{"id":164981,"date":"2018-05-31T10:46:24","date_gmt":"2018-05-31T10:46:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=164981"},"modified":"2018-06-04T12:54:56","modified_gmt":"2018-06-04T12:54:56","slug":"which-chainset-is-right-for-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2018\/05\/31\/which-chainset-is-right-for-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Which Chainset Is Right for You?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

The chainset is the first point of the bicycle where your efforts are multiplied by gearing \u2013 and yet cyclists looking to improve their performance are often seduced by more trivial considerations like frame material\u2026 and clothing.\u00a0 Let\u2019s have a ponder about chainsets and their usage.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Crank length<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Be honest \u2013 when you paid for your first proper bike, did you even give the crank length a second thought? If you were lucky, the sales assistant steered you towards the bike with the most suitable cranks.<\/p>\n

\n
\"learn-how-to-beat-chris-froome-in-descending\"\/<\/a><\/div>
\n Road cycling<\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n

Learn How to Beat Chris Froome in Descending<\/span><\/h3>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n<\/div>\n

If your cranks are too long, your knees could be over-flexed, causing discomfort, maybe even injury. Too short, and while you likely won\u2019t suffer ill effects, you\u2019re forgoing the principle that crank length amplifies an input force. Find your Goldilocks zone \u2013 your local bike shop will be happy to help.<\/p>\n

Keep it simple, just stay single<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Chainsets are described by the number of chainrings around the crank. Count the number of teeth, and it gives you a number \u2013 this SRAM<\/a> mountain bike chainset has 32 teeth, so you\u2019d call it a 32. The higher that number, the more difficult the acceleration, but sustaining a top speed is more economic.<\/p>\n

Wiggins opted for a 58 chainset for his Hour Record \u2013 perfect for a pro athlete in a velodrome, where changing speed is less important than efficiency.\u00a0 In comparison, the SRAM mentioned above is for mountain bikers who need agility, torque, and low gearing to change pace quickly and safely.<\/p>\n

Fancy a triple?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The more chainrings you have, the more choices of gears you get. If your rear cassette has 9 sprockets, a triple chainset will give you a total of 27 gears. In practice, triple chainsets afford you a wider range of low gears to choose from.<\/p>\n

\n
\"how-many-gears-do-i-need\"\/<\/a><\/div>
\n Outdoor\/Mountain<\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n

How Many Gears Do I Need?<\/span><\/h3>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n<\/div>\n

Lower gearing improves torque, making it useful for touring cyclists who are packing more than their body weight.\u00a0 Think of it like the gearing in lorries and vans \u2013 low gears make it easier to get a heavy weight up to cruising speed.\u00a0 Triples also make it a lot easier to climb and conquer hills.<\/p>\n

Standards<\/strong><\/h2>\n

You\u2019ll see the pro peloton using two chainrings around the crank, and many of us amateur riders are seduced by the notion that you don\u2019t need triples if your ambition is to cycle like a pro. But the pro-peloton mechanics change the gearing ratio on a stage-by-stage basis, depending on the terrain.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Chris Froome crosses the finish line to win stage 10 of the 2015 edition of the Tour de France, 167 km from Tarbes to La Pierre Saint-Martin, France, Tuesday 14 July 2015.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the 2015 Tour de France, Froome climbed a mountain in Stage 10 using 52\/38 chainrings \u2013 whereas Dumoulin\u2019s 2016 Olympic Time-Trial bike had a higher 53\/42T more suited to the flat. In commercial terms, both chainsets would be considered \u201cstandard\u201d chainsets but would be impractical for anyone other than a professional athlete on race day.<\/p>\n

Compacts<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Compacts offer you a gear ratio somewhere between the hill-friendly triples and the standard chainsets that the professionals use \u2013 something like 50\/34. You can always upgrade to a semi-compact 52\/36 when you\u2019re fit enough.<\/p>\n

\n
\"finding-stoneman-heart-europe\"\/<\/a><\/div>
\n Outdoor\/Mountain<\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n

Finding the Stoneman in the Heart of Europe<\/span><\/h3>\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n<\/div>\n

A friend of mine competes in amateur triathlons using a 48\/32 \u201csub-compact\u201d chainset on a cyclocross bike. I hated riding with him because even on a long flat ride he was faster than me on my standard-chainset road bike. Sometimes it just ain\u2019t about the gear you use\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The chainset is the first point of the bicycle where your efforts are multiplied by gearing \u2013 and yet cyclists […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":164984,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[335],"tags":[1993,425,829],"global-categories":[],"class_list":["post-164981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-safety","tag-chainset","tag-chris-froome","tag-tom-dumoulin"],"yoast_head":"\nWhich Chainset Is Right for You?\u00a0 - \u0160koda We Love Cycling<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The chainset is the first point of the bicycle where your efforts are multiplied by gearing \u2013 and yet cyclists looking to improve their performance are\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2018\/05\/31\/which-chainset-is-right-for-you\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Which Chainset Is Right for You?\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The chainset is the first point of the bicycle where your efforts are multiplied by gearing \u2013 and yet cyclists looking to improve their performance are\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2018\/05\/31\/which-chainset-is-right-for-you\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"\u0160koda We Love Cycling\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-05-31T10:46:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-06-04T12:54:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/2\/2018\/05\/profimedia-0296645875-1.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Adam Marsal\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2018\/05\/31\/which-chainset-is-right-for-you\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2018\/05\/31\/which-chainset-is-right-for-you\/\",\"name\":\"Which Chainset Is Right for You?\u00a0 - 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