Running a compact crank on a tri bike (Page 3)

Just so that we are clear - I'm talking about a 10 minute sprint on the flats here...I'm not saying that I can maintain a 28 mph average for a 40 mile ride!

But, to answer the question, I've been riding for 6 seasons now (almost 6 years).  I've never raced on a bike except in tri and I only started those this year.  I finished FOP for the bike in all 4 (sprint distance) with little to no bike training, so I know that I have potential.

I'm too old to take bike racing seriously though.  Tri seemed like a good compromise for me (except that it turns out that I'm a BOP swimmer and runner!).

I am looking to switch my tri bike to a compact crank. i have right now a truvativ elita 53/39 and i live in salt lake city utah i do alot of hill training and i feel the compact would help me get the cadence i see the cyclist that are passing me while im pounding on my pedals on a 12 to 15% climb.. i hate it.

Never have done a swap like this so any advice anyone can give out would be nice..

thanks.

I have a compact (came stock with Cervelo P2-SLs which should tell you something) and a 12/27. Not even close to wishing I had more upper gears.

GLC1968 - 2010-11-05 4:06 PM 5 - 10 minutes doesn't seem all that unbelieveable to me.  And yes, when I do it, I do tend to leave my riding partners behind (depending on who I'm riding with).  This, of course, gives me an opportunity to rest while they catch up...so maybe it's not as remarkable as it sounds.

But anyway, when using the 'do you use all your gears' gauge, either a standard crankset or an 11-23 cassette still makes sense for me.  On my road bike, I've never been short gears on the low end for normal training rides.  I have gone over the top in a couple of different situations, so it makes sense that on a bike that will be dedicated to racing, taller gears will be more useful than smaller ones.  Both the math and my inutuitve sense both tell me this.

good lord.... 5-10 minutes at that speed would win you just abount every race around here....  What I mean is if you could hold 28 mph for 10 minutes, I assume you could hold say...26 mph for a solid 20, or over 25 mph easily for 20k (sub 30 minutes). 

I ussually am in the top 4-5% on the bike.... I ride a compact and a 12-25, and only average around 24 mph... and thats for the dudes.  Not to come off as snobbish... but... did you calibrate your bike computer?  Most of them are defaulted for 700c wheels... Just a thought.  Oh and on the cassette side, I dont spin out a 50-11 on my road bike unless I am bombing downhill.  I can only sustain the sprint for about a 30 seconds to a minute, and that puts me up at around 40 mph.

If you did.  Congrats, you have become one of the fastest people I have ever met.  Awesome!

Totally agree.

And for those without the bankroll to have a few cassettes:  53/39 and 11/28.  Plenty of high end and low end unless you're talking crazy hills and decents.  I miss some gears now and then, but not often. 

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Anyone know if the crankset on a 2008 Cervelo Soloist Team and a 2008 P3 are compatible enough that I could just swap them?  My road bike has 50/34 compact crank and the P3 has a 53/39 and if possible, I'd be interested in swapping them. 

I probably need to provide more information to answer this properly don't I......

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