CF Compact or wait for Alloy Centaur CT?

[jeffg]

I heard from a shop here in Germany that Campy has come to its senses and will be releasing an alloy compact in the fall. Has anyone heard about this? If it were available now I would get it to make my life easier this summer in the mountains. Right now my low gears are 39X29 and 34X27, so switching to a compact would give a 34X29 option on the fo. I would guess that a 34X29 would give me 5 rpm over a 34X27 and 10 rpm over a 39X29, which seems significant to me. The cost of a CF crank, however, is also significant. So, these are my thoughts:

1. I really should have a low gear for these rides, though I did ride in the Dolomites with a 39X27 in 2002. 34X27 should allow survival ...

2. See point #1. Chorus CT would allow me to keep my current Phil BB so I just need a crank and FD swap.

3. But spending €450-500 on a crank/FD seems extravagant, and my wife might prefer that I grind a little ;)

Thoughts?

[davep]

FSA makes alloy compact cranks, but only in ISIS. But BBs can be pretty cheap. If you want to get something real cheap while waiting for the Campy Nashbar has a comapct for $75, again ISIS, but the matching BB is $25.

And you don't really need a new FD. I have an FSA compact and a standard Record D that works fine.

[Dave]

A 34T chainring is nearly 15% lower than a 39, so it provides 15% more leverage or cadence. The 34/29 is equivalent to a 39/33. The downside is reduced top gear, only equivalent to a 53/14 (assuming a 13-29 cassette) and 1 more cog to be shifted after shifting chainrings.

Unless you're obsessed with a campy-only drivetrain, there are a lot of FSA crank and BB combinations that cost far less than a campy crank alone.

Personally, I prefer a triple. My 53/39/28 with a 12-25 has a low gear that's equivalent to a 39/35 or 34/30. I have no loss of top gear, closer gear spacing and no extra cog shifting.

If you're currently using a medium cage RD (you should be), then all you need is the crank, BB and front derailleur.

[Marron]

FSA makes alloy compact cranks, but only in ISIS. But BBs can be pretty cheap. If you want to get something real cheap while waiting for the Campy Nashbar has a comapct for $75, again ISIS, but the matching BB is $25.

And you don't really need a new FD. I have an FSA compact and a standard Record D that works fine.

FSA produces the Energy alloy crank in the Octalink pattern. It's not very elegant but it does get the job done.

[OldDog]

Ritchey WCS compact. 50/34 rings. About $125 US at AEbike.com Works well with my 13 -29 and Record Med cage and FD.

[Orin]

Excel Sports have FSA Gossamer Compacts on sale for $109.88.

About $160 with BB and shipping. You might need a deeper BB tool to install the ISIS BB. You will need a torque wrench or you'll likely not get anywhere near the correct torque. Download the torque specs from the FSA web site - they are high!

I just put one on my Rambouillet. Glad to get rid of the nasty Campy Centaur BB - nasty because of the scalloped edge that the tool always slipped off (though I did turn a cup in machine class that holds it in place, still can't torque it properly).

Orin.

[jeffg]

Thanks for the responses.

I have a PMP Microroad on my Legend (48/34), and I think it offers a great gear range with a 12-27. My one complaint is TA rings don"t shift quite as well as DA or Chorus/Record. I never drop the chain like some other folks with compacts do, but the difference in shifting is there for sure. With Campy I wouldn't have to give up shifting quality or a Phil BB, so that's a big plus.

As for compact v. triple, the reason I would like a compact on my Campy steed is that I could normally run a 50/36 and a 12-25 if I wanted a tighter ratio and go to a 13/29 and perhaps a 50/34 when heading to the real mountains. 39X29 has been fine for most Black Forest climbs, but I have not done more than 20-30km of sustained climbing on any one ride. Why not go lower? It would be a shame to grind up the Gavia or Ventoux when a extra gear or two would make a big difference. As for top end, a 53X13 is all I can ever see using, so a 12-25 triple doesn't seem worth it to me. For a 30/29 I could see it, but I think a 34X29 should do the trick and avoid having to buy crank, BB, FD/RD.

FSA would be a good stopgap, but then I would end up getting the Centaur later and thus spending as much as a Chorus compact. Anyway, thank you for the help and I'll try to post some pics from the rides this summer.