SavageMan Triathlon 70.0 : Official Thread (Page 2)

I'm sure you could drive it in an hour to an hour and a half.  It would give you an idea what you'll be up against.

For the people that switched to compact cranks, what brand/combo did you end up going with?  I currently have Kuota K-Factor with an FSA Gossamer 175 53/39 crankset.  I'm thinking of switching to a 170 50/34 but I'm looking for input on a recommended brand/model.  I see some are carbon, some are heavy, some come with ceramic bb's, etc.  What's a good, middle of the road combination?

I have decided to get Shimano FC-R700 50/34 Compact Crankset w/BB (170mm) on ebay, to match my Ultegra set.

Still waiting for the package to arrive.

I made the switch in the early spring and am very glad that I did.  I rode a hilly centrury on Mem. day with the compact and a 12-27 and it went great.

I have a BB30 bracket, so I had more limited options - SRAM, FSA, or spend a mint for the Cannondale high-end stuff.  Most of the ?online comments were that the FSA had more issues, so I went with the SRAM Force 50/34 with 175 cranks (I'm 6'2" with long legs - if you're shorter than me, I like the 170 idea) - still pretty expensive.  Since I am not fast enough to spin the biggest gears that a standard crank gives you, I offset the cost by selling my 53/39 crank, and will ride flatter routes by leaving the compact on and swapping cassettes.  I love the Force gear as it feels very stiff and responsive with my 200lbs on it.

Good luck,

Ryan

Thanks everyone for the input. 

I'm 6'2" as well, though my LBS pointed me to shorter crank if I'm going compact even with my height.  I was starting to look at the SRAM Rival and SRAM Force and I'm trying to figure out if 100g and 10% stiffness is worth the extra $150 for the Force vs. Rival crank.  I probably won't be able to tell the difference so I'll probably go with the Rival.

When you switched to a compact, did it affect your fit at all?  I'm assuming not if your crank length stayed the same.

I like Shimano Cranks if the RD/FD and shifters are Shimano. Shimano doesn't work yet with BB30 but for ~$30 your local bike store (LBS) can tap a sleeve into a BB30 socket so you can install an  ext BB allowing a Shimano Crank.

Compact is great for SM cause your not doing a ton of shifts between the top and bottom ring where the ranges are far apart. The gearing on a 50/34 11-28 is lower and higher than a 52/39 12-27.

Its hard to suffer more than a SM but the endorphine euphoria at the end is worth it.

Enjoy

I have installed a new compact crankset.  I never did it before, but it took me just 20 min because it was compatible with my Ultegra BB.  Tried it on Saturday (56 miles, Poolsville area) and on Sunday (35mi Black Rock Rd) and I must admit that this makes a huge difference for me.  I love it.  It gives me the right range of gears on flats, at the same time the little chain ring (34) with 11-28 cassette suits my needs on hills.  It is perfect for hills up to 21 grade (a pitch on Black Rock Rd), but I have no idea how it (I) will handle the dreadful grade of 31.  I will try savageman route in August.

First year for SM for me. I'm coming from Houston area, and almost all my riding is on flats to small rollers. I'm debating whether to bring the tri bike or the road bike. Both have compact cranks, and I'll be using an 11x28 in the back. Any advice? I've just had the road bike a few months and have not done any real climbing or hill rides on it. I did use the tri bike at Branson (66/201 in M40-44) and Silverman (18/34 in M40-44) last year and had good rides. I'm comfortable on both bikes, but have spent a lot more time on the tri bike. My goal for the race is to get the brick!

In general, will the big climbs at SM be any less painful on the road bike? Why would a MOP rider choose one over the other?

It's comfort and safety of descending which should play a larger role in your decision than climbing*.  There's been a good bit of discussion on slowtwitch about gearing and bike choice, so rather than repeating it here, I'd send you there to do some searches.

* because getting a brick is a primary goal then ability to navigate and control bike up 31% broken up paved road should play a role in your decision too.

No, but the Garmin files are available for downloading into your Garmin wristwatch.....