Your latest bike purchase?

[jrenaut]

I know we have some engineers on the forum, can’t someone invent a CVT?

[dkel]

@jrenaut 110154 wrote:

I know we have some engineers on the forum, can’t someone invent a CVT?

Yep.

[jrenaut]

@dkel 110155 wrote:

Yep.

Well, that’s pretty cool. I think I’d need at least a 10 speed, though.

[Phatboing]

@jrenaut 110154 wrote:

I know we have some engineers on the forum, can’t someone invent a CVT?

Done. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wNcok8KdNE

[dkel]

@Phatboing 110157 wrote:

Done. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wNcok8KdNE

That’s what I was looking for! I saw the SRAM 2-speed on the Bianchi Semplice at Bikenetic, and got in a whole discussion with them about the NuVinci thing.

[vvill]

@Harry Meatmotor 110147 wrote:

My only gripe with this is that there aren’t many cranksets that will allow you to run a mid-compact. In all honesty, if you can swing the coin, get two cranksets, one standard, one compact, then just adjust the fder. to suit the crank. I’ll even admit to doing this on my regular road bike – for hill work (like Skyline, or rides up in western MD) a 34-25 is plenty good, but i tend to be a low-cadence rider.

Huh, I never really thought about it. I guess now with their 110 BCD spiders, Shimano’s 11 speed cranks could do 52-36 easily, but yeah before maybe not. Not sure about other manufacturers.

I *try* to use 34-24 even for most sustained climbs, and then drop into the 28T only if I’m really suffering.

[hozn]

@Harry Meatmotor 110147 wrote:

My only gripe with this is that there aren’t many cranksets that will allow you to run a mid-compact. In all honesty, if you can swing the coin, get two cranksets, one standard, one compact, then just adjust the fder. to suit the crank. I’ll even admit to doing this on my regular road bike – for hill work (like Skyline, or rides up in western MD) a 34-25 is plenty good, but i tend to be a low-cadence rider.

What do you mean? I wasn’t aware of any compact (110 BCD) cranksets that do not allow running mid compact. Is this a clearance issue, or?

I have run mid compact on my Rival and Force (10sp) cranksets. And now my new-to-me (but quite not new) S975 Quarq. So my only data point is SRAM.

[hozn]

@vvill 110164 wrote:

I *try* use 34-24 even for most sustained climbs, and then drop into the 28T only if I’m really suffering.

34:28 was *awesome* for Diabolical Double. Lately I’ve been running a 36/50, which is a really nice combo. That 50t is just such a nice ring in front and less of a jump between rings makes for smoother front shifts. I’m switching to 36/52 because it’s what I have in rings now. I don’t mind; I slightly prefer 50t, but 2 teeth isn’t that big of a difference. But, yeah, I run a 11-28 cassette. If I were a triathlete, I could see wanting a tighter spider, but that is a very enabling range for anything out there. I don’t expect I will ever own a standard crank; I have no need to pedal faster than 37mph (52×11 at 100rpm).

I love, love, love the 36/46 for commuting and singletrack (and the one or two cx races I’ve done on that gearing). I agree that 34/50 is the wrong gearing for CX. The 34t is ok for singletrack, but the 50t is too big. Really 36/46 is great — and rings so close together makes for awesome front shifts.

[ShawnoftheDread]

My takeaway is I should get a compact crank because I can later switch to a 52 if I need more speed after suddenly developing something resembling quads. And also I can bump the small ring to a 36.

And 46/36 rings for my CX, which was already the plan.

[hozn]

Yup, get a compact! You can even buy standard-size (39/53) rings for compact cranks. No reason to get a standard.

Note that the new Shimano (Dura Ace, maybe Ultegra too?) cranks use their own proprietary (4-arm, x-shaped) setup which also is just a single BCD size that works for compact and standard-size rings.

[Jason B]

+1 on the compact (you will never go back to a standard for the road)
I just went with a new 11 compact, 11/32 with a RDgs (long) for the upcoming fondos. So, if you are feeling like a “pansy” for getting the compact and a 28, realize there is a bigger “pansy” riding behind you singing, “just keep spinning, just keep spinning, just k…”

[kwarkentien]

@Jason B 110200 wrote:

+1 on the compact (you will never go back to a standard for the road)
I just went with a new 11 compact, 11/32 with a RDgs (long) for the upcoming fondos. So, if you are feeling like a “pansy” for getting the compact and a 28, realize there is a bigger “pansy” riding behind you singing, “just keep spinning, just keep spinning, just k…”

I have an 11 speed mid-compact 52/36 with an 11/32 mid-cage on my Dogma F8. I love it. I had been running a 10 speed 50/34 with an 11/28 on my Ruby, which was great but I was always envious of those with a 32 in the rear. The mid-compact is a great way to split the difference and having the wider range on the cassette makes it almost bearable to climb for this avowed hill-hater. And funny, I also sing “just keep spinning” in my head all the time. 😎

[vvill]

@ShawnoftheDread 110186 wrote:

My takeaway is I should get a compact crank because I can later switch to a 52 if I need more speed after suddenly developing something resembling quads. And also I can bump the small ring to a 36.

Sounds good! (Just don’t try 52-34 – I think 16 teeth is the max FD difference.)

@hozn 110198 wrote:

Note that the new Shimano (Dura Ace, maybe Ultegra too?) cranks use their own proprietary (4-arm, x-shaped) setup which also is just a single BCD size that works for compact and standard-size rings.

Actually down to 105 even. I like that it’s 110 BCD but the proprietary 4-arm rings have made me stay away from those! CX-50 and CX-70 I think are still 5 arm 110 BCD, since they never updated those cranksets.

For Mtns of Misery, Garrett County or any of those >1000ft / 10 mi timed centuries, I could’ve used > 28T to be honest! But for most riding around here I try to stay out of the 28T, and use it as a bail out gear.

[DismalScientist]

Sounds like half step/grannies are about to make a comeback.

[dkel]

My Straggler came with 46/36 and 11-32. The only time I have spun out was in the mountains near Bryce resort, but those are loooong, steeeep hills; I rarely even get to the 11 cog around here. I actually like the 32 cog: I can climb anything without even getting out of the saddle (I could probably pedal with one leg and still get up anything on that cog); I hardly ever do that, but it’s nice that I can.

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