i live in the alps and have lots of long steep climbs (1h-1.5h climbs up to 34 percent gradiant) around me. i ride a 50/34 in the front and a 11-34 in the back on a very light bike and i would not change it ever. technically i could use more than a 50/11 on steep long downhills but i prefer to stay alive and conquer more epic climbs.

I run 48/32 - 11/28 because I noticed that my chain line is dead straight at my comfort power output. I get to 30km/h and I can pedal with around 85-90 rpm :)

Excellent explanation of the gearing combination.

Very informative, thank you

I run a 50-34 and a 11-40 on my gravel wheelset. the 50-11 is nice as I can usually outrun the younger guys on the downhills. (yes the 40 works with a 7K 105 rear derailleur without issue.)

I own a Felt F Series Ultegra level race bike. My ten speed gearing is 50/34 x 11/28. The gearing is just fine for my fitness level and the rolling terrain of Northern California. If I get a new bike, I will stick with a compact chainset, but I may use 11/34 for the rear.

I know of a triathlete who runs a 56 up from.. he spins out on the 53 too easily. (Makes me feel like a little girl) Good to see another video. Ciao!

Good video Fede, there's a big stigma attached to chainsets, particularly among club riders I've found. There seems to be an obsession for putting people down for using compacts and some riders feel the need to run a 53/39 or risk being branded a wimp! Me personally, I don't care! I wanted lower gearing for my rides this year around the North York Moors and the Peak District, so now I run a Praxis Alba 48/32 sub compact on my Bianchi which is similar to the gearing you would get on a gravel bike. My Campag Veloce 10sp cassette is 13/29 at it's lowest, so unless I go to the trouble of ripping the freehub off on two wheelsets or changing the entire groupset, it was easier to simply replace the chainset. I don't notice any drop in flat speed and I don't push hard on descents anymore following my crash last year, so spinning out isn't something I worry about. I'm just gutted I've got an American chainset on my otherwise complete Italian bike! It is what it is!

I use 52/34, because my 11sp etap only allows a max 28 teeth cassette. It works

Great video 👍 For me 52/36 paired with 11-34 is perfect, especially with the Campagnolo 12v. Great range allows me to get up pretty much anything 👌

You have a nice verity for any occasion with your bike choices. My 52/36-11/34 is perfect 90% of the time over here for me I like to spin. There are a handful of super steep climbs I run out of gears and need to stand I'm right on that threshold but never had to zig zag or stop ever and some climbs I just want to spin a little faster. My ideal would be a 12 speed 52/36-11/36 cassette I would be set. Great video as always! Aloha 🤙

I live in the 2nd flattest State in the US, so I ride with a 53x39, and a 12-25. I changed to a 12-25 after retiring from racing at age 71, after 32 years. Before that, I'd use a 12-23, except for hilly road races, where I would use a wheel with a 12-25. I've never needed an 11, since I can spin the 12 to 40mph. (around 65kph) I've only done that on the flats, a few times, with a tailwind.

48-31 11-34 on road any day. I live in the mountains and I don't have a massive ego problem. Unlike many of the local seniors pushing their bike up anything over 15% because they have dumb ratios. Of course I could spin it out descending but I value my collarbone far more.

Great video! I've tried all 3 of these, I had a 50/34 compact on my previous endurance road bike which felt great but see what you mean about spinning out! My aero bike came with a 52/36 which I really like, good balance on the hills too as stuck with my 32-11 which gets me up the local steep climb. My TT bike is running a 53/39 and a 12-25 which is what was fitted when I bought it, is great on the flat, but hills are really tough so do my best to avoid them at all costs! I should really re-think that cassette at some point. As an FYI your title screen shows a typo of 54/30, that would be an awesome combo if it didn't result in dropped chains 😆

I'm thinking of upgrading my single chainring for my hybrid Dual Sport 4 with a 50-40 that way there i can keep the 51-11 on the back or I may change that too and keep the 51-11 for a really hilly area.

Nice bikes!

54/40 and 11-30. Sunny and flat in south Florida. Keeping the chain line straighter and in larger cogs are more efficient.

Thank you Federico for making the video as per my request 😊. I was running 50/34 but upgraded to 52/36 which really is a great combination for flats and the downhills as well improving strength on the uphills. However I doubt I will stretch to a full standard chainset I will leave that to a semi pro such as yourself 😉

In order to compare any bikes, the concept of gear ratio is used. In addition to the number of teeth on the chainring and cassette, one needed the tire diameter.If you live in a hilly area, anything higher than 20 gear inches is pain in the a$$. GRX group set or one for mountain bike works well, but those are different bikes altigether.

When I built my bike 1 year ago i bought what was available (53/39 standard crankset and 11/28 cassette) but will in the future go for a 52/36 and 11/30 so I can still stay with the short derailleur and have some more room for climbs .... Or do some insane training volume and hope I reach enough W/kg for it not to matter hahaha

Would you please do a long-term review of your velobuild? Keep it up!!!

You've got some interesting thoughts here. I prefer the 11-28 in the rear with my compact up front, but I've only got the one road bike. I used to have an 11-32 in the back, but I found the jumps between certain gears (14-16-18-20) a bit too much. I do prefer the smaller jumps (1-tooth), even if I'm giving up the 4 teeth at the lowest gear. You didn't touch on the crank length, as this can also have an effect on the body's efficiency (more torque vs. more RPMs). You've got a nice selection of bikes.

I went from a 52/36 and 11-30T to a 50/34 and 11-32T this year and my cycling has improved significantly. My average cadence has gone up from 86 to 93 and I feel way more confident smashing the climbs. I’d even consider going to an 11-34T.

50/39/30 triple job done. 😊❤

For me on the commuter it has to be the 50/34 makes everything so much easier but definitely bigger for the main road bike

Very cool vidéo! For 10 years i am using 50/34 on a 11/30 cassettes and some times 11/28 cassette. This year i bought an new frame an ELVES VANYAR an Light bike then my giant TCR advanced 2. 2019. I love this bike but i wanted to try something else! For the ELVES VANYAR go cheked out! (rim brake version) i Just love rim brake!🙋🏼‍♂️ i Will try with this new bike 52/36 on a 11/30 cassettes i think i Will loves the ratio Will see!!!

56/44 + Classified is the way to go! * I commented before watching this video 😂

50-34 and 11-34 for me on my Kuota...and 50-34 and 11-32 on my Cube, I'm no Mountain Goat when it comes to climbing 😂 I need all the help I can get 😉

Hi, great video! Thanks. So the recommended is 52/36 crank, for the cogs, do u think 11-34t can be compatible to a 52/36 too? Options is 11-28t or 11-34t. Beginner to Intermediate rider here. Is 11-34t cogs also ok with 52/36? Thanks

39/53 with a 12-28 9 speed in the back for me, please. 172.5 crank arms would round this out nicely.

Semi compact but change the 36 to 34 small ring is perfect for me. 52-34 front with 11-34 back can conquer all kinds of terrains.

53/39 11/23 in the Netherlands. Flat and a lot of wind.

I've got a DA 9100 set up with a 52/34 and love it, yes you can do it, with a 11-30. when I'm in europe with climbs and long sections of flat/down I love the 52. I race so I need the range, get spun out in groups with a 50 on flats

Those are gears for pro's that have 5-6 W/kg FTP. If you don't have that (and most of us are between 3-4 W/kg, many even lower) you will never ride with a comfortable cadence on a long steep climb or at the end of a long ride. Use a bike calculator to see the speeds for a given power on different gradients and calculate the corresponding cadence.

54 years old, 50/34 and 11/28, lots of steep but relatively short hills.

I have a 46/30 11-36 I'm more concerned with climbing easier rather than speed, although speed is nice, but i have to compromise

A 50-11 at 120 RPM sprinting cadence is ~66km/hr. I don't think many people need more than that. I would want a bigger chainring for racing crits just to keep the chain further up the block, but the largest ratio itself is plenty big. On my fastest road bike I actually run a 12sp SRAM setup with 48/35 and 10-30. 48-10 is basically the same ratio as 53-11.

Allright Baldi.

It seems like you need yet another bike with a triple chainring to conquer the Alps. I find that you need a gear ratio lower than 1 - meaning that one revolution of the crank results in less than a revolution of the wheels. Do you have a bike stored at your parents home?

Compact 50/36 is best. Is so rare to find road to use 53 39 and be in comfortable cadence. This is why I have duraace 53/39 crankset in my shed.

I recently change the cassete from 11-30 to 11-28 . I see i go faster on uphills. Now i test a front chainring 39 (from 36) It is faster everywhere .

Hi everyone, Need some advice, My nine year old son is participating in the Pucon, Chile Kidz challenge. He has a Merida scultura 4000 xs. What would you recommend for a fixed gears so not to confuse him. max 5.3m pedal rotation. Thanks

hey there can we use the combination of 56 34t is it compatible with the derailleur

My bike for the flats: 39/50 @ 12-30 Bike for climbs: 34/50 @ 11-34

I had Specialized Allez with triple and moved to Roubaix with 50-34 /11-32 and bike feels slower. Debating it should switch to 52-36. Does it make sense? I'm in Boston, we have some hills but it's mostly rolling hills. Riding for a weight loss mostly. Thanks

I can add a consideration? You must have very good legs I think to spin 53 - 11 maybe at 80 rpm also 52 - 11 to be faster. Usually (normal cyclist) have 11 - 12- 13 unused excluded the descent or if they stay on the wheel 🙂and spin 52 -14 or 52 - 15 /16/17 for average cyclists compact is common for climb and flat both. Spin hard for long time may intoxicate your muscles very soon if you're not trained. Ciao

My Canyon Endurace came with a sub-compact set. I've wondered what it would feel like to have a full compact set but have never tried it. The cost would be more than just new cassette and chainrings. I would also need to replace my rear Di2 derailleur to accommodate the new cassette. Not worth the money I think.

What can you recommend for semi compact 52/36 crank arm lenght im 5,9 height. 172.5 Or 172

44x28

50/34 11/30 on vacation in Europe.

You need some Marlboro decals on that bike! 😃

👍

52-42 x 28-14 and I love it. The 42 at the front covers all needs riding in the park, I go to 52 for faster speeds.

53-39 ❤️

I ride 52/34 on front. Yes Shimano don't advocate this. In 5,000 miles of riding hilly and flat terrain, I've not dropped a chain yet. A good mechanic can get the shifts (almost) as smooth as a 50/34 or 52/36.

I'm starting to wish I had a compact. Who cares about spinning downhill as you're probably going too fast anyways. Going uphill is where the pain is. On flats anything above 32kph is already fast and a compact is more than enough.

How about 51-42 front with 25-11 rear ?

11-51t cassette with 53-39t crank on road bike?

1:00 The subtitle for the gearing is the wrong way round. At the back, the bigger the sprocket the lower the gear. The smallest sprocket gives the highest gear ratio.

Top speed on 52 will only be 2 kph more than 50. So no need to go 52.

Ride what ever is comfortable for you! Don't worry about everyone else. And while I'm at it, WTF is up with these crazy bike prices. I hope these bike companies fall on their faces. Just build normal bikes for normal people with normal prices. That's all.

ratio 50-11 or 10 is over 60 km per hour. it really does not matter for us mortals. big rings are for big egos. rest is fantasy

Io ho un 52-36 e 11-32 e mi trovo benissimo

Canyon la migliore