Compact Cranks for CX bike: Good "BFB"?

[Lewis Moon]

I'm thinking very hard about doing the Crusher in the Tushar this year and I'm sure I'll need an "extended" range of gearing. I did a bit of numbers juggling and it looks like replacing my Record cranks with a compact crankset would be the cheapest way to get wider gearing.

What are some good "Bang for the Buck" compact cranksets that are well made, can be had in 175 and will come in < $100 used but not abused? I got my Record cranks for ~$35 so I'm a good scrounger.

Also, I was looking at the tooth # difference between a standard 53/39 (14) and a compact 50/34 (16) and was wondering if I really needed a "compact" front der?

[AngryScientist]

what BB system are you running now?

[Gummee]

If its temporary: FSA Gossamer

If its more permanent: SRAM Force

HTH

M

[Lewis Moon]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

what BB system are you running now?

I'm running a square taper Campy, so that'll have to be a consideration, although if I can get a nice crankset I'll just swap everything and sell the Records.

[Lewis Moon]

Originally Posted by Gummee

If its temporary: FSA Gossamer

If its more permanent: SRAM Force

HTH

M

What about the Rival?

[AngryScientist]

rival is fine, and so is apex, they all use the same BB, and are fine quality cranksets.

take a look around though, you can probably score a new athena compact crank for pretty cheap money and that would be a better match to the campy stuff, aesthetically.

[Lewis Moon]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

rival is fine, and so is apex, they all use the same BB, and are fine quality cranksets.

take a look around though, you can probably score a new athena compact crank for pretty cheap money and that would be a better match to the campy stuff, aesthetically.

That would be plan A. What are the differences between Rival and Apex?

Edit to add: I'm not as concerned about matching/looks. I like Campy because of the quality and because it's what I've always had....

[mossman]

get the cx50.

[Lewis Moon]

Originally Posted by mossman

get the cx50.

I forgot to mention I think the cranks that ShimanNo has been putting out lately are the most absolutely ugly hunks of alloy I've ever seen. Really. Dog turd ugly.

No offence meant, it's just a question of taste.

[Ken Robb]

I have seen Ritchey 50-34 sets on sale for $50-100 closeout deals. There were some arms recalled (mine were) and replaced with a stronger design. It was handled easily and quickly: a week from initial contact to having the new arm in my hands. They look nice and work perfectly with and Octalink BB.

[dbh]

If you don't mind mixing and matching campy and shimano, I went with an r700 compact, which is akin to ultegra. The rings and arms are very high quality, and the hollow tech bb is much better than fsa or SRAM offerings. Plus you can find them cheap on the bay. I use a standard campy fd with no trouble.

[Gummee]

Originally Posted by Lewis Moon

What about the Rival?

I've got one each Rival, Force, and Red crankset. They all make the pedals go round and round. Force seems to be the sweet spot $/performance.

M

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Lewis Moon

I'm thinking very hard about doing the Crusher in the Tushar this year and I'm sure I'll need an "extended" range of gearing. I did a bit of numbers juggling and it looks like replacing my Record cranks with a compact crankset would be the cheapest way to get wider gearing.

What are some good "Bang for the Buck" compact cranksets that are well made, can be had in 175 and will come in < $100 used but not abused? I got my Record cranks for ~$35 so I'm a good scrounger.

Also, I was looking at the tooth # difference between a standard 53/39 (14) and a compact 50/34 (16) and was wondering if I really needed a "compact" front der?

You can find Veloce compact on fleabay for not much at all. I'd stay away from FSA/Sram/Truvativ. Poor bearings and soft CRs.

[avalonracing]

Originally Posted by Ken Robb

I have seen Ritchey 50-34 sets on sale for $50-100 closeout deals. There were some arms recalled (mine were) and replaced with a stronger design. It was handled easily and quickly: a week from initial contact to having the new arm in my hands. They look nice and work perfectly with and Octalink BB.

I have a new in box (after recall) set of 175 WCS 50/34 and an Octalink BB that I'm probably going to list her for about $125 if a buddy doesn't buy them first. Nice cranks. Stay tuned.

[classtimesailer]

consider Sugino. Octalink BBs continue to be available for my Shimano and Ritchey, but eventually, I'll have 110mm SIS square taper BBs on all my bikes.