ttusomeone

Early this year, I built up a Tarmac with the new (2012) SRAM Red. I opted for the Quarq Compact 50/34 Yaw crankset and a 11/28 cassette. I absolutely love the Quarq and the entire group, and the gear combination is great for most rides. However, during races where there's a non-technical descent where everyone is hammering or a fast sprint, I'm under geared (as you can imagine). On most descents I can spin a fast enough cadence to hang on (~140 rpm), but I would much rather have some additional gear. I originally wanted a mid-compact 52/36 or 52/38 but SRAM didn't make that gearing with their new Yaw rings. Does anyone know if SRAM is planning to come out with mid-compact rings for their Yaw cranksets? If not, does anyone have suggestions? The only options I can think of are switching to a standard crankset or putting non-Yaw mid-compact rings on the Yaw crankset, which I'm not even sure would work. Thanks in advance for the help.

merlinextraligh

Have you thought about Praxis rings? They make a 52/36, and are forged, not machined. I bet they would work. Might evens hift better because they're forged. You could call Praxis.

I know Quarq used to say that there PM's did not work well with Praxis. However, the new Red Quarq does not have to be reclaibrated with changes in chainrings, so I would think Praxis wouldn't be a problem.

If you figure it out, please post. I've got the same setup as you.

ttusomeone

I had not heard of Praxis before. I'm going to email them and see what they say. Just looking at their website they say "Not marketed for '12 SRAM RED with hidden mount", but I don't know exactly what that means. I'll post what I find out. Also going to talk to my LBS tomorrow to see if they have any suggestions.

Edit: I just found this on Praxis' FAQ section -
[h=3]Do your rings mount onto the new 2012 SRAM RED Crank?[/h]No, The brand new 2012 Sram Red crank has a new custom mounting so that only their Red rings mount to it. Praxis road rings mount to all industry standard 5arm 130BCD or 110BCD.

TrojanHorse

I used to run red mid compact rings and changed to compact (intentionally) when I upgraded my FD and chainrings to the new yaw set up. I don't know why you wouldn't be able to run alternative brand mid-compacts - maybe they won't shift as nicely as the new yaw rings but they should be able to be tuned to shift at least as well as with the old FD. And yeah, as merlin says - post your findings.

ksauers

I didn't like the way my Apex rings shifted. Problem going to the big ring. Got a set of Praxis rings and problem solved.

ttusomeone

I talked to Quarq to see if the spider from the Red crank could be used on another one of their cranks and they said it couldn't. They also said the way the crankset is designed, any aftermarket rings will have the chain catch rotated 180 degrees from where it should be. I asked if they knew if SRAM was coming out with a 52/36 ring set for the new Red crankset, and they said to contact my SRAM dealer. At this point unless someone else has a suggestion, I'm going to ride what I have for the rest of the season and figure out something this fall.