Compact Chainset...not sure?

[Seamab]

Is it or are you just assuming everyone has your riding style?

I'm not assuming anything just answering the OP with my experience.

The OP tells us he runs 52/39/28 and 99% of the time never uses the 28. So, his riding style is almost exclusively 52/39 which is more standard double than anything else. He must generally climb on the 39 ring which i'd imagine sees a lot of use in his riding style. So he might miss it when it's gone. A 36 might be OK but possibly not low enough when he needs that granny gear, so may need a 12-27 cassette which does not give a smooth transition (which he already has).

If he goes for a compact i'll bet he'll spend a lot of time in the 50 in the big/big combos.

How will a compact help him? That was the question.

IMO compact's are a compromise developed in Europe to give a triple ratio over two chainrings. The advantage being that it's still a double and saves a few grams over a triple. To some cyclists there is still the notion that triples are for wimps and real cyclists only need two rings.

However, i myself use this obvious compromise and with a bit of tweaking manage to work with it OK

 

[AlanW]

I'm not assuming anything just answering the OP with my experience.

The OP tells us he runs 52/39/28 and 99% of the time never uses the 28. So, his riding style is almost exclusively 52/39 which is more standard double than anything else. He must generally climb on the 39 ring which i'd imagine sees a lot of use in his riding style. So he might miss it when it's gone. A 36 might be OK but possibly not low enough when he needs that granny gear, so may need a 12-27 cassette which does not give a smooth transition (which he already has).

If he goes for a compact i'll bet he'll spend a lot of time in the 50 in the big/big combos.

How will a compact help him? That was the question.

IMO compact's are a compromise developed in Europe to give a triple ratio over two chainrings. The advantage being that it's still a double and saves a few grams over a triple. To some cyclists there is still the notion that triples are for wimps and real cyclists only need two rings.

However, i myself use this obvious compromise and with a bit of tweaking manage to work with it OK

What a spot on reply!

Your right, I spend most of the time on the 39/14.

My two other road bikes have double chain sets, both 39/52 and also fitted with a 12/23 cassette. So no matter which bike I choose, I can maintain the exact same cadence and peddling style.

As for if triples are for wimps, well, a few years ago a group of us rode the Winchcombe Falling Leaves Audax, a 100km and very hilly, late season event. This was before I had my Audax bike fitted with the triple, so I used my normal everyday bike fitted with a 39/52 12/23 combo.

In summary, we rode the event and finished in a respectable time, having mauled my bike up some of the really nasty climbs.

The following year, we did the same event but I know had my bespoke Audax bike c/w the triple chain set.

We finished the event literally with a few minutes of the time the year before, but the difference being, I rode the bike round rather than heaving the bike round.

While I would consider myself to be a strong rider, why struggle?

 

[GrasB]

My answer would be has the AlanW tried this combo? If not how does he know if it suits him or not?

I used to ride triple, then I rode on a compact & realise it was so much better so until you ride on one you don't know the answer.

 

[Speck]

Surely it depends on where you live and your age etc. I am 63 next week and live on The Mendips, so a compact suits me fine!

 

[jimboalee]

Surely it depends on where you live and your age etc. I am 63 next week and live on The Mendips, so a compact suits me fine!

I'm 50 and live on the SE Birmingham flatlands.

The sports tourer I bought came with a triple. I hardly use the 30T ring but I'll not be spending money to lose it.

 

[Fiona N]

I live in the Lake District so there are plenty of hills to test the low gearing. This meant that when I ride a bike with a triple (52-42-30 / 12-27) I ride about 95% time on the middle ring with the occasional use of the granny gears. The hills just aren't long enough to be worth getting into the big ring, given I have a high enough cadence to get up to >50kmph on the middle ring. I'd use the big ring on longer or less steep hills but here it's 30 seconds of steep downhill and then you're onto the next climb and none of the (sensible chain line) gears on the big ring are low enough to be much good.

With a compact (50/34 12-27) I ride almost 50/50 on the rings. This has been quite a surprise and my riding is much better for it. I'm unlikely to spin out in 112 inch gear but the 70 inch gear (7th of 11 is the largest sprocket I use with the big ring) is low enough to get over the roller-coaster uphills without changing onto the small ring. The closeness of the gears is fabulous (12,13,14,15,16,17,19,21,23,25,27) and I can always find the right gear for the longer drags.

So for my riding style and the terrain , a compact has turned out to be the perfect choice