compact vs. mid compact question, 11-32t cog?

[tylercheung]

Just wondering what would be "right" in this day and age. My rough understanding is that mid-compacts came into favor with 11 sp, and now 12 sp cassettes.

My current setup is compact w/ 11-32t cassette. On some days, I'm using 34-32 on hilly ascents in the area (say Chantry Flats which averages 8% but might have steeper segments), which is a lot of spinning.

Should I try to see how mid compact works, or just not mess w/ what I have?

(road bike, 700c/25 mm tires.

[parris]

Tyler for me I tend to like the 36 that the typical mid compact offers. The setup I run these days is a 36-50 on a couple of bikes and a 38-48 that I cobbled together for another bike that I didn't want to spend a ton of money on. The shifting of both setups is good with the 38-48 being very nice. I don't run out of gear with the 48 which gives I think a 105 inch gear at the top end.

[false_Aest]

What gears do you prefer? e.g. 34x28, 34x32, etc.

Divide 34 by 28 and you get 1.214.
Divide 36 by 1.214 and you get 29.654 -- round up to 30.

34 / 32 = 1.06
36 / 1.06 = 33.96

What this tells me is that to equal a 34x28 you need a 36x30 and to equal a 34x32 you need a 36x34.

The question is whether or not you're constantly trying to dump 1 more gear or if you have "head room".

I went from 53/39 to mid-compact and like it. My only complaint is that Shimano only makes a 12-28 in Dura Ace. They should make it in Ultegra too. 11-28 has 1 gap that just sucks.

[stev0]

As it sounds like has been suggested, I think that it's about what's right for you. There isn't some objective standard of a proper pairing beyond that. I know some people think that larger chainrings and smaller cogs are more pleasing to look at, but if that's not really a concern to you I wouldn't worry about what's "right" - there's probably some sort of machismo thing in there too.

I just built up a bike with a compact crankset after riding mid-compact on my primary bike for years (on 10 speed, too) and am surprised at how much I feel the difference (also changed crank length, which might be a bigger contributing factor) but it's nice to have an extra cog in reserve in the back. If 34-32 feels like too much spinning, maybe try not to use it for a while and keep the 32 in reserve? Unless your thinking is that 50-11 is insufficient, it sounds like new gear isn't warranted (then again, might as well try it if you're curious ).

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by tylercheung

Just wondering what would be "right" in this day and age. My rough understanding is that mid-compacts came into favor with 11 sp, and now 12 sp cassettes.

My current setup is compact w/ 11-32t cassette. On some days, I'm using 34-32 on hilly ascents in the area (say Chantry Flats which averages 8% but might have steeper segments), which is a lot of spinning.

Should I try to see how mid compact works, or just not mess w/ what I have?

(road bike, 700c/25 mm tires.

Why not just try a 36t small ring? a 50/11 is still a YUGE gear...

[saab2000]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Why not just try a 36t small ring? a 50/11 is still a YUGE gear...

Agreed on the inner ring. I use a 50/39 on a couple bikes with an 11-28. It’s a very versatile setup and if I travel to big hills I can easily install a 34 or 36. Also, yes.... a 50x11 is huge. Bigger than a 53x12.

[Gummee]

I don't like where the gears end up on the mid-compact. There's something that feels wrong about the gear ratios.

YMMV

M