Categories: Awesome Belgian GuysBelgian AffirmationsFolkloreLook ProNostalgiaThe HardmenTradition

Look Pro: The Flemish Compact

Everyone knows that the quality of one’s character is measured by the size gear they can push, particularly when going uphill. It is also a well-established fact that no self-respecting Flemish Pro would ever ride a Compact, no matter what condition their knees are in or how ferocious the gradient. Which, by extension, means that Compacts are for sissies. In fact, a true Flandrian would rather lose their national race than ride a Sissy Gear.

The first time we rode with Johan Museeuw, we were shocked to find him aboard one of his carbon/flax race machines – and a compact chainset. Not wanting to offend an Apostle by suggesting he’s riding his son’s bike, I asked him what he thought of it. “I don’t like it. The big ring isn’t big enough for climbing.”

The standard Flemish chainset is – and has been for as long as the Ancients have tracked these details in their sacred scrolls – either a 53T or 52T outer ring paired to a 42T inner ring. On the occasions when the parcours will see them scaling the Koppenberg or Kapelmuur, the Belgians make a concession and dust off their trusty 41T inner ring in order to shorten the gear by a whopping single tooth. In the mountains or over in Wallonia (the land of savages) where they are far from the prying eyes of their proud public, the Flemish hardman may allow his mechanic to bolt on a lowly 39T ring, so long as no one brings it up at the dinner table. (It is worth noting that in Cyclocross it is standard practice to ride a 38T inner ring.)

Museeuw has never been a grimpeur, not when he was a Pro and not now. On Keepers Tour 2013, we had the opportunity to do several more rides with him, one of which was over the roads of Liege-Bastogne-Liege. It was customary for him to suggest alternate routes that avoided the steep hills, and so it was that he tried to talk us out of riding the Stockeu. We rode up side-by-side, taking our time. As we alternated between pedaling and doing track stands, he asked if I was riding a compact. I feigned a combination of exasperation and insult at such a question and told him it was a Flemish Compact.

“Oh, a 39? Goed.”

[dmalbum path=”/velominati.com/content/Photo Galleries/frank@velominati.com/Belgian Compact/”/]

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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View Comments

brett says:

Aug 13 2013 at 6:14 pm

@The Grande Fondue

I'll take your 53/42 and raise a 53/44 (O'Grady's bike at Paris-Roubaix this year)

Yeah, but you need 15 years of doping to push that gear... oh, sorry, I mean just the once.

@Marcus

@PeakInTwoYears

A little bit of election campaign quality this week from the man likely to be Australia's next prime minister,

"No one, however smart, however well educated, however experienced is the suppository of all wisdom"

I'm so glad I'm not living there anymore... that country is (even more) doomed if he gets in.
Marcus says:

Aug 13 2013 at 6:26 pm

@brett that makes at least two of us.
PeakInTwoYears says:

Aug 13 2013 at 7:00 pm

@Marcus

@PeakInTwoYears

A little bit of election campaign quality this week from the man likely to be Australia's next prime minister,

"No one, however smart, however well educated, however experienced is the suppository of all wisdom"

Wow. Pretty awesome. Almost as dark matter anti-brilliant as Merica's last prez.
Marcus says:

Aug 13 2013 at 7:40 pm

@brett

@PeakInTwoYears

For a laugh at this strange little country, please take a look at The Daily Show review of our election. Its pretty funny but pretty humiliating - worth the 7 minutes.
brett says:

Aug 13 2013 at 8:05 pm

@Marcus

And to think that the public is dumb enough to hand that rabble of a party power... embarrassing.
mouse says:

Aug 13 2013 at 8:29 pm

@frank

I've been watching with bemusement as more and more compacts wind their way onto CX bikes. The outer ring is too big for grinding the steep stuff, and the 34 is waaaaaay to small to keep traction going. I have never once used the inner ring on a CX course; you can ride the short steep bits on a 42T or 44T outer ring and keep your traction going (admitting full well that you'll be crossing the chain in some cases). No need for small BCDs on CX rigs.

Seriously?

If that's the case, you have clearly never ridden a proper CX course.

Funny thing is that I don't remember Seattle as being pan flat, or particularly dry.
mouse says:

Aug 13 2013 at 8:43 pm

...and, i'll get my coat.
scaler911 says:

Aug 13 2013 at 8:43 pm

Randomly found this quote and thought it pertained to the topic at hand:

"I still feel that variable gears are only for people over forty-five. Isn't it better to triumph by the strength of your muscles than by the artifice of a derailer? We are getting soft... As for me, give me a fixed gear!"

-Henri Desgrange (First organizer of the Tour De France)

Discuss..............
scaler911 says:

Aug 13 2013 at 8:44 pm

@mouse

@frank

I've been watching with bemusement as more and more compacts wind their way onto CX bikes. The outer ring is too big for grinding the steep stuff, and the 34 is waaaaaay to small to keep traction going. I have never once used the inner ring on a CX course; you can ride the short steep bits on a 42T or 44T outer ring and keep your traction going (admitting full well that you'll be crossing the chain in some cases). No need for small BCDs on CX rigs.

Seriously?

If that's the case, you have clearly never ridden a proper CX course.

Funny thing is that I don't remember Seattle as being pan flat, or particularly dry.

They don't know how to ride 'cross in Seattle, but that subject we'll save for October.
HMBSteve says:

Aug 13 2013 at 9:08 pm

@wiscot Hey, hang on, man. Age is in the mind - no need to apologize. Time to invoke Rule #5 and just get the hell back out there. At some point, the 50 somethings and 60 somethings need to recognize their physical limitations. That does not mean we do not still aspire to smash it up the hills and wind it out on the flats. It is just a little much to assume that we can grind it like the 30 somethings. We can match them ounce for ounce int he bar! Wait until they get to our age - if they are still grinding a a 53/42 good for fucking them. In the interim, I will pound my 50/34 over the 116 km and 2500 meters of elevation that I did this Saturday. I just wish I had discovered proper cycling when I could crunch a 53/42. How about an elder Velominati Cogal?