Joel Morrissette

As Chris pointed out, a 53x11 on a descent means you can rest the legs and
gain a little time at 35+mph. I run a compact, and 50x12 just doesn't cut
it in any kind of sprint and I always top out on descents. I'm thinking an
11-28 would be great, but then I'd need to go with a SRAM long-cage
derailleur for my setup. It would both climb AND sprint, though. = )

To compare, at 100 rpm, 172.5mm cranks, 700x23 tires:
53x11 = 37.7 mph
52x11 = 37
50x11 = 35.5
36x28 = 10.1
34x26 = 10.2

I think there's a very strong argument here for a 52/36 crankset with an
11-28 in the back as an all-around setup. On the top end, you can turn over
the 52x11 a little easier than the 53x11 and leave some headroom for the
sprint. On the bottom end, you have nearly the same climbing gearing as the
standard compact 36x26 setup. The problem is that you need to run a
long-cage derailleur (a medium-cage, really, but my SRAM gruppo doesn't have
it) in the rear, and any FD is going to have a hard time taking up 16 teeth
smoothly. Specs on my SRAM Rival compact FD say that it'll do 16 teeth, and
even lists a 52/36 as an option. Can't imagine it's going to be very
smooth, though.

-Joel

On Fri, Aug 29, 2008 at 3:40 PM, Chris Brandt wrote:

> Jokes aside, I do actually use one. Because I can't climb very well, I
> often use it to get back on the pack on the descents. After a leg ripping
> climb (to me), it's surprising how slow the pack often descends, relative to
> what the motivated individual can do. Also, in criteriums with a tailwind
> sprint or a slight downhill section, I actually do use my 11 quite often. I
> don't have big "track racer" guns, but do find the 53x11 useful sometimes,
> over 100 rpms. In general though, a 12 is fine for me.
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__o "It never gets easier,
_ \<_ you just go faster."
(_)/(_) -- Greg LeMond