Ok, Let's hear from all you compact crank riders..

[txbuckeye]

.....So are you happy with the compact or not ? Its sounds to me like you went compact because it was cheaper than converting to a full triple

Yes, I am happy with it. It performs well. However, if I did alot of serious climbing and I was starting out from scratch I would go with a triple. It allows a more versatile gear setup(also closer ratios). If setup correctly it will perform very well also.

 

[Tonto]

Didn't want to start yet another compact crank thread but I couldn't find the answer to this question.
I have 9 speed Campag and was looking at an FSA Gossamer Compact crank set. Thing is, I've seen on a couple of websites that it's compatible only with Campag 10 speed and Shimano 9/10 speed.
Why would it work with Shimano 9-speed and not Campag?

Anyone know?
Thanks

 

[tanggoman]

Good Morning tanggoman,

What rear cassette are you using ? I am going to start with the 11-23 that comes with the bike......
I hear alot of compact users saying that they stay in the big chainring alot longer than when they were running a conventional 53/39 double. Do you find this to be true ? How far down the cassette will you go until you shift into the 34, the 7th largest ? 8th ? all the way to the 10th ? (assuming a 10spd cassette)

J.

Sorry for the late reply but with your question, I use a 12-27 cogset. It actually depends on how you will do your riding - climbing or flats. There are so many hills in where I live with grades up to 25% that I have to use 12-27.

 

[SteveV]

I used to ride a Trek triple with 175mm arms. I switched (in 1993) to a Serotta double with Ultegra 52/39 in front and 12/25 in rear and also swithched to 170 mm arms. I am 6'-0" tall, so I know many will say that the arms are short, but they work for me. I have Chondromalacia in both knees, yet I have done centuries on this bike with no pain and I have never longed for the 3rd ring. I heve ridden this bike everywhere I have lived (New England, Maryland, Minnesota, Los Angeles, and now Florida) so I have encountered all types of terrain and love the double setup. You will not be disappointed.

 

[JoeOxfordCT]

I used to ride a Trek triple with 175mm arms. I switched (in 1993) to a Serotta double with Ultegra 52/39 in front and 12/25 in rear and also swithched to 170 mm arms. I am 6'-0" tall, so I know many will say that the arms are short, but they work for me. I have Chondromalacia in both knees, yet I have done centuries on this bike with no pain and I have never longed for the 3rd ring. I heve ridden this bike everywhere I have lived (New England, Maryland, Minnesota, Los Angeles, and now Florida) so I have encountered all types of terrain and love the double setup. You will not be disappointed.

IRD (Interloc Racing Design) http://www.interlocracing.com/cassettes_steel.html
makes a 10 speed 11-28 cassette that's Shimano compatible. It's about $120. Keeps your top end, gives you a good low end too and works with my Ultegra short cage derailleur.

 

[::dom::]

Very happy... changed a Ultegra double to FSA carbon compact. Kept the same bottom bracket and RD. It works great!

 

[mikael17128]

Hello Joe Oxford,

I'm up here in Leominster Mass. where it is not flat by any means. I have had a FSA Compact 34/50 this year, (515 gram ) and it has been great. My cassett is DA 11/23, and, have not suffered on any hills around here. Most of the time, it is possible to stay out of the 23 tooth slot even on steeper climbs. I have been getting into the Armstrong habit of higher cadence, and for an old guy, it has worked well. I wish for a 34/48, or something like that, I hardly ever get up into the 11,12 or 13 gears on the big ring. Enjoy !

Yep, FSA has a 48 tooth outer chain ring that I've been riding for 4 or 5 months now. It's great gearing for climbing and is fine for solo riding but does get a bit old when travelling with groups, especially fast groups.

I always had trouble shifting under power from the 34 to the 50 tooth on my FSA compact. The 34/48 combination will shift from the 34 to the 48 under any condition flawlessly. I am thinking that a 50/36 may be the combination for me. In fact I am about to wander down to the shop and present them with my new 36 tooth ring I received in the mail today.

Regards,

MW

 

[Insight Driver]

I put nearly 3K miles on a triple and rarely ever dropped to the granny. I've got a compact crank now and I like it. The range in gear inches is nearly as wide as the triple. I've the got the FSA elite 50/36 with a Shimano 6600 Ultegra cog 11-23. For the same riding I did with my old bike I'm in the big chainring most of the time. Only on long hills do I end up dropping to the small ring. The shifting is definately crisper on a double than it is on a triple.

Most people on a road bike don't need a triple. There is a weight savings going with the compact crank, definately. The rear derailleurr uses a short cage instead of the long cage and the front derailleur only has to switch to rings instead of three. The advantages are clear.

I don't say that a triple shouldn't be used. For many folks that is the sensible thing to do. For me, at 52, and a recreational rider with a bunch of enthusiasm, I think the compact crank suits me better.

 

[53-11]

A lot of triple riders will say they don't see the point of a compact, but honestly there are benefits to only having two chainrings.


If I wanted ultimate low gearing I'd obviously go with a triple, but a compact can approach a high-geared triple with less complexity and one less chainring shift.

Most of these benefits are to be had with a 10s set-up though. 11-27 10s custom cassette makes the compact work. 9s and the comapct is a little weak (more gaps if you use a wide range)

 

[jitteringjr]

I just wanted to add this in case there are any people reading this that are looking into getting a compact crank. If you are currently riding a double 53-39 crank with a 11-23 cassette, buying a compact crank to improve your gearing does not make sense. Here is why:

By switching to a compact crank you loose your top gear and gain 2 lower gears. The same thing can be accomplished by switching to a 12-27 cassette and buying a new cassette is much cheaper than a new crank of the same quality.

Obviously there are many times where going to a compact does make sense, but not in this one example. If you are going to switch, know your gear ratios (Gain Ratios) to see what you are really getting.

 

[53-11]

By switching to a compact crank you loose your top gear and gain 2 lower gears. The same thing can be accomplished by switching to a 12-27 cassette and buying a new cassette is much cheaper than a new crank of the same quality.

THat's true........A 50/34 and 11/23 gives you the same range with a little more top end than a 53/39 and 12/27.



I still think most people will not buy a compact so they can use a 23T. Most will buy it so they can run 34-25 or 27. (so they can have almost a triple, but with 1 chainring shift rather than 2)

34-25= ~39-29
34-27= ~39-30/31

If you can make 10s custom casettes a 50-11 will give you the equivalent of a 54/55-12 top gear (not bad).

 

[Meek One]

Got a new bike last week with FSA Compact Gossamer MegaExo 175's

First ride today. Felt great, except I think I might prefer a 170 or 172.5.

Anyone want to trade?

 

[t4mv]

'Sorry guys, searching around for an answer to a question, but have yet to find it...

The FSA [fill in the blank] compact cranksets are described as being for 9 & 10 spd. Has anyone tried running this with Shimano 8 speed HG? I'm trying to change as little as possible on an old steel bike (i.e. limiting changes to crankset, BB, FD, & cassette) and I'm just curious to see if the new stuff will work with the old(er) stuff. Thanks for any insight into this.

 

[John M]

'Sorry guys, searching around for an answer to a question, but have yet to find it...

The FSA [fill in the blank] compact cranksets are described as being for 9 & 10 spd. Has anyone tried running this with Shimano 8 speed HG? I'm trying to change as little as possible on an old steel bike (i.e. limiting changes to crankset, BB, FD, & cassette) and I'm just curious to see if the new stuff will work with the old(er) stuff. Thanks for any insight into this.

9s/10s crankset should work fine with that set-up.

 

[DiabloScott]

'Sorry guys, searching around for an answer to a question, but have yet to find it...

The FSA [fill in the blank] compact cranksets are described as being for 9 & 10 spd. Has anyone tried running this with Shimano 8 speed HG? I'm trying to change as little as possible on an old steel bike (i.e. limiting changes to crankset, BB, FD, & cassette) and I'm just curious to see if the new stuff will work with the old(er) stuff. Thanks for any insight into this.

8-speed ultegra and FSA Gossamer Compact - works GREAT

- oh wait, I do have a Campy Veloce front derailleur, but I'm shifting it with Ultegra shifters. Everything else is Ultegra.