Hows's 50/34 for non-competitive cross?

[pushstart]

It is probably fair to say that if you are doing a lot of pedaling at 35mph then you will want the 50t ring. But that isn't exactly casual road riding or even most group rides -- more like road racing or group rides with road racers. It didn't sound like that is what the OP was trying to balance with off-road climbing.

But I maintain that the 36/46 is really nice for where I spend 95% of my time on that bike, whether on- or off-road. The 50t is too big for trail / most cx courses and 34t is on the small side except for intense climbs. So cross-chaining all the time in CX.

Edit: but can 34/50 work for CX racing? Sure. Run what ya brung. I have done a couple races with a 34/50 and finished fine. It just is not what I would choose for gearing on a CX bike. Gravel, sure.

[weenie]

thanks for the feedback
i figure that ideally id ride a 48/34 if that was readily available. the 50t seems a little overkill since 50x11 i would do only downhill with no cars.

i since have the 32t on the cassette which is pretty great albeit i could use of the extra 34t front (which is close to perfect i think, albeit 30t would be nicer .. but thats 104 BCD..). the medium cage derailleur can def. not go easily to 36t on the cassette also, it needs a mtb longcage for sure.

[weenie]

If you're not strong enough to climb with a 36/28 then you're probably not strong enough to spin out a 46/11.
I LOVE my cross bike with 46/36 rings and a 11/28 cassette but you're at a disadvantage on both road and trail if the other riders have the same fitness as you. You absolutely can keep up with either group but only if you're stronger than them.

well im talking about dirt uphills that arent "gravel bike stuff" but really steep XC stuff. I do sometimes spin out the 46/11 (anything flat or downhill basically if i start pedalling hard - its hard to me to keep going long above 100rpm, and im generally comfy at 85-90) but honestly i don't mind it, its plenty fast enough for me. the 50/34 is mainly interesting because its what's readily/easily available with 34t

50t does seems a bit overkill for my use tho. im sure id have use for it sometimes.. but very rarely. I really dont mind going a little slower in that case.

note, what HillRPete makes sense to me and if i was following big road guys all the time the 50t would be a no brainer.

i think what makes me a little afraid of the 50/34 is that i would have to switch gears on the cassette a lot.

on a mtb switching cassette gears is fine, you push the lever further and u switch 3 cogs at once either up or down when needed, or just 1 when its more calm.

on road levers you can switch 3 up, but only 1 down. on 46/36 switching the front ring makes going fast/slow quickly is very easy. thats useful for commuting and for "mtb-ing" which is why i believe CXers use that setup.

If road levers could do 3up and down like mtbs i would likely just go for 50/34 without too much fear of having issues

[weenie]

just did one of the MTB hills that i couldnt do on the 36-28 with 36-32 woohoo! was still quite hard but doable. A lil easier to lose grip on the rear wheel as well obviously but it works.
I do still think 34-32 would help just enough before it makes no sense, but meh. still think 48/34 rings would be best for all around road+gravel+muddy-mtb-style-stuff with a cx/road-ish bike.

Also went onto one of the fast road (asphalt) descents I have around to be sure and 46-11 completely seems out (i go above 110rpm for a while but that aint enough, and i cant keep up above 110 very long). that being said i really dont mind that, since im not racing or generally having to follow fast riders, its okay and i generally just go a healthy 90rpm and decend slower (its safer after all)

So yeah.. i think i'll cross the 50/34 solution from my list and my go with a new 46/36.. but really would like 48/34 damnit (and I do not wanna lose the sram xglide, so im screwed, unless some fsa or other rings have something similar enough or close enough to xglide)

[pushstart]

I switched my small ring from a 34 to 36 on my road bike (so 36/50 now). Technically the 50t SRAM ring is specific to either 34 or 36 small ring, but I notice no difference in shifting. You might be placing too much faith in X-glide. It is not like SRAM front shifting is all that great to begin with... If you want to run 34/48, do it. I think 48 is too big for trail, which would keep you in 34t ... which IMO is pretty small, but it's your bike/body.

[limba]

You can go 3 up or down or fly through the whole cassette IF you have Di2.

[commendatore]

Or you could just shift 3 times in rapid succession, oh the horror

[weenie]

Or you could just shift 3 times in rapid succession, oh the horror

actually its 11 times in succession if you're shifting down and 4 times in succession if you're shifting up

im sorry but 11 times is actually a little bit the end of the world ;P


also maybe i put too much faith in xglide i dont know. i can shift it under load and everything always works - dont really want to lose that. 48 isnt a huge diff from 46 imo. just gives you a little more speed on the road, but also works ok on fast/flat trail, probably very close to the 46

in fact, id think 34/48 is just a little bit different to 36/46 but not much.. which.. should be the case

[pushstart]

Well, by that logic 34 is only a little bit easier than 36. And 46 is just about as fast as 48 ... So stick with standard 36/46 CX rings and stop worrying about it. And if you are road racing, use a road bike (with road compact or standard gearing).

[Megaclocker]

It works real well, at least for me.

I am using 50/34 red crankset with a 12-34 PG-1050.

I do quite a bit of touring however.
Still weighing at ''only 21lbs'' with proper cross tire and without racks.

[weenie]

Well, by that logic 34 is only a little bit easier than 36. And 46 is just about as fast as 48 ... So stick with standard 36/46 CX rings and stop worrying about it. And if you are road racing, use a road bike (with road compact or standard gearing).

yes thats kinda what im trying to convince myself off now

@Megaclocker how often are you on the 34t on the road?
how often are you on 50t in the dirt (i can tell you go in the dirt ;P)

[Megaclocker]

Well, by that logic 34 is only a little bit easier than 36. And 46 is just about as fast as 48 ... So stick with standard 36/46 CX rings and stop worrying about it. And if you are road racing, use a road bike (with road compact or standard gearing).

yes thats kinda what im trying to convince myself off now

@Megaclocker how often are you on the 34t on the road?
how often are you on 50t in the dirt (i can tell you go in the dirt ;P)

Hard to say to be honest. I know for sure I use the 50T a lot. (It's probably close to 50%/50%)
Don't forget that this bike is also used with 28c/32c slicks for touring.

You can go quite low on gearing on the 50T with the big cassette at the back. (46/11 vs 50/12 is the same). Never raced that bike in CX yet. Will tell you how it goes next week.

Did a two day trip in the woods (340km total) with 30-40lbs of camping stuff. Gearing was perfect. (mostly ATV trails)

I think you would benefit from something smaller then a 50T for CX racing however.

[weenie]

cool, much thanks for sharing your experience so far!
seems like this might work just fine. im curious how you'll like it while racing

[mattr]

FWIW, the fashion for CX racing seems to be getting smaller and smaller.
My first full, competitive season i had a 39/48 and 12/27. Most people i was racing with used the same. Thats about 1999/2000.
I've seen the current crop of race bikes and many are using 1x drivelines with something between 38 and about 42 with an 11/32 (ish) cassette. Even the double users seem to be getting smaller, 36/42 and 44 has been spotted.

[weenie]

im guessing it depends a lot on the terrain too, ive seen a lot of cross courses which are mostly flat and very muddish.. for those id think 39/48 might work ok, 36/46 a little more comfy but no big deal
then ive seen some with steep muddy hills.. where 36x32 is really welcome vs say 39x27 (uff my legs
36/42 seems like a weird mix to me tho

Im guessing u stay a lot in the 34 if you use 34/50 in cx regardless unless its really flattish