How does chainset quality affect ride

[Drago]

You're getting quality confused with standard of design and finish.

 

[ianrauk]

I agree entirely. My titanium framed, carbon forked, Ultegra kitted out 'best' bike is worthy of a much better rider than me, but it really is a joy to ride. Even minor servicing like tweaking the gears or adjusting the brakes is a pleasure because of the quality of the components.

Spot on my friend.. spot on.
I could have wrote what you just did...

 

[Spoked Wheels]

Other than weight differences, there is no performance difference between different cranksets. They all do the same job, in the same way.

Some claim benefits from oval rings, but that's more a matter of personal preference.

I upgraded from 105 to Dura Ace and there is a small difference in weight but the difference that I'm interested in is stiffness. With the 105 when riding off the saddle the chain would rub on the derailleur cage..... not much but enough to annoy me the Dura Ace is stiffer and I get no chain rubbing at all.

 

[MichaelW2]

I upgraded from 105 to Dura Ace

was that 105 a Hollowtech II version ?
Lots of crank stiffness data here.
Note that stiffness is resistance to deflection under load. If you don't have the strength or weight to deflect a crank, then a stiffer one will have no advantage.
Chainring quality does make a difference, to durability, shifting and stiffness (for big ring).

 

[slowmotion]

The more you spend on the components, the better you think you ride.

That's all.

It's rather like HiFi really.

 

[bpsmith]

I have seen many a post, by the usual suspects, on here saying "other than weight" they're all the same and then saying "weight" hardly affects" your cycling experience. It has been the same response, regardless of component. It's getting boring now.

I bet the culprits aren't riding the cheapest bike they can find though, despite that being the correct bike to have, based in their posts.

 

[KneesUp]

I have seen many a post, by the usual suspects, on here saying "other than weight" they're all the same and then saying "weight" hardly affects" your cycling experience. It has been the same response, regardless of component. It's getting boring now.

I bet the culprits aren't riding the cheapest bike they can find though, despite that being the correct bike to have, based in their posts.

I've got a £20 crankset from decathlon on my bike at the moment. It's not the thing that stops me taking on the hour record

 

[bpsmith]

I've got a £20 crankset from decathlon on my bike at the moment. It's not the thing that stops me taking on the hour record

You're actually following your own logic though, in buying a £20 crank and believing all others wouldn't make any difference to you. That's fair enough.

 

[KneesUp]

You're actually following your own logic though, in buying a £20 crank and believing all others wouldn't make any difference to you. That's fair enough.

Not quite.... Mine was worn out and I got sick of the gear change so I took the one of my OHs bike as a temporary measure. About 6 months ago. She hasn't noticed yet, but I might need to put some cranks on her bike before we go on holiday

 

[bpsmith]

Not quite.... Mine was worn out and I got sick of the gear change so I took the one of my OHs bike as a temporary measure. About 6 months ago. She hasn't noticed yet, but I might need to put some cranks on her bike before we go on holiday

So are you simply going to replace hers with another £20 decathlon one and leave yours as is?

 

[KneesUp]

So are you simply going to replace hers with another £20 decathlon one and leave yours as is?

I was thinking of putting my old one on hers tbh

 

[accountantpete]

Another with (second hand) Dura Ace (7900) - great stiffness and the improvement is perceptible especially going up hills.

 

[Spoked Wheels]

was that 105 a Hollowtech II version ?
Lots of crank stiffness data here.
Note that stiffness is resistance to deflection under load. If you don't have the strength or weight to deflect a crank, then a stiffer one will have no advantage.
Chainring quality does make a difference, to durability, shifting and stiffness (for big ring).

Yes, the old 105 is the 5700 series. No problem with it other than when riding off the saddle, I got some chain rubbing. I adjusted my fd as best as I could but I never fixed the problem. Conclusion was that the crankset was flexing maybe 2mm.
The Dura Ace doesn't flex or flex very little, not enough to rub on the fd. No need to adjust the fd at all. It's a little easier to move from one chainring to another but not a huge improvement.

Weight difference? I can't remember the difference but probably well under 100g. It's welcome as a whole saving....makes the bike 7.5kg which is not bad at all for a large frame.

Does quality make a difference? I think so. If you can afford it then go for it. I don't run everything Dura Ace because some components aren't compatible with my setup. .... for instance I like a large cassette and Dura Ace don't do a medium cage rd and my old 105 rd does a good enough job.
Did I notice the difference? I did but for a very short time then I just got used to riding the new components. I remember that I was very impressed with the braking power. If I had another bike with 105 brakes then I'm sure I'd notice the difference every time.
Does it make me faster? No idea but I doubt it very much.... I've never tried to measure the difference.
Why did I do it if performance gain is small?
I like good quality things without being stupid about it. I bought nearly everything second hand, in very good condition and at a fraction of the cost I'd pay for new.
I got the look I was looking for. Eliminated the chain rubbing, gained breaking performance and saved a bit of weight.
Would I do it again? Absolutely.

 

[Citius]

You have to consider how much stiffness you actually need, given the relatively low forces being put through the crank arms in the first place. Even riding up an alpine col, top riders will only be pushing about 20kgf with each pedal stroke - that kind of force is not going to be worrying too many crank sets.

 

[Tojo]

Yes, the old 105 is the 5700 series. No problem with it other than when riding off the saddle, I got some chain rubbing. I adjusted my fd as best as I could but I never fixed the problem. Conclusion was that the crankset was flexing maybe 2mm.
The Dura Ace doesn't flex or flex very little, not enough to rub on the fd. No need to adjust the fd at all. It's a little easier to move from one chainring to another but not a huge improvement.

Weight difference? I can't remember the difference but probably well under 100g. It's welcome as a whole saving....makes the bike 7.5kg which is not bad at all for a large frame.

Does quality make a difference? I think so. If you can afford it then go for it. I don't run everything Dura Ace because some components aren't compatible with my setup. .... for instance I like a large cassette and Dura Ace don't do a medium cage rd and my old 105 rd does a good enough job.
Did I notice the difference? I did but for a very short time then I just got used to riding the new components. I remember that I was very impressed with the braking power. If I had another bike with 105 brakes then I'm sure I'd notice the difference every time.
Does it make me faster? No idea but I doubt it very much.... I've never tried to measure the difference.
Why did I do it if performance gain is small?
I like good quality things without being stupid about it. I bought nearly everything second hand, in very good condition and at a fraction of the cost I'd pay for new.
I got the look I was looking for. Eliminated the chain rubbing, gained breaking performance and saved a bit of weight.
Would I do it again? Absolutely.

I agree, I settled for Ultegra 6800, really wanted a high grade Campag groupset, but the cost dictated, (I got a Ultegra groupset for £440) and I am really impressed with it and I'm now converted, the quality at that price considering that it is only one down from Dura-Ace on manual groupsets, but even so if the funds became available I would build a new bike with a carbon Campag groupset, but at the minute it's pie in the sky