For those that are still fairly new to the arena of cycling you may have heard of the word compact crankset but were uncertain as to what that meant. How does a compact crankset different from standard cranksets and what are the advantages to using one? You may be shocked at what it essentially is and the applications for using them, with who helped popularize them.
As the name implies, a compact crankset is going to be smaller than a typical crankset. It'll have a 110 millimeter size, which is significantly smaller than common 130 mm or 135 mm sizes. This in turn lets you have smaller chainrings, with fewer teeth, too.
One of the main elements of a current compact crankset is that it's a double crankset, which means it features 2 chainrings as opposed to three. The smaller crank arms and configuration allow for this without losing the low gear flexibleness and power of a triple crankset.
One of the advantages of all of this is that you can start shaving weight off of your bike. As heavy bicyclists know, when it's crunch time, 2 ounces can go a long way to making or breaking your performance against the competition and against the clock.
Another benefit to the compact crankset is that you can achieve and maintain higher revs per minute's when you're climbing as you are staying in a lower gear. This is one of the tactics that helped make Lance Armstrong so successful in the mountainous stages of the Tour de France. By maintaining such high revs per minute's he was in a position to gain a maximum amount of power and speed without tiring himself out.
Additionally, with less spacing between your gears you will be able to maintain your pace with far less work through inauspicious conditions. This includes unexpected changes in wind or changes in the elevation that can have an effect on your pace and your exerted effort.
It is also important to note that the above describes compact cranksets for road cycling. For mountain biking, a compact crankset refers to a triple crankset that has been made smaller to help the rider avoid more difficulties in the course.
clearly, a compact crankset has a lot of alternative advantages. Road cyclists can make their bikes lighter and can maintain higher RPMs up hills, while also maintaining their pace in other conditions. A compact crankset can help give you the additional edge you've been looking for.
Before you buy compact crankset online, make sure to check Stephen Nepstein´s excellent articles at his compact crankset blog.
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