Winter Gearing, compact or semi compact?

dahat

I changed to a semi compact this year on my race bike and have slowly got used to it.

My winter bike however is a 50/34 chainring but will need changing soon so should i run both bikes on same set up? Obviously i'll run inner ring mostly in the winter.

Some people run a compact in the Winter but as i'll be using the winter bike for turbo training as well my guess is i'm best advised to keep same gearing on both bikes.

thekooman

go for the semi compact so. a 105 crankset can be got handy enough price wise. i run 52/36 on a CX bike for winter and same for racing. had a 53/39 last year and didnt find much difference to the semi compact for racing. 99% of the time racing you are in the 52 / 53 anyways.

dahat

thekooman wrote: »

go for the semi compact so. a 105 crankset can be got handy enough price wise. i run 52/36 on a CX bike for winter and same for racing. had a 53/39 last year and didnt find much difference to the semi compact for racing. 99% of the time racing you are in the 52 / 53 anyways.

A 105 52/36 is €100 on CR atm, seems reasonable to me.

ford2600

dahat wrote: »

A 105 52/36 is €100 on CR atm, seems reasonable to me.

https://www.merlincycles.com/shimano-fc-rs500-chainset-11-speed-bb-98788.html

dahat

ford2600 wrote: »

https://www.merlincycles.com/shimano-fc-rs500-chainset-11-speed-bb-98788.html

But this wont match the 5800 version, an extra €40 to get matching version, fools and money easy parted as my Dad says.

I'm being ridiculous i know..

Daroxtar

Why not just change your cassette?

dahat

Daroxtar wrote: »

Why not just change your cassette?

Have some 11/28 cassettes at home already. Crankset has taken a fiar amount of punishment in 2 years plus i need a chain as well so doing all at once.

Juan More Time

I've been riding 53-39 chain rings since the late 1980's. and continued to ride the ratios long after I stopped racing...In the last few years I've dabbled with 50-34 compact chainsets, but they never felt right.... Semi-compact 52-36 is a nice compromise... although I wish Shimano would make cassettes with a 12 or even 13 tooth top sprocket for us ordinary non- professional cyclists...

Miklos

I've 53-39 on both my race bike and winter bike.

Plastik

I just run a 53.

Chips Lovell

The advice about only riding in small ring in the winter originates from the days when people often had a 42 tooth inner ring or (at most) a 39 tooth and a much small spread of gears on the back.

More than once, I've seen n00bs on club spins desperately try to spin a compact in the small ring because some eejit has told them to keep there until the spring.

These days just pick a set up that will allow you to spin a gear on most terrain you'll be on during the winter.

dahat

Seems to be old fashioned ways to run a compact then in Winter.

Now I need to sell to buy!

Chips Lovell

No, a compact is grand for winter training as long as you're not trying to keep it in the small ring all the time.

dahat

Jep Gambardella wrote: »

No, a compact is grand for winter training as long as you're not trying to keep it in the small ring all the time.

It has taken dogs abuse and needs changing so was going to get a semi compact altogether rather than put a compact back on. It's my winter bike hence the thread.

Chips Lovell

Sorry, I thought you just needed new chainrings, not a new crankset.