Struggling with compact chainset

[Pjays666]

Hi all I have been riding a hybrid with a triple for the last 20 months. Having just picked up my new road bike which has a compact I find that when climbing I am looking for a smaller gear that isn't there. Is this common , will I get used to it or will I have to change to triple? I have only had bike for a couple of weeks and only done 3 rides but living where I do hills are unavoidable

 

[fossyant]

Stick with it.

What cassette have you got on the back (teeth size). You can change these more cheaply, then move back once your fitness increases.

 

[maltloaf]

What's your rear cassette ? I was having a similar issue but I changed my cassette for a 12-30 and it's helped loads. That and getting out and getting better through practicing.

 

[Hacienda71]

A compact with a 30t on the rear will give a similar lowest gear to a triple with a 25t on the rear. For me the biggest issue with a compact is the big jump in ratios when dropping from the large to the small ring on the front. It just isn't as smooth as a standard double or triple.

 

[Pjays666]

The rear cassette is an 11 28, 10 speed and I must admit that means nothing to me!!!!

 

[maltloaf]

The bigger number is your lowest gear and the bigger it is, the easier it is. Yours is 28 mine is 30 (= easier) you can fit a 32 on many modern road mechs but check yours before buying

 

[slowmotion]

I sympathise Pjays666. My last bike was a triple 50/39/28 with an 11-28 cassette. My new one is a compact 50/34 with an 11-28 cassette. I thought I would have a problem with the lack of low gears on the new one but actually it hasn't been too bad so far. It's a slightly lighter bike and it feels a bit more frisky which may have helped psychologically and made me push myself a bit harder. It's early days though. My Nemesis will be Ditching Beacon later this year, and even though I have another cassette to swap in, I will be struggling, without doubt, and may end up walking.

Stick with it!

 

[Pjays666]

It feels great on the flat and even with climbs my average speed is up 2 mph but it just doesn't feel like it. I will stick with it, today's ride was only 6.36 miles with 745 ft ascent and 761 descent, average speed of 13.65

 

[Cubist]

That's not all that shabby for that ride! Stick with it, and make a conscious effort to push yourself just a yard or two more before shifting down. Each time you ride you'll get a wee bit fitter, so there's an incentive for persevering.

 

[YahudaMoon]

Stick with it.
r
What cassette have you got on the back (teeth size). You can change these more cheaply, then move back once your fitness increases.

Hi

Disagree

Got 3rd place in the AAA (mountain climbing) or Audax Altitude Award in the season a few year back and loved my triple crankset, did similar the next few years after on a compact and hated it, just to much hard work for me climbing hills all day on a compact chainset.

Was climbing about 3000metres most weekends though

Go back to using a triple crankset or get a quiche

Your knees will thank you for it in your later life years

But thats just me

 

[slowmotion]

Hi

Disagree

Got 3rd place in the AAA (mountain climbing) or Audax Altitude Award in the season a few year back and loved my triple crankset, did similar the next few years after on a compact and hated it, just to much hard work for me climbing hills all day on a compact chainset.

Was climbing about 3000metres most weekends though

Go back to using a triple crankset or get a quiche

Your knees will thank you for it in your later life years

But thats just me

I certainly don't think that triples are lesser beasts, or their riders. Who cares how you get up or down the road if you are happy with it? I ended up with a compact because I liked the bike and it wasn't available with a triple. Actually, compacts do have some advantages. The cage on the rear derailleur of a triple tends to be longer, and that makes gear changes a bit more spongy compared to the shorter cages of a compact. My previous bike had a Shimano 105 triple. The new one has a Campagnolo Veloce compact. In terms of shifting, there really is no comparison. It's simply more fun for me.

 

[Pjays666]

Go back to using a triple crankset or get a quiche

Quiche?

 

[gavroche]

A compact with a 30t on the rear will give a similar lowest gear to a triple with a 25t on the rear. For me the biggest issue with a compact is the big jump in ratios when dropping from the large to the small ring on the front. It just isn't as smooth as a standard double or triple.

So a 32 cassette on a compact will be similar to a 28 triple then?

 

[MikeG]

I'm another who contests this "when you get fitter you'll not need the lower gears" meme. I think that is utter nonsense, frankly. I'll climb the hills as quick as any of you, but I'll spin the pedals 50% more than most. It is intellectually lazy to say that lower gears equals slower hill climbing. My chain came off during my club's hill climb race last autumn, but I went and did it afterwards, and came within 2 seconds of the winner (30 years younger than me), and without standing up once.

When I ride in a group with my club the people who stand up immediately come back down the road towards me. And I mean immediately. Standing up equates to going slower. It also equates to increasing tiredness rapidly, whereas sitting and spinning a lower gear just makes you pant, and doesn't really stress your legs. If in doubt, change that cassette, and don't be afraid to use all of it.

Mike

 

[eck]

All you ever need to know (and more) about gears here: http://sheldonbrown.com/gears/

eg Triple 30t x 28 rear = 28.3"
Compact 34t x 32 rear = 28.0"
(Approx, depending on tyre size and crank length).

So, yes, very similar (and very low).

Like Hacienda 71, I'm not a big fan of the big jump in gears between the chainrings on a normal 50/34 compact: I recently got a 48/34 compact which is a little better,