Campy 34/52

[CPP]

Has anybody tried this set up? How does it work?
Thanks

[ultraman6970]

IMHO i dont see why it should not work. The 52T chainring is just tad larger than the 50. Just be sure the FD can handle compact.

[CPP]

Maybe the shifting is a bit less precise but I would think it should fly

[Ralph]

No 52 is designed to work well with a 34, so imagine shifting will suffer some. Both ways. I would rather stick with a 34-50, and if needing a taller rear gear, work it out in the cassette. If one normally ran a 36-52, and needed slightly lower climbing gears for one ride, I might would use a 34 for one ride.

[CPP]

Getting old, it's either going to a 36/52 with a 27 (more like a 29!) or just facing the music, foreseeing the near future and going with a 34/50.

Some days you eat the Bear, some days the Bear eats you!

[oldpotatoe]

Getting old, it's either going to a 36/52 with a 27 (more like a 29!) or just facing the music, foreseeing the near future and going with a 34/50.

Some days you eat the Bear, some days the Bear eats you!

I use a 50/36, 12-25. I have a 34t small ring and 12-27. A 50-12 is still a very high gear.

[Ralph]

When folks talk about what gear they get by with, I often wonder what they mean. I can climb a 12-15% grade long hill with a standard crank and a 12-30. And do it over and over on a long hilly ride.

But when I come to a mountain where I ride up hill for miles and miles.....with no let up....I need a lot more help than that. I want a 1-1 bail out gear, even if I don't use a gear that low. So when I go to the mountains, and ride up hill all morning long, I use a triple with my 12-30. And climbs are usually not 12-15%.

Good luck getting geared for your needs.

[fogrider]

IMHO i dont see why it should not work. The 52T chainring is just tad larger than the 50. Just be sure the FD can handle compact.

many front derailleurs can handle a compact setup, but once you put a bigger ring on, it may not work. That's because the fd is set lower to handle the 34. With a 52, the fd has to be set higher just to clear the 52. back in the old days, most bikes came with a 52/42, now a standard is 53/39; a difference of 14 teeth. the larger the difference in teeth, the slower the shifting becomes. do a search for half step gearing...and it was said that the shifting is smooth. and guys that use a triple will say it shifts better than doubles. now with 52/34, the difference is 18 teeth. will it work? maybe. the fd has to be set to clear the large chainring, then the chain will drop into the small. there is a bolt on the back of fd that connects the plates and the chain will need to clear over it. I think most fds will not be able to handle it, you may need to go to a triple fd.

also, adding two teeth to a chainring is not upping your gearing much.

[Bantamben]

It's not the front dr that's the problem. It's the rear depending on gear combo it's a big difference in chain tightness. You'll have to set the chain at minimum looseness on the small small and hope chains not too tight on big big.
If it's too tight you'll need a long cage derailed

[eippo1]

Getting old, it's either going to a 36/52 with a 27 (more like a 29!) or just facing the music, foreseeing the near future and going with a 34/50.

Some days you eat the Bear, some days the Bear eats you!

The Della Santa has 50-34 and I still can't get used to it, but it is great for days when I just feel like tooling around in the saddle. I built up the Bianchi with a 52-36 and feel like it's just right for my ageing joints. Love that combo with a 25 on the rear.