Compact Recommendation

  • Home
  • Compact Recommendation
16 replies [Last post]
Anonymous's picture
Anonymous

Hi,

I'm getting fat & old.

Anyway - I'm planning on upgrading my bike w/ a Compact crank set.

I have a durace 9-speed w/ a 12-27 gearing.
Do I have to replace any of my duraace parts for this upgrade.

Will the new FSA K-FORCE COMPACT MEGAEXO be compatible w/ the my duraace front derailleur and bottom bracket.

Thanks in advance.

-J

Anonymous's picture
jc (not verified)
No

But you will have to lower the FD. The K-Force han an integrated BB.

Previous thread:

http://www.nycc.org/mb/thread.aspx?b=1&t=7768&tp=1#msg34365

Anonymous's picture
older and fatter (not verified)

get a triple

Anonymous's picture
Carol (not verified)
Ditto

As you get older, your knees will hurt more than your pride, so get a triple! (In fact, a compact triple - 30/40/50 - might be your best option.)

Anonymous's picture
Evan Marks (not verified)
crazy idea

Get a TA Carmina with 94mm bolt circle, 30t and 50t chainrings, and forget the triple.

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/carmina.asp

Anonymous's picture
<a href="http://www.OhReallyOreilly.com">Peter O'Reilly</a> (not verified)

"The crank you mention comes with its own bottom bracket, a single purchase.

As for the front derailleur, I hope it is of the clamp on variety as it will need to move down the seat tube a bit. Not having enough room for downward adjustment *may* be an issue for a braze-on type derailleur or maybe not.

The Dura-Ace might work. It can't hurt to try. If the shifting is inadequate, then IRD and FSA both make ""compact"" specific front derailleurs for more ""optimized"" shifting."

Anonymous's picture
Christophe Jammet (not verified)

go for the FSA SLK compact. It's just as good but quite less expensive. I've got it on my rig. you wont need a new front derailleur.

Anonymous's picture
RichFernandez (not verified)
Depends on what you replace it with..

..I think this compact thing is another fad.Cant you just replace the chainring?If not be carefull that you dont have to replace the front deraileur since the throw will be longer,plus the chain,not sure about that but you'll need to ask a good mechanic to make sure.You say your getting old and fat,hopefully not any faster then anyone else here.I would say use your money on a book that teaches you how to stretch or take a yoga class,check your diet,are you riding enough?,Are you set up on the bike correctly for optimal comfort and mechanics?I'd say most people can avoid most of the problems by stretching daily,then you wont need the compact gearing you think you need because you'll be a lot stronger.Rich

Anonymous's picture
Neile (not verified)

"Ritchey WCS 110V Cranksets 50-34 Shimano V1 spline $169.95

Fits a 109.5 mm Shimano V1 splined bottom bracket (Dura- Ace, Ultegra, 105 9-speed series.)

They arms are cold forged of forged TRX50 aluminum. The outer chainring is 7075 aluminum with ramps and pins to facilitate smooth shifting. The inner chainring is hardened steel for long life.

If you currently have a Shimano Dura-Ace, Ultegra or 105 ""9-speed"" double crankset, this crankset will directly replace it with no need to change any other parts! You may benefit from taking a link out of the chain, but this won't normally be absolutely necessary. You will also want to lower and re-adjust your front derailer. 570 grams.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/cranks/110-compact-double.html/
"

Anonymous's picture
Joe (not verified)

I use an FSA SLK compact crank with an Ultegra front derailleur. As others have mentioned, it's a matter of adjusting the FD height. And you'll need to remove a couple of links from the chain.

Anonymous's picture
JHL (not verified)
Thanks everyone ! (nm)
Anonymous's picture
[email protected] (not verified)
Best prices for FSA MegaExo Cranks

"Best price that I've seen for FSA Mega Exo cranks is at Full Cycles

http://www.fullcycles.com/product_info.php/cPath/61_65_125/products_id/292

I use the SL-K MegaExo Compact Crank which is $130 less ($267) than the K-force with Dura Ace - 9 speed components except for the front derailleur.

Since the FSA C-16 Compact Front Derailleur only fits 28.6mm (1 1/4"") and 31.8mm (1 1/8"") seat tubes and I have a 35mm seat tube, I use a 35mm Shimano Front Derailleur Braze-On Clamp ($10) with a FSA C-16 Compact Front Derailleur (Braze On)($44).

I didn't try using a standard derailleur but it may work fine.

Current setup works great except I occasionally have to tighten the ""H"" front derailleur limiting screw to keep the front derailleur from rubbing the crank when in the big chainring. Too loose and it won't shift to the big chainring.

Download the installation manual (pdf formt) so you can magnify the instructions and schematic or get a magnifying glass. There's a few washers that come with the crank/bottom bracket and its not obvious where they go.

Also, when installing the locking nut for the self extracting crank bolt assembly use some grease on the threads and hand-tighten then make your own tool using a binder clip or large paper clip to fully tighten.
http://www.fullspeedahead.com/fly.aspx?layout=estore&taxid=228&pid=410

"

Anonymous's picture
Rick Isham (not verified)
compact vs triple vs mountain rear end

If you have a 53/39, consider putting a Shimano LX rear derailleur on with an 11-34 cassette. This will give you a 30 inch low gear and is the least hassle. The weight will not be any more than a triple and give you the advantages of the triple in gearing with no changes up front. Your Dura-Ace double will not work with a triple, so any triple solution will cost a lot, assuming you can find a nine-speed triple brake/shifter, then add the cost of a new triple front derailleur, crank and bottom bracket. The only downside of going mountain in the rear is the look of the pie plate on the back wheel. The nice thing is that you get to ride a 39 most of the time vs the 34. The 34 never seems right on the flats, and the 50 seems tall, so the compact compromises with the gears that you ride most of the time. At least in my opinion.

Anonymous's picture
rbj (not verified)

the other downside is wider gear spacing of the rear cogs.

Anonymous's picture
Phil (not verified)

Fyi I heard a lot of bad things about Megaexo cranks (below). Personal experience too. My new bike came with Megaexo compact and the left crank arm has been problematic; it keeps loosening and falls off, even after multiple bike shop work (that seems to be the main complaint others have on the boards).

http://www.roadbikereview.com/cat/drivetrain/cranksets/PLS_2491_700crx.aspx
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=78385&highlight=FSA+crank

Anonymous's picture
JHL (not verified)
I heard about those review also - so I ended up buying

the Shimano FC-R700 compact yesterday.
Thank you again for everyone's recommendations.

Well.. time to eat...

Anonymous's picture
Rob Marcus (not verified)

The major problem with the Shimano is the lack of option on the crankset, it is only made 50/34.
If you feel you want to change a ring it is not the same as the Ritchey or FSA.

In anycase good luck

cycling trips