Geared advice - compact to standard

Campag ones whilst being 110 BCD have the offset hole so you can't fit standard 110 BCD rings to them.

Typical Campag idiocy.

Ok. You pay my airfare and accom. and I'll even smile for you at the top.

Stupidly, Campagnolo

I concur.

Smallfurry- i do want to climb on on the small ring, why would i want to change up to the big ring for climbing? the only gears i could use on the big ring for climbing are horrible cross chaining and it only leaves 2 possible gears i could ride on. obviously it depends on the hills, but i cant see this happening often.

my set up is 50/36, with a 11-23 on the back. the bike is a roubaix style racer.

I'm guessing that you would go up the cassette to 14 then from 36:14 (67.6GI) to 50:19 (69.2GI), and continue up from there. The tricky bit being shifting four sprockets, and to the big ring, without losing momentum.

As MrSmyth says this may just be theoretical armchair bullshit though ;)

      Quote:
  Originally Posted by **andyp**  [![](http://static.lfgss.com/images/londonfgss/buttons_lite/viewpost.gif)](http://www.lfgss.com/thread39288.html#post1262762) 

Stupidly, Campagnolo

I concur.

Ha! You did a funny!

Thread dredge

getting a new groupset for a bike. My current bike is normal 53/39 with 12-25 setup. Occasionally struggle up hills cos i am a fatty.

Been thinking of trying a compact to take some of the hill pain away with a 50/34 and 11-25 set up but not sure if i am just being a pussy and need to htfu

any words of wisdom from the kind folk at lfgss before i spend £400 on a groupset

Go compact.

I mean obviously I wouldn't, you massive blouse. ;)

Go compact, but go for 50/36 if you can. (The gap between a 50 tooth chainring and a 34 tooth is huge and you're unlikely to need anything lower than a 36x25 in the UK).

you have summed up my thinking in those two posts. completely undecided

My other bike has normal set up so in terms of compatability I am erring towards the normal

I've got a compact with 50/38* plus 12-23, and a non-compact with 47/39 plus 13-23 or 11-21 when it's on the turbo.

That info probably doesn't help.

*kept the 34t in my spares box for eventualities.

Go compact, but go for 50/36 if you can. (The gap between a 50 tooth chainring and a 34 tooth is huge and you're unlikely to need anything lower than a 36x25 in the UK).

Compact is the way to go, but I have to disagree regarding 25 being the lowest you're likely to need on the UK.

If you're riding Audax distances or some sportives you can stick a 28 or 30 on the back to deal with stuff like this.

I've got a compact with 50/38* plus 12-23, and a non-compact with 47/39 plus 13-23 or 11-21 when it's on the turbo.

That info probably doesn't help.

*kept the 34t in my spares box for eventualities.

hmm i think that is harder than my 39/25 lowest gear, but could consider 50/38 plus 12-25

if you're a self confessed 'a struggler up hills' a compact should be your default. just buy a compact you can always change inner chain ring later on if you are monstering it up hills.

I think it should also be your default if you're a non-racing 'struggler at keeping on top of a gear on the flats'. For the sake of the chainline; and the children.

11-25 at the back + compact = no problem.

Apart from likely 2+ tooth spacing across top half of cassette - yuck.

I've got a compact with 50/38* plus 12-23, and a non-compact with 47/39 plus 13-23 or 11-21 when it's on the turbo.

That info probably doesn't help.

*kept the 34t in my spares box for eventualities.

BMMF rides gears?! And there was me thinking he has all those excellent times on Strava on his fixie.

You don't read the ride log underneath each epic?

Wind speed and direction, GI and bowel movements are all noted and for some weird reason make for compelling reading.

Ok 'compelling reading' is maybe too strong. Maybe just 'reading'.

BMMF rides gears?! And there was me thinking he has all those excellent times on Strava on his fixie.

Most of them have been, hang on a second…

…check right hand column for proof of fixie credentials* :)

*shitty, inverse-zoomed, but the choices are 'B Fixed' or 'V Geared'

^they don't have a column for bowel movements. Major oversight.

^Get him, he has a bowel movement column, the rest of us make do with a soil stack

still undecided - arghhh