanna give me whilst I spin up the climbs on 34-32.
Jeff Cirelli I don't disagree. While watts are watts, going at your preferred and self selected cadence is always going to be more efficient, and probably more enjoyable, than feeling like you're grinding up everything.
That said, you don't need doping regimens to spin up Ventoux. It's 7.5% grade. Typical tour caliber riders can rip that stuff up at 12-14mph. Spinning 39/25 gets you betweem low 11 and low 12mph depending on just what is considered to be spinny.
Spinning up Mortirolo? Not so much. In fact for the steeper sections a 34/36 won't let you spin even if you're doing 6 w/kg. Need a 22 up front to spin that one.
Agree Jeff,I have people I ride with who grind up all the lumps and bumps blow themselves up and keep dropping off the back,also that very inefficient chain line using 53-23 !
+John Smith everyone I have ever ridden with has no idea about cadence and spinning,apart from one guy who is a rasher of wind and can smash up any climb using his 53-39-11-23,although he would struggle big time on a proper alpine climb it's just not sustainable RIP Fast Fred gearing.
John Smith pedallin raw would say that depends on the definition of 'need'
If your goal is optimum performance in a race setting, then yes you absolutely should have the gearing that lets you ride your optimal cadence for the race parcours.
If you're just out riding, then you don't "need" any particular gearing. You can still do 300w up a 3000m climb at 30rpm. It may not be optimal. Likely to leave you less fresh at the end of the ride, and you probably won't be able to do that last 20' climb at 350w, or sprint for 1500w at the end...but if you're just out riding then one doesn't have to do that.
All else equal though...yea you want to have gears that let you ride self selected cadence at all reasonable gradients (I'd say up to about 12%).
John Smith I think we can safely say those two aren't very analogous. Riding up a climb at 40rpm is not a big deal, and has a minimal effect on performance unless you are absolutely going full gas, and even then the effect usually isn't seen until later in the ride when you're forced to go very hard at the end of a ride in which one has done a ton of riding at sub optimal cadence.
Pedaling with a tree branch, on the other hand would severely compromise performance, handling, and general safety of the bike.
Man, looked BRITAL! You're one tough dude! I had that exact same gear ratio and had to quit due to not having the correct gear set. I have since upgraded to a compact group and put an 11-28 out back. I'm confident that I will get to the top next time!
Great video guys! Thoroughly enjoyed it!
There is always some gassed out bozo with a carbon fibre bike walking up the last part of some popular cat 1, 2 or 3 climb. Usually it's because they insist on having a 39-25 'because the pros do' but the pros usually don't, and most riders don't weigh 60kg , more like 85kg.
I love my 34/50 with an mtb 36-11 cassette. Spin up all the local 8-20% cat 2 climbs and love it. I started on mountain bikes, can't understand the macho road bike mentality of using the wrong gears, and grinding your knees and hurting your back.
Mortirolo is brutal,you are 100% right everyone with a 39 was walking at km 3 and its 12.4 long. Compact is also better for injury prevention and longer chain life. Better to spin and not cool down
I try not to think "easier" or "harder" gears, but "more efficient" gears. An easier gear IS technically slower as some here have said, but over the course of a long climb that more efficient element comes onto play. Being less fatigued from just trying to turn the crank over (as mentioned in the video) translates to more power, better pacing, and ultimately a faster finish. That's of course relevant to the rider, and the length of climb, but being less fatigued to any small degree is certainly a benefit.
For me, I swapped from a 53/39 to a 52/36 (cassette stayed a 28t) and ALL my times on the local climbs got faster, instantly, just by going 3t easier. Instead of mashing up the entire climb, I could pace myself within my limits, and get faster and faster as the climb finished. NEW WORLD FOR ME. I was always used to suffering the entire climb. (These were all the 10+ minute climbs, so shorter climbs are certainly gonna be better to attack harder.)
Or if you're a car person, being in 1st gear all day will wear your transmission out same as being in 5th gear all day. Gotta find the best gear for you.
Ooo yeah! A story comes to mind: This fellow came into the shop one day (I work at a shop), and said he needed a bigger gear, that everyone one was passing him during the bike section of his triathlon. I asked what gear he was in, he said his biggest one, his 53x11, and again that EVERYONE was passing him. I asked his average speed, and he said about 20mph. (That translates to a cadence of about 50rpms. Not an efficient gear. The folk passing him were all in easier gears, yet going faster.) I suggested he try riding in an easier gear in order to go faster, he looked at me like I was crazy and left.
That's of course an extreme case, but the inefficiency of ANY improper gearing choice (whether too hard OR too easy) will certainly slow you down.
I think of them as gear ratios i cringe when people say easier or harder gears because i dont think of it like that i think of the ratio of the gears when pedaling not how hard it is to pedal
@@harveybarton7911 Gears = gears... well done.
You youngsters don't know how good you have got it these days !! Back in the day ( early 80's ) All we could get was a 41 chain ring from Campag and a 28 sprocket on our 'new fangled' 7 speed block. I remember going up a 20 - 25% hill in the Wicklow mountains during the Rás Tailteann.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be !!!
Norman Lindsay yeah we had Choppers
Did you also go uphill both ways?
You said it bro living in CO,USA 52x42 with 12x25 doing MT. Evans in 1984 time of 2.08.00 I always wonder with today's equipment could I break 2 hrs. its on the bucket list!
People just go further and faster now, that's all.
Alberto Contador used a 34x32 gearing for this climb in the 2015 Giro. He was the eventual winner of the 2015 Giro.
I'm amazed that some regular cyclists use standard crank and 25t or even 28t cassette. Maybe they're hidden gems who are faster than Contador. There are lots of hidden gems on the internet it seems.
*****
yeah way back guys used hard gears because that was all it was available. Even hard man like Ulrich would have a 85ish cadence climbing (while Armstrong would be in the high 90s to 100). Armstrong said he would have used a lower gear if they had lower gear for him.
the good thing is that nowadays many cyclists are starting to go to low gearing. But there are still some old guys who are still stuck in the hardman mentality
Most people don't climb super steep grades for long distances like Contador and don't need super low gearing
I agree that cadence is key and 53/39-28 is an awful set up for most people, but often 34-28 is adequate. I don't think a 32+ is a bad idea, I'm just not in a rush to switch off.
I would always use Contador's setup. If only to be able to fantasize "I am Alberto, and I eat mountains'. What a marvelous climber!
Pardon a reply 2 years later, but I just watched this after I changed out my cassette from an 11-28 to an 11-34. I don't race, and I want to do better on climbs. My front rings are 50/34, so I could conceivably go 34/34 up a hill.
im a 110kg , I ride 34/28 up 25 % slopes.
Brilliant video, thank you guys !!
Compact unless you are a pro. Then MAYBE there would be any doubt depending on the course.
53/39 does not make any sense for normal people unless you live in a 100% flat area
Thanks Si! You must be a masochist!
Really informative and interesting video, nice work!
Magnificent beautiful presentation love it thank you very much
'15kg less then me, and twice as many red blood cell, just saying'
Great quote, and sadly very very true. Still he is missed
Just Google it and Pantani was 57kg which would make Simon 72kg. It's impossible to tell but I'd say Simon weighs less than that.
Dan Fisher Consider the rather heavier Spaniard who was chasing Pantani (and catching him from memory) who weighed more than both of them, would that mean his red blood cell count was three times more than Simon's?
+Dan Fisher Na there was another video watch?v=FgJrlQRji5M and it states his weight is 75kg, though i bet his weight stays consistently around that number
he was disqualified from the 1999 giro. Since 1990, literally every GC contender was doping. It was an arms race in Armstrong's words
The best part about climbing a hill is the luxury of being able to go down it
Good riding man.. well done!
I rode up the Mortirolo in 2003, on 39x25. I had to stop twice for a rest. Then I did the Gavia. That was one tough ride!
Compact all the way these days!
I use a 3x. 35% gradients are typical where I live. In fact my commute has segments which are almost 20% average. I think a 3x doesn't add that much weight and aerodynamic drag, as it makes up for in climbing times. Not many road bikes use a 3x drivetrain, so I'm really happy to have found one. I couldn't ride without it.
Thanks for showing us the view below! Oh, and the mountains below were nice too. ;-)
I'm using 36x52 crankset with 11-32 cassette. Had 11-28 before. Never miss the old one. This setup pretty much gets me everywhere
haha... "going well..." Love GCN and the amazing videos!
Great video! i wish i had saw this before i bought a new bike with a 53x39 crank set
The Chain link just above the cable housing (a link back form the split) looks broken - 46 seconds.
Whether or not a compact is 'faster' than a standard chainset is the wrong question - the main point is that you can *spin the pedals faster* for a given bike-speed with a compact chainset & large sprocket at the back (& so avoid damaging your knees).
You Sir, are a LEGEND!
Very impressive in-the-field chain ring and cassette change!
What were your times, power figures and average cadences, though?? We need data!!
TwentySixCookies From the way he was talking, he probably kept the power output relatively the same. His cadence was way lower the second time around probably to keep his power below his LT, which would explain why his lower back was sore. If your body hasn't been trained to put out higher power at lower cadences, it's going to hurt a lot after a while.
Watts is watts regardless, but his cadence is lower on the bigger crank therefore he's having to produce more watts just to keep the cranks grinding over. Which explains why he's feeling it more , sore back, legs, and breathing heavier. So on compact cracks at the end you will have more left in your legs.
Would be interesting to see him do it on the bike Neal rode with a huge rear cassette and no front mech
Gixer750pilot Well, if Simon has trained himself to produce power with high cadence, then he may not be as efficient at producing the same power at low cadence and higher torque-per-rev.
A rider who has trained himself for this high-torque, low-cadence climbing could well be more efficient. E.g. Pantani used much higher gearing.
All this test proves is that compact is better for *Simon*.
Watt ? What? You talk about power and efficiency . Buy contradict yourself. Efficiency isn't producing more power , it's about riding using the least power you can and not busting yourself. Si may be able to produce big numbers but that don't mean he's efficient if he's grinding and in pain. Sorry but your reply just doesn't make sense .
Oh an Pantani was on drugs! So don't use him as an example
Good job Si making it look relatively easy!
the only thing with a compact is that you need the discipline to click up into a harder gear on flatter sections to avoid grovelling in the granny all the way up. on a standard, you don't need to worry - there is no granny gear
The discipline comes from the Power meter and riding to FTP. It's unlikely that you can reach FTP at ~100rpm in a granny cog up a low gradient, unless you're a beginner. In which case you should spin the hell out of the granny cog until FTP increases.
plenty of advice on here , 11-27 .50-34, plus in and out of saddle, trying not to go to deep early on ,pays dividends later , plus try the gcn training videos ,, they'll transform you as a rider :-)
I ride a Boardman hybrid bike with a 50/34T on the front and a 12-32T rear cassette. I beat all of the road bikes on organised rides up local hills because they have smaller cassettes. A lot of them can't believe it but it's true, having the right gears is the best thing.
@47 seconds. You can see a pin has slipped out of one of the chain links.
Did your chain break later in the filming?
Ain't know if it's just me, but this was really funny! Great work, Si. Now I know that I can attack the mountains with my bike, but that I'll suffer like you. I'll let you know when that happens. Cheers!
Much respect for the change of the gears on the side of the road... #gcn
Understanding the size of the gears is the most important issue. I would have liked to see a comparison riding 39 with a 32 cog, or even a 34 cog. Wide 12 speed cassettes now mean you can enjoy the efficiency of a standard chainset in nearly every situation.
Kudos to Si for going above and beyond in this video.
I live in a relatively flat area and have only ever rode compact with my 10-23 cassette. I spend a lot of time in the hardest gears and the small chainring spins out on me too much to really want to use it. I finally switched to a standard and will likely suit my riding and will finally use all my gears.
loved the HUD with gradient and watts...more of this please
What was the actual time difference? How did it affect wattage spikes as well?
patrick broe You can't compare this, because he drove the climb twice in a row. And it talks to itself that he needs recoverey between the climbs. Then you can compare it. But who is able to climb with an "old school" gear ratio like Mortirolo more than one time?!?
Yeah obviously its not statistically definitive, I was just wondering what the numbers were out of interest. Clearly his perceived exertion was much higher on the 39-25.
Agree though, twice up the mortirolo you sure you aren't on Pantani's meds Simon?
patrick broe Yes - I don't think he told us his time for either trip, nor average watts for each. Would have been interesting. Just sounded like the compact was easier, but duh, we knew that ahead of time.
Lanterne Rouge - I saw in another comment: 1:02 (compact) 1:06 (classic sizing) - apparently, he mentioned it in another video according to the poster of the comment.
One does not preclude the other.
I would have thought you would need a med or long cage derailleur while using the 34 - 32 combination. Did you have to make a 'B" tension adjustment to accommodate the 32 cogset?
GCN! You guys should do a video on how to change out your front chainring and cranks! I've always been curious too see how it's done and the tools needed.
Would really appreciate seeing the timed results and power meter data from this ride.
Judging from the bits of power data I saw and that Simon said he tried to keep it under threshold most of the time, I'd say it's safe to assume his threshold is at least over 300W. And he isn't a big guy either! It's pretty amazing (and ridiculous) how even ex-pros could beat the pants off of 97% of amateurs today.
BoxCarBoy12 Exactly - which means for most keen amateurs a compact is imperative to climb the Mortirolo most efficiently. Remeber, Si is a not so long ago retired pro who held his own nicely in the mountains.
I would like to see this comparison on a flat road also. I think that for most club riders the standard chainset is really too big even when spinning on a flat section of road. It may be advantageous to have more typical riders do the test (ie people that only average around 200 watts on their typical ride) so that the results aren't skewed by the still amazing fitness of the GCN presenters.
Hey GCN, would you be so kind as to post average power and time for both runs?
Cheers
I find that this is all very relative, I recently got back to riding after more than 30 years
and I also think age might be a factor here. As we get older we develop greater stamina and tollerance for pain, it also becomes harder to spin at fast rpm's. Not knowing if I was going to like riding again at 50 year old, I opted for a cheap entry level bike with a 50/42 front crank and 14-28 rear 7 speed free wheel. I don't have enormous hills in my area 6-7% are average with a few small hills at 10-12%. My first month back on the saddle I put 1200km on this alluminum bike and warped the crank in the proccess.
Big hills where a bit painfull but tolerable and at the other end I always ran out of gears
not being able to spin for very long above 95-95 rpm. So, long storry short. I upgrade my bike for a carbon Devinci Leo SL with Sram Red Grupo, opted for a compact crank
and have a 12-25 10 spd cassette. After 2 weeks and about 550km riden with it, I find
myself not using the 34 at all. To put the 34 crank to good use I would need the ability
to spin at much higher rpm that I can. Even with 50X28 the only time I really need to get off of the saddle is on a 12% or greater hill. I have to say though, that the difference in weight from the heavy alluminum frame to the new carbon bike + having lost 7lb lately must help quite a bit. I think I will tolerate the compact setting for this season but next year I intend to get a 53/39 crank since I think I will be more efficient with such setup. Now if I could only find a few people to ride with but, that's an other story )
In my experience it's easier to pedal if I use 39/32. Using 39/25 you need to grind hard and I feel stiffness on my legs and. Using 34/32 I got easily gets tired because of doing fast cadence. Both 39/25 & 34/32 makes me slow. But with a combination of 39/32 or more gear in front and at back makes me pedal easier ang moving faster. It's not a professional point of view, that's just my experience. Hope you do a video on that.
In 1998 for the Giro, Tour double Pantani used an incredible lowest gear of 44/23. No thanks Marco I'll take the compact thanks!
Hey guys,
As you have a 32 tooth cassette on the back, I suppose you also have a medium cage rear derallieur too? I'm asking as I'm interested in swapping my shimano 2300 25-13 cassette for either a 28-11 or a 32-11 as I live in a really hilly area.
Loved the video
where are the times? how much faster did you go with compact gearing? and did you need to re-adjust the rear derailleur/front derailleur after changing?
The bike I bought came with compact 50/34 crank and a 12-25 casette, so sorta in the middle between a standard and a compact, and 34x25 is ok for most climbs but there's a reason I'm switching to a 11-28..
Many years ago as a newbie, back in the days of steel frames, clip pedals, and friction shifting. I attempted to go up a nearby mountain with a 42x23. I stopped many times suffering incredibly and not knowing any better. Up the road comes a English chap on a touring bike, apparently he was on holiday bike touring in U.S. He stopped and immediately told me to me to quit what I was doing and go back to the bike shop and tell them to re-gear bicycle because my gearing was for flats and at best mild hills. I thanked him and had my LBS to swap the 42 for a 39 and the 23 for a 26. I still suffered, but not nearly as bad and I got to the summit and didn't have to stop numerous times.
4:20 'Doing 10%, it's like a holiday' - yep we've all been there on super steep climbs!
Great fitness! cool vid
Mighty tight shorts Sir.
This is why Eroica is so much fun riding old 42/52 with 6 speed max 28 teeth, with some on even less gearing up bloomin tough stuff.
And riders used to ride up that with probably 25 on the back, crazy but how many could do that today?
The right gearing does make it so much easier but depends on style and sometimes it is fun to make it harder, especially when I struggle with 42-28 but I know if I was on a 34x32 it would be easier, but I don't want modern gears on my 40 year old Alan, which is my only bike at this time.
Hearing you yell "77rpm!" made me feel a bit more human. Although, there are times I yell "66 rpm"!
Rather nice view at 6.29 summary, well done.
I climbed the mortirolo yesterday with a 50/34 at the front and an 11/28 at the back in 1h14m. To be honest with all of you guys I'd have loved to have a 30 or 32 at the back.
If in the pro peloton they use a 30 cassette or more in order to spin up climbs like the mortirolo then us mortals need compact chainrings and big cassettes for such climbs. Spin to win, grind only in granfondos to look good in the photos 😂😂
What was the peak / average % and distance please :-)
How did you get that hub / chain so clean!
Whoa Si good job!
one thing that i'm missing is any information about crank length and how that would relate to the either/or crankset. anyone have input on that? personally, i'll go with a 170mm compact every time (and if there was a 165, i'd be using that).
My Trek came with an Ultegra 50/34 crank 11/28 cassette. I've ridden it for a year and easily reach max speed. Should i go up to 53/39?
Who did the music for the video? Love the bits that come in when you swap out to the standard crank. Oh yeah, thanks for convincing me A. I am not spinning enough and B. I need to mod my old bike...
Respect to Simon here for this... How long did he ride for ?
So what were the times?
Can you do a behind the scenes video of the whole operation and how you set everything up it'd be really interesting
Hi there, what power meter is Simon using? Can sram rival 10spd be used on a 32t? Thanks!
Hey mate, what bike are you using?? :)
Alex Dowsett recently proved that the fastest bike in the world is the one he set the hour record on. You should have gone up on that; you'd undoubtably be much faster.
Would be nice if you could upload it on strava. How did you watts and cadance compares between those two rides?
He should have done the firs climb on the 53x39. Do the hard climb first then see if the 50x34 is an advantage, the second climb would have felt harder regardless.
I think he should have done it 4 times: 1. 50x34 2.53 x 39 then again, reversing the order, just to be sure :)
And on different days.
And with different riders :D
and diffrent conditions
and with diffrent genders
Chapeau Simon!
wait, what happened to the results?
Can you swap the order of the test first the standard crank then the compact?
Nice video ! Did you have to index gears or move your front derailleur and/or change chain length when you swapped cranks ? What (other) changes do I need to make if I want to go from standard (52/39) to compact (50/34) ?
til20100 Thanks. We've got a video about that actually: czcams.com/video/jWKlQgTHi_c/video.html
+Si Richardson
what bb setup is that? I understand sram have bb30 or gxp, which is it? It's brill you can just swap out the cranks like that! what bb does your bike use?
i could manage it on a motorcycle now. when young (1970s) we race on prairies, no hills, five gear clusters in the back 14-18 front usually 52x 44 or 45. yes we thought small gears were wimpy then, not now!
Hi? Could I use a compact drive with 36-60 chainring?
I totally agree with that but if you train on harder gears then on your rides use the correct gears cracking results I find 😊
So how is the everyday compact with 11-28 cassette for most climbs? I'm picking up my road bike this week and will still have trouble climbing for quite some time (300+ lbs but losing at a rate of 3-4 lbs/week). Wife and I are doing a charity ride in July that has a couple of steep inclines. Think that 28 is a big enough cog? Or should I ask about picking up an 11-32 cassette for hillier days?
I have retrospec chainset 53/39. I dont want to spend much money on the compact chainset so I bought a 10speed 11-34t cassette with medium cage rd. Is it suitable enough to have 53/39 chainset + 11/34t 10 speed cassette for climbing?
I really like these segments...chapeau for doing the Mortirolo twice in a day. I would have liked to see you "dig" into the data a bit more. Comparing the Strava totals for each ride would be interesting. I would also liked to have seen the threshold data between the 2 rides.
what kind of mount are u using for ur garmin virb?
Would have been great to have seen the stats for both runs shown
Remember the old boys on Campy NR/SR had a 42 inner ring and probably not more than 24 on the back!!!!
Yes the back will hurt, using tougher gearing on hills. I find that using a fixed gear on the mountains here in Italy gives me serious back problems; however my abdominal muscles have really strengthened. I use a 46/17 gear with 165 cranks, because I struggle on the downhills I am going to fit a brake on the bike when my broken leg heals
Global Cycling Network That was really interesting with the VIRB power and grades.. I like to see more of that. Very cool. I agree it 100%.. it's all about the right gears.. That and a good night sleep, and of course fueling up.. then the desire to actually want to do it :)
Question: Are you using the same chain after you make the switch?
Doubles are old hat for climbing, great for flat/rolling stages but not for any decent lengthy climb. Though some people can't get over the macho BS, insecurities?
A lot of the time a compact is the quicker, more efficient option. The difference between the 50 and 53 big ring paired with an 11 cog is tiny too, so not a great deal of advantage on the descents.
I think semi-compacts will be very popular in the next few years, the 52/36 setup is a good middle ground. Some manufacturers, particularly Canyon are pushing it, a lot of their models only come with semi-compact gearing.
Great effort on a brutal climb Simon!
J90JAM The difference between the two gear combos you mentioned is a little more than 7 gear-inches (123 and 130 GI, rounded off, respectively), or on the high side of half a step (4 to 8 GI) or half a shift, a difference considered big enough to be felt in perceived effort. It might matter to some, and not matter to others.
When did the 39T become standard? In my racing day it was 52/42 at the front and 13-25 behind.
Hi GCN,
Is that a sram red short cage rear derailleur? If it is I only thought that it could run an 11-28. Also how do you get your power so high!
Josh Smart Simon is an ex-pro. He may not have the fitness he had when he was racing, but even retired pros can destroy about 97% of amateur riders. All those hours of hard training don't just go away!
Ok thanks. Do you know anything about the dérailleur?
Josh Smart - my 2011 sram red short cage only goes up to 27, consistent with the sram website. It is Now replaced by the rival long cage / Wifli, so I have the option of running a 32 when necessary.
Depends on the setting and intention
You may, for example, want to build up power using a tougher ratio...
🤔