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/”/]
If by any chance a Surrey Cogal happened to be the second weekend in September I’m pretty sure I would be there, from Dubai via Tooting.
@Teocalli, @ChrisO, @Mike_P I had in mind a ride on the second weekend in October rather than September. I know it’s getting colder and darker in October but my diary is fucked in September. That isn’t to say that the London/Surrey/South East Cogal shouldn’t be in September if that is more preferable for everyone else.
As for a route, I had something like this in mind. It needs a bit of refining but the basics would be London to the Coast, taking in an Olympic loop over Box Hill, finishing with recovery beverages and some food at the Royal Oak in Havant and then a train home.
@Chris
That may work even better. Eid Al Adha holiday is the 14th and 15th of October which means I’ll probably come home the weekend of the 12/13th.
And as I will be there for an extra couple of days above my usual long-weekend visits I won’t have to cash in any brownie points by going on a ‘bloody bike ride instead of spending time with my children’.
@Chris
This may possibly work for me. I’m in Weybridge, so a bit further up the A3 from @Teocalli. Not sure I can cope with @ChrisO’s perma-tan and racing tuned guns though.
@Mike_P
He can do two laps of Box Hill.
For those who, like me, can’t do the maths this may help. Anyone using this to justify ownership and use of a compact chainset …it’s still wrong and has no place on a road bike.
@Wold Man Rode into a 54/11 finish scenario last summer and it was surreal. I may load up the 54/44 again next year.
@Mike_P
I should be pretty open.
@Chris
Hmm – most of the route out of London to Box Hill are roads I would not normally choose to ride on……
@Teocalli I’m open to suggestions, my brother in law rides down to Havant or Hayling Island from London via Box Hill each year and I’ve got his route notes somewhere but haven’t had a chance to map them out.
No 39 ring here…
@Chris
I’ve got a route from a Brighton ride I did this year that started at the London Eye and avoided the main drags coming out of London. I’ll pull it out tomorrow and see how it can link over to Box Hill.
@Wold Man
How fitting that the chart only goes down to 38T.
@Chris
Yates was the cats cock.
One of my favorite riding activities is denigrating my compact-using friends, then attacking on downhills in my 53×11 (not that this every actually works, but it makes me feel better). It seems like like there are more compacts than standards in my area, very upsetting. It’s good to know there’s still a few people out there stubborn enough to put style before comfort.
@Fins
Fixed your post.
@Fins its 95% tongue in cheek and 5% serious. now please do use a favor and review Rule #5.
I am always totally amazed how many people get all butt hurt when they come here and read an article. I really noticed it with the article by @prowrench
@RedRanger
I don’t see what you are calling @Fins out for.
@Fins
One of my favorite riding activities is denigrating my standard crank using friends when I blow past them on an 18% gradient and they are too buggered to finish the ride.
Just putting it out there, in good humour of course.
@RedRanger
Eh, it’s the nature of the site really. Frank writes a poetic but fundamentally wrong article, then sits back to watch the fireworks.
It’s not about being “butt hurt” (you Americans and your funny sayings), it’s more like putting some surely polarising ideas out there and sitting back to watch the fun of everyone going at each other’s throats – in the nicest possible way….
I’m toying with the idea of getting a medium cage derailleur and an 11-32 for a particularly hilly 255km sportive in October. I figure that 9 hours of suffering will be enough without having to spend a couple of them below 50 rpm and whimpering like an abandoned puppy. At least I’ll be able to stick with my 53/39.
@ten B
11-27 at most and you are never allowed to actually use the 27, that way you’ll only suffer 8 1/2 hours.
now where’s this ride? Details details….
@Barracuda
Actually, that’s exactly what happened to me a couple of days ago at the (brutal) Tre Cime di Lavaredo climb. The night before the ride my friends and I were discussing the compact v standard issue, and I was very pleased to see the hamstrings and the calves of the most fervent advocate of 39T on the verge of muscular failure while I (slowly) overtook him two km to the summit on a 17% ramp…
@piwakawaka
It’s in the Brindabella ranges south of Canberra. If you Google Fitz’s Challenge you’ll find it. I did the 205km version last year on my old bike with a compact and 11-25. The last big climb was a one-hour symphony of agony. No real flat sections the entire way either – just rollers. Over 4000m of climbing, all up. This year’s plan is the 255, unless I can convince my VMH to play, in which case I’ll be her domestique for the 105.
Here’ a counterpoint.
Any bike with a rear cassette bearing anything larger than a 26 tooth cog should be either a MTB or a CX bike, not a road bike.
….aaaaand, go!
Ah, who am I kidding. I don’t really care. If it gets you up the hill, what does it matter?
@frank
Indeed. I know he got lighter as his career went on but the guy must have laid down huge amounts of V to have survived as a pro cyclist in his chunkier years. An inspiration to the too fat climb like myself.
There’s so much awesomeness in this photo, the way it shouts speed at you, the chromed surfaces glinting in the sun, the Coke bidon, Addidas shoes, gum sidewalls, lack of V-meter, studded saddle, low set brake levers and some fucking huge blood pipes. Only minor downside is that he should have given his wrench a slap for that rear QR.
@Teocalli
@ten B
Looks great enjoy, oh 5k vertical on the website!
@Mike_P
I’m going to ping a note over to Gianni to get a London Cogal page up and running. That’ll also give everyone else a chance to put it in the diary. He needs a date and route so I’ll give him the one I linked to the other day and note that it’ll be subject to refinement. We can then fine tune it between now and October.
I’ve created an email address for it, london.cogal@gmail.com
@Chris
This route http://ridewithgps.com/routes/3114387 is the route I have out of London to Box Hill that avoids the main roads. We can go westerly post Box Hill to wherever (as long as we avoid the A272 as that is horrible on a bike, busy and narrow main road). Though is there a need to start in London unless it just happened to be a central point or are there more people that are London based that makes it sensible?
@Teocalli That looks much better than mine, thanks.
I was thinking of a central London start purely from the point that it works for anyone coming in from out of London and those in London who aren’t close to the route, i.e., me. I’ll be coming into Kings Cross and riding down. The Mall is a good central location and there are plenty of places nearby to grab a pre ride espresso if their travelling gets them here a bit earlier than they’d like.
It may also make sense to have a second meeting point at, say the bike rental place/coffee shop on Priory lane in Richmond Park for those in South West London or coming in by car and didn’t want to park in the centre. Anyone doing that could get off the train at Clapham on the way back.
@Chris
I can get you to Box Hill no problem – I do it quite often from Tooting. Go down through Carshalton Ponds, Banstead and Kingswood is OK and then to Westhumble and Holmbury St Mary but after that there be dragons…
…as long as someone else can get us to Havant.
I’ll do a map to there and post it when the cogal page is up. Maybe we should start south of the river to avoid having a bunch trying to ride through the city – something like Waterloo, Clapham Junction or Battersea Park ?
@ChrisO
The bit from Box Hill to Havant will be the interesting bit of navigation. Not having a fancy navigation device, I think I’ll have to go old school and have a bit of paper taped to the top tub with key points against miles down range.
I’m going to ride out from central London so I’ll start it there, @teocalli’s route or straight down King’s Road to Putney bridge at that time of a Sunday morning won’t be too much of a bother but it would make sense to have an rendezvous point.
@Chris Here you go mate, run yourself up one of these – handy instructions here
@Chris
I probably should whisper this in very small print but I have a gps on the bike. Ok, Ok I’ll go and wash my mouth out with soap but I live in the “beyond there be dragons” part and you can spend weeks trying to find your way out of some of the back roads. There that’s my excuse. Happy to fit in with wherever as I can get dropped up on the edge of London or get a train up to Waterloo.
@ChrisO
Nice tape job.
Next you’ll tell me that you’ve grown a beard and will be doing the Cogal on your new recumbent whilst wearing spd sandals. We’re starting in the East End and heading towards Ipswich.
@Teocalli
You’ve got to love a volunteer. Thanks.
@Mike_P
Yeah I agree re Box Hill. Great view at the top but as I think it was Magnus Backstedt who said something like “Hill? That’s just a speed bump”. Leith Hill is more of a challenge and coming home up to Hindhead but even those are hardly the Lake District.
@Chris
Ha ha – love it.
@Teocalli
@Chris
You’d be surprised. I’ve had my fair share of rice pudding, peaches and malt loaf.
They may have beards but some of those guys – and girls – are harder than any roadie will ever be.
@ChrisO You could always give it a bash on this
@Mike_P
Tsk – Rule #31 ??
Dragging us back to things Belgian, reports are saying that Tom Boonen may need surgery on a saddle sore. That’s got to be bad, for a true hardman like Tommeke to need to go under the knife.
C’mon Tom, the Classics need you!!
@Chris + the other UK Velominati. I’m in Brighton and should be able to make it up to London this. Happy to go with whatever route you lot can come up with.
I actually started looking at a potential cogal route from Brighton heading up to Boxhill via Ashdown Forest in the past as there are some good roads but got no further.
I’ll send an email. Cheers
@motor city I’ve done the Hell of Ashdown the last couple of years as an early season wake up call for the Keepers Tour. It’s a great ride across lovely country side. This year’s was properly Rule #9 with horizontal driven snow on the high ground. It wasn’t lying on the ground but it sure as hell stung.
@Chris I remember you mentioning that earlier in the year, it sounded brutal.
I’m on the mailing list thing for entry for 2014 I think its late October for registration. I’d like to do that, then PUNCHEUR is a few weeks later then a day on the cobbles.
@wiscot
A little pent up emotion isn’t good for the soul, Hill repeats are in order.