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/”/]
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My new steed was too good a deal to pass up, and also came with sissy gears. Goes without saying when Breeding and Blimping for the second time, budgetatus isn't what is once wasitatus.
On debut I barely ever got out of big ring. Quite strange with such a big ranging cassette also, not sure I like the linear feel of the top, with the bottom having large gaps. The mathematics (no math or maths arguments here!) of gearing fascinates me.
I have no doubt a Flemish Compact and straight block would feel better once the legs were up to it.
Crankset is one of the main things on my list right now, not sure if I want to go standard or compact. 34 is too small for winter base training. Contemplating 52/36 or maybe Osymmetrics which would be a whole 'nother bag of worms.
The shop I bought from basically refused to change my gearing out, so I have 50/34 12-28 and I often find myself rationalizing the bailout gear at the end of a long ride. Anyone use Osymmetrics here?
I've just met up with the idea of gearing on the learning curve of cycling (took me 10 months to get here) so I took in this article with great interest. Quite honestly I've been a bit confused over what constituted a compact chain ring so this helped quite a lot!
After reading this I looked up the specs on my bike 52/36 - compact. Gag! I've been thinking about ditching my 11-28T cassette for something with a 16T for less cadence variation through the heart of the gearset but was a little worried about losing the 28 tooth cog for climbing. Now to find out that I've got the Nancy ring at the front as well was a huge hit to my self image - namely me as hill climbing assassin.
But then...
I remembered that when I bought my bike we swapped out the FSA crank for a Shimano 105 and lo and behold it's a 52-39T. Whew! I'm okay with the Flemish Compact!
As an aside...any thoughts on cassette choices - 12-25T or 12-27T? Or is there an Ultegra cassette that would work that I should consider?
I do get the gist of the article and my first road bike, a lovely steel Ciocc had a 52/42 and I did like it a lot. I was young(er). Many years have now passed and anyway that was the bike squished by the pick up truck I have spoken of recently. Go compact and just pedal faster. 50 x 12 at a decent cadence is plenty quick. Get yourself some track time and develop souplesse if you want to look really Pro. Why grind and mash, bob and wobble if you can spin and look smooth?
We've not all got the guns of a pro but we can pretend. Just saying.
@kixsand 39 x 27T and 36 x 25T. Effectively same gear size. For me nothing I haven't got up on a 25. I did buy a 12-27 for some expected particularly hilly riding but it was wasted. I keep the 27 for my CX bike. Road bike doesn't look so good with a soup plate on the back!
I held out for a long time, riding the standard 53/39. Then the day came when my new rig was equipped with a 50/34. At first it seemed a cop out, my cadence was not used to the slightly larger gear discrepancies that are inherent to the compacts ratios. But after time I realized that a compact crank set paired with an 11-28, enabled me to ride in two different ends of the physiological spectrum. While riding a standard crank, a rider is consistently pushing too hard for too long. So when the time comes down to attack, many riders are suffering from muscular fatigue. Whereas the compact rider has the ability to spin up climbs, reducing muscular fatigue, and then can use reserves to throw down the hammer with a taller gear. A compact effectively enables a rider to spin out the legs while climbing next to a rider having to stand up on his 39-25. Also, a 50 tooth ring paired with a11-28 cassette is a great tool for rolling courses, in that a rider can stay in the big ring while riders are having to shift down and then up repeatedly. Staying in the 50 the whole time saves loads of time and eliminated decision making while being completely blacked out.
@eightzero
Word.
Yikes...just got home from work and visually inspected my chainrings. I was wrong.
They gave me the 105 compact crank - 50-34T.
Interesting though. I guess that's why I seldom have to go down to the small ring.
Honestly though, I don't need shorter or taller gears but would like more in the middle. I will have to ponder on this.
Sorry...clarification. I don't want more in the middle. I want tighter gear ratios.