« Klein Palomino | Main | Bill's Computer Unstable »
August 11, 2004
Campy Compact Cranks
Campy CT Cranks. These are compact cranks, so you don't need to get three rings in the front. Great for guys like me that don't need 53×11 big rings.
They are 50/34 rings vs. 53/39, so a little lowe4r range. Also, they are lighter overall apparently too, so that is even better.
Posted by rich at August 11, 2004 11:06 PM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.tongfamily.com/cgi-bin/mt-tb.cgi/1640
Comments
Wow, great advice, 50/34 is a great gearing for normal folks. Also I've heard great things about FSA. I've broken quite a few carbon parts particularly bars, so it is good to hear the cranks are pretty durable.
Do you know if FSA is compatible with the 10-speed Campy?
Posted by: Rich Tong at August 31, 2004 09:06 PM
I also have the FSA carbon compact cranks that I replaced my Dura-Ace 53/39 with this summer. I went to the French Alps with my bike and did not have that much time to train. I went to a 50/34 and it was great going up Alpe d'Huez. I normally use a 12/25 but switched to a 13/27 for the climb up Alpe d'Huez. I also have a 12/23 that I may switch to for riding around home.
I like the FSA carbon cranks so much, two other bikes in my family also switched. The cranks are light, stiff, and beautiful.
I have the FSA Platinum ISIS bottom bracket (steel spindle).
Posted by: Brad at August 22, 2004 06:27 PM
I've been using FSA compact cranks on my road bike for a couple of months and really like the gear ratios. I'm using a 50×36, rather than the standard 50×34, because my old crankset was a 53×42 and I wanted less of a jump between chainrings than the 34.
As it turns out, I find the 50 very useful; with a 13×25 9 speed cogset I can go 14 or 15 mph in the 50t ring with a decent cadence, allowing me to stay in the big ring much more. The 36 tooth ring gives me much better gearing choices for climbs, and I don't run out of gears very often as used to be the case (there are a couple 14 percent climbs in my area).
I had thought I might need to switch to a 12×23 cogset as I got fitter over the summer but it turns out I don't need a 12 for the riding I do (no more racing, and a 50×13 will take me over 30 mph in a fast paceline).
The shift from the 50 to the 36 is touchier than my old 53×42, and the front derailleur adjustment is very finicky (Dura Ace 9 speed); I may try the new Campy front derailleur for compact cranks when it's released.
Since I had to replace my old square taper spindle bottom bracket, I went with the ISIS version of the FSA crankset along with the FSA Platinum Pro Ti bottom bracket, and so far everything has been solid.
Posted by: Brian at August 18, 2004 03:02 PM
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)