52x36 vs 50x34
#126
Senior Member
Because if you are going 39t on the small ring, it makes good sense to bump up the big ring also. No sense in narrowing the gearing range when you can gain some downhill speed. Besides, 53/39 carbon cranksets aren't that expensive on Ebay.
#128
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#130
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Thought I'd heard that (maybe just Campy?) that the shifting ramps on the rings are paired for efficient FD changes.. ie. the 53/39 ramps are paired optimally, 52/36 are paired optimally etc.. Any shifting smoothness downside to using rings mismatched from originally intended by the manufacturer?
#131
Senior Member
By the time you spin it up all the way, the gain is more like .8-.9mph though. I'd call that worthwhile. Hitting a new top speed PR always makes a ride.
#133
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#137
Senior Member
I had a 53/39 on my older '88 bike, and when I got a new bike a few years ago it came with a 50/34. In Albuquerque we have rolling hills, and when you need to shift the front, thats usually too big of a jump so you need to ALSO shift the rear. With the 53/39 this was rarely the case. In Tucson I remember a racer that had something like a 53/48.
#138
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#140
Retro-nerd
#141
Non omnino gravis
#143
Retro-nerd
You have convinced me. Can you tell me who makes a 10 tooth cog or a cassette so I can try the 42 x 10 gearing?
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#145
Retro-nerd
Yeah sprinter can do it for 300 meters which isn’t helpful for any serious riding. I notice you didn’t state the duration. You don’t need to tell me I don’t want to know, anymore.
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spend some time in the Rockies on a FG bike, and you’ll learn how to spin a high cadence.
#147
Retro-nerd
Why bust my ass on a FG in the Rockies when I could just log into BF’s and say anything I want?
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#149
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This is a very interesting thread. Found it because I think I need to go the opposite direction. I'm currently running 50/34 rings with a 11-30 cassette which I think is not enough. I think swapping out my rings for a 52/36 and keeping the 11-30 would be perfect for me. I'm constantly in a pretty high gear, and I have never shifted out of the big ring unless I am doing some steep sustained climbing. This is a typical weekly solo effort on the flat with three complete stops factored in (stop signs and lights), showing I spent most of the time in the 12. It's a steady high effort pace so I am not surging or sprinting. If I were to sprint, I would need more than 50-11 as I have been in sprints and tried to shift only to find out I was already in the 11 and there was nothing more...and I regularly spin out going downhill. My FTP is calculated by real one hour efforts on the road, not 20min tests on a trainer. I'm not a lightweight either over 50, and at 206lbs. The power pic is from a separate ride so I can turn the gear. I'm not a "spinner" when it comes to sustained power output on the flats. If I am sprinting I will be 115+.
#150
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Now that I have almost 800 miles on the new bike (50-34 & 11/34), I can say that I def made the right choice. Have done several rides with over 10,000ft of climbing and it was great having the extra gear. Also have no trouble keeping up with the A group rides. Sure, I spin out going downhill, but at that point I'm doing 40+mph and gravity can take over from there.