I've since always thought that a CX double (46/36 or 46/34) would be a better fit for most recreational riders. I now have a 50/34 compact and don't like this aspect. For anyone doing any offroad or very steep climbs then sub-compact is the way to go.

I've used 10 speed chainsets on my 11 speed set up for a long while, and I'm using a 10 speed front mech and shifter on my steel winter bike, but with 11 speed rear. That also works fine. Nearly every new mountain bike now has a single-ring crankset, except at the very entry-level, making use of a cassette with a very large range to cut down on front-end complexity in the drivetrain.First, different cranksets may have a different number of arms or direct-mount interfaces (connecting the cranks to the chainrings), and they may be positioned differently. The Sugino OX chainset comes in a range of chainring sizes with the smallest being 30/44, to get the 28t granny I bought their standard 9 speed 28t chainring and chamfered the outer edges of the chainring bolt holes to get proper clearance from the frame - you simply copy the chamfers on the 30t ring. Works a treat as the pins and ramps are on the 44t chainring. The Sugino chainset has performed well. or 48/11 is still a big gear to push on the flat. For your daily ride you most likely don't need more

Works a treat with a 600% spread from 18 gear inches to 108. I spend most of my time in the large cog but when it gets steep and the load heavy, I drop down to the small chaniring and breathe a sigh of relief. It's on a Specialized Diverge which has short chainstays so I cannot use the two smallest cogs while in the small chain ring. Not a practrical problem because after the first few low gears it makes sense to be in the large chainring's lowest or second lowest gears of 28.3 gear inches or 32.1 gear inches, respectively.

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However, a compact crankset is unlikely to provide low enough gearing for off-road riding. With that in mind, it’s now much more common to see super-compact cranksets (also called sub-compact cranksets) on gravel bikes with two chainrings. For those who may find this worth considering but feel that a 46-tooth front chainring is unacceptably low, they might consider the Shimano GRX FC-RX810 crankset, with a 48/31 gear combination. This combination will provide a higher top end than a 46, while the 31-tooth chainring will offer a climbing gear that is just slightly higher than a 30. Or maybe consider the various offerings by Shimano, Praxis, FSA, Rotor, etc., of a 48/32 combination. As you can see, there are a lot of options that allow riders to tailor their gearing to specific desires. Subcompact Front Derailleur Caveats Fitting is extremely easy, with only an 8mm hex key required, though a torque wrench is a very good idea (the rating of 45-47Nm is handily etched onto the left arm) to accurately eliminate play. Removal is just as simple, as the self-extracting bolt pulls the crank off the splines as you undo it. It takes a fair bit of force in both directions, so invest in a long key. I think one more improvement will put a bigger smile on my face, and that is changing my cassette from a 12/30 to a SRAM 11/32. It will get me a bit lower low gear and a bit higher high gear. My 105 rear derailleur is supposed to handle up to 32 teeth, and I have about half of my B-tension screw left for adjustment. In its 46/30 chainring configuration, FSA's Energy Modular BB386EVO crankset provides a very useful drop in overall gearing for gravel bikes, touring, and unhurried riding in general. It's solidly constructed, very nicely finished, straightforward to install and flat-out Just Works™.Fitted to my gravel bike, the FSA Energy chainset has provided very useful low gears (especially in conjunction with an 11-40 cassette) with no loss in shift quality or other performance. First impressions Finance is subject to application, financial circumstances and borrowing history. Performance Cycling Limited FRN: 720557 trading as Tredz are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. We are a credit broker not a lender – credit is subject to status and affordability and is provided by Mitsubishi HC Capital UK PLC. Terms & Conditions Apply. In general, road cranksets have a narrower Q-factor than mountain bikes, because the latter are designed for larger tyre clearances. The rise of gravel bikes and the trend towards wider tyres on road bikes is muddying the waters here, though. Crankset types – road vs MTB vs gravel But I'll bow to your experience and see if one of my 10 speed chains will work with my 11 speed set up. Makes sense as there's bugger all difference between 10 & 11. And last but not least, the developers envisioned a Shimano GRX group that delivers top performance in gravel racing while offering options that make it affordable for cost-conscious drivers. By setting these design goals, Shimano has developed components that are also suitable for cyclocross, bike adventures and almost every similar type of bicycle diszplin. Simply put, the Shimano GRX is the world's best way to move freely and discover new territory on the Gravel bike.

SRAM therefore offers chainring combinations of 46/33, 48/35, and 50/37, plus the Force Wide system has a 43/30 crankset. But you don’t have to have a single-ring mountain bike gear setup and you can get a number of 2x setups across the ranges. Some 11-speed Shimano groupsets are still available too.Drop to 11-speed and the BCD for a Force crankset goes out to 110mm or 130mm, dependent on chainring compatibility. There’s a different BCD again for SRAM’s non-direct mount S-650 Eagle MTB crankset – 104mm. That means there’s limited interchangeability between SRAM chainrings. A mismatched pair of rings might make for particularly awkward shifts from the small to the large ring and there’s an increased risk of the chain falling off the rings altogether, whether you’re shifting up or down. Power meters incorporated into the crankset’s arms or spider are popular with performance-focused road cyclists (and some mountain bikers and gravel riders, too). Pedal-based power meters are also popular. SRAM has launched a 12-speed mountain bike groupset to overcome the problem of the gappy cassette, but in Bellin's opinion "a super compact is a good way to keep your 10-speed gruppo but still climb long-distance mountains.” What about a 9 speed group? (again hugely common today on semi-pro road bikes). Is a 10 speed chainset fine to pair with them, an 11 speed chainset..?