The Cycling Thread

Originally Posted by Dipper

Hee hee, riding with others can be huge motivation to carry on where otherwise you may have stopped or taken things easier ...a case of dig in and "shut up legs", it's always surprising what extra you can find.

This^ and it is a fast track to improvement.

Hey Guys,

I have a minor grizzle with the ring combinations on the current crop of compact crank sets.
It looks like manufacturers have gone their hardest to reduce the overlap in gears between the upper and lower rings. What I've found is that without cross chaining (ie using 8 of the 11 on each ring - 9 if I absolutely have to) the transition between rings is a bit too close to where I do a good bit of riding including climbing.
The transition is happening at about 28kph (@~90rpm). I'd like to get the chain ring transition out to 34kph or more, just to give myself a bit of room before I must change rings.

For me... The 50T chain ring is best with 12-25 cassette - the important sprockets are 13 to 19 in 1T increments.
With the 34T chain ring I'm not needing lower than the 19, 21 on a grind and most of the time I'm climbing on the 17. The two lowest gears are largely unused (if I did I might as well walk) I can afford to use a 42 ring to increase the overlap, move closer to the 2-3T increment range (I'm double tapping in the 1T increments) when climbing, smooth my gear use and delay the transition particularly on climbs when the road flattens, but not enough to justify getting back on the top ring.

There is one other alternative being considered btw. 46/36 CX rings with an 11-23 cassette. Mentioning that usually gets a blank look and nonsensical "those are cyclocross rings" like there is some magical difference between road and CX rings. Bah!
The top ring is within a hair of what I'd want (and what I've got), but the lower ring although an improvement still comes up a little short at about 31kph. I'd want a 39T lower ring so it is more of the same (although it is only a 3T change instead of 8T)... and a little more than I'd like to spend atm on something that may or may not work.

Too much info? Prob-ab-ly.


So the question here is... has anyone here tried mixing and matching rings?

For example:

46T or 50T Shimano top ring with a 39T Shimano lower ring?

50T Shimano top ring with a 42-ish Specialites TA lower ring?

Any combination of Specialites TA rings (both top and bottom - eg 46/39 or 50/42) on a Shimano 10-11spd crank set?

I am aware that the ramps and pins on the Shimano top ring won't be right with the larger lower rings. What I haven't been able to find is good info on the consequences of that mismatch. Mostly it is internet rhetoric with little hard info or real experience behind it, just a bunch of stuff someone read once being regurgitated over and over.
I wouldn't expect it pick up the chain as well as the ideal combination... what I need to know is will it be good enough using for example a Gossamer crankset as the standard... or am I going to experience chain grinding as the chain fails to pick up, chain drops (the bike came with a dog's tooth to prevent drops over the FSA low ring which could be a clue to the quality of those cranks) and jams or hang ups on the shifts and what can be done to avoid the worst of it?

Or... Specialites TA upper and lower rings on 10/11spd cranks... the good, the bad and the ugly?

[carelesschucca]

It's at this point the magic roundabout theme tune starts paying.

I was talking to Mav yesterday about changing up to a 50/34 or 52/36 double from the 50/39/30 triple. But the idea of mix and match scares me.

[maviczap]

Originally Posted by MattCollins

Hey Guys,

I have a minor grizzle with the ring combinations on the current crop of compact crank sets.
It looks like manufacturers have gone their hardest to reduce the overlap in gears between the upper and lower rings. What I've found is that without cross chaining (ie using 8 of the 11 on each ring - 9 if I absolutely have to) the transition between rings is a bit too close to where I do a good bit of riding including climbing.
The transition is happening at about 28kph (@~90rpm). I'd like to get the chain ring transition out to 34kph or more, just to give myself a bit of room before I must change rings.

For me... The 50T chain ring is best with 12-25 cassette - the important sprockets are 13 to 19 in 1T increments.
With the 34T chain ring I'm not needing lower than the 19, 21 on a grind and most of the time I'm climbing on the 17. The two lowest gears are largely unused (if I did I might as well walk) I can afford to use a 42 ring to increase the overlap, move closer to the 2-3T increment range (I'm double tapping in the 1T increments) when climbing, smooth my gear use and delay the transition particularly on climbs when the road flattens, but not enough to justify getting back on the top ring.

There is one other alternative being considered btw. 46/36 CX rings with an 11-23 cassette. Mentioning that usually gets a blank look and nonsensical "those are cyclocross rings" like there is some magical difference between road and CX rings. Bah!
The top ring is within a hair of what I'd want (and what I've got), but the lower ring although an improvement still comes up a little short at about 31kph. I'd want a 39T lower ring so it is more of the same (although it is only a 3T change instead of 8T)... and a little more than I'd like to spend atm on something that may or may not work.

Too much info? Prob-ab-ly.


So the question here is... has anyone here tried mixing and matching rings?

For example:

46T or 50T Shimano top ring with a 39T Shimano lower ring?

50T Shimano top ring with a 42-ish Specialites TA lower ring?

Any combination of Specialites TA rings (both top and bottom - eg 46/39 or 50/42) on a Shimano 10-11spd crank set?

I am aware that the ramps and pins on the Shimano top ring won't be right with the larger lower rings. What I haven't been able to find is good info on the consequences of that mismatch. Mostly it is internet rhetoric with little hard info or real experience behind it, just a bunch of stuff someone read once being regurgitated over and over.
I wouldn't expect it pick up the chain as well as the ideal combination... what I need to know is will it be good enough using for example a Gossamer crankset as the standard... or am I going to experience chain grinding as the chain fails to pick up, chain drops (the bike came with a dog's tooth to prevent drops over the FSA low ring which could be a clue to the quality of those cranks) and jams or hang ups on the shifts and what can be done to avoid the worst of it?

Or... Specialites TA upper and lower rings on 10/11spd cranks... the good, the bad and the ugly?

Erm no

This year I used a 50/33 inner for the Alps, with a 32 -12 at the rear. Previously I'd used 50/34 x 30-12 and a triple 50/39/30 28-12 (I think).

Round here, my favourite is the semi compact 52/36 as I'm in the middle of the cassette, my old legs aren't strong enough for a 53 and 39 is too low. 12/25 cassette for all uses.

46/36 for my gravel bike, with a 28-12 at the back

Originally Posted by carelesschucca

It's at this point the magic roundabout theme tune starts paying.

I was talking to Mav yesterday about changing up to a 50/34 or 52/36 double from the 50/39/30 triple. But the idea of mix and match scares me.

Haha... I hear that. I've been on the magic merry-go-round for a while. Stuff the money, just get yourself a 105 or Ultegra group and a set of Shimano RS11 wheels for the 11spd cassette. Don't forget to duck when the missus aims one at your noggin' for spending money that perhaps you shouldn't.

Once you reckon she's forgiven you for that round of spending... she probably won't btw... splash on a fancy frame.

[carelesschucca]

DON'T!!!

I watched this video 3 or 4 times last night. The bike sounds good but I So can't get with the colourscheme. I'd want to get shot of the blue somehow.

The Triban could get different wider tyres and I'd use it along the canalised into work. Thus saving me nearly a grand a year, meaning the bike has paid for itself within 12 months... Well that's my thoughts...

TBH the gaffer is great I can spend my own money however I want once I've put my share into the house.

[maviczap]

Originally Posted by carelesschucca

It's at this point the magic roundabout theme tune starts paying.

I was talking to Mav yesterday about changing up to a 50/34 or 52/36 double from the 50/39/30 triple. But the idea of mix and match scares me.

Apart from 11 speed stuff, you can use lots of combinations of 9 & 10 speed.

I was going to run a 10 speed set up, using a 34-12 cassette, using a 9 speed Deore rear mech, as it works fine with the road sti levers. Ultegra long cage rear mechs can only cope with a 30 tooth cassette, and not that well.

You can run an 11 speed set up, using a 10 speed chainset, but you must use the mechs & sti's. Seeing as the chainset is a major expense of buying a groupset, its quite a saving.

I'm told you can also run a 11 speed cassette on an older 10 speed shimano rear wheel, by using a lockring from a mountain bike groupset. I've yet to test this out, but if it works, it saves having to buy a new rear wheel, as Shimano didn't make their 10 speed wheels compatible with 11 speed

[maviczap]

Originally Posted by carelesschucca

DON'T!!!

I watched this video 3 or 4 times last night. The bike sounds good but I So can't get with the colourscheme. I'd want to get shot of the blue somehow.

The Triban could get different wider tyres and I'd use it along the canalised into work. Thus saving me nearly a grand a year, meaning the bike has paid for itself within 12 months... Well that's my thoughts...

TBH the gaffer is great I can spend my own money however I want once I've put my share into the house.

Pick me, pick me, for £899 I don't know how they do it

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/FBPXSLP...eid=ee78a86d9b

or

Me

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXLDN...sram-apex-bike

[Dipper]

Originally Posted by maviczap

Pick me, pick me, for £899 I don't know how they do it

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/FBPXSLP...eid=ee78a86d9b

or

Me

http://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/CBPXLDN...sram-apex-bike

Pay those prices and what you get is a nasty cheap carbon frame I hired one of those a couple of years ago ....horrible, good quality aluminium would be better in my opinion.

[carelesschucca]

STOP THIS NOW!

I like the look of both of those. But the Ultegra bike a touch more. It'd be nice to get a mix of the both and have the disc brakes on the Ultegra

Suppose looking nice and riding nice are different.