Crank question

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KCookie
Posts: 1963
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2015 9:40 am
Location: Pom living in Australia

by KCookie

Hey Guys,
I'm running 52/36 11-28 on my Urgestalt road bike but on my spare bike that is constantly set up on my Wahoo Kickr its 53/39 11-28, now on some of the harder climbs I'm struggling a little. I was thinking of changing the crank from the existing Shimano 6700 to Ultegra R8000, maybe trying the 50/34 just to see what the difference is like. The other option I was thinking was the Praxis Zayante and if I didn't like the 50/34 I have spare Praxis 52/36 rings ready to put on.
As the Praxis crank is 30mm spindle I would have to change the BB, currently the BB is SM-BB71 Press Fit. This somewhat puts me off as my road bike has the THM crank and I've had so many problems with a creaking BB.
Should I just stay with the R8000, there's not my difference in price or weight.
Many thank guys.
Cheers

TobinHatesYou
Posts: 12458
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2017 12:02 pm

by TobinHatesYou

Are you saying you're struggling up climbs on the off-chance you ride the spare bike outdoors? Are you saying you're struggling with both bikes? Or are you saying you're struggling with the standard crank on the KICKR and simulated climbs in an app like Zwift? If it's the last scenario, just slide the "Trainer Difficulty" down.

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KCookie
Posts: 1963
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2015 9:40 am
Location: Pom living in Australia

by KCookie

Out on the road 52/36 is fine, only occasionally I do look for another gear. It's just on the trainer using Zwift going up hills 14%+ is a little hard, I have the setting of difficulty mid way, what is realistic though, where should it be set at, feel like I'm cheating if I lower it, and if I do need the spare bike out on the road I would struggle with the standard crank.

TobinHatesYou
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by TobinHatesYou

"Trainer Difficulty" is set to about 50% by default. That pretty much means a 20% feels like a 10% grade. To compensate, Zwift will reduce your virtual speed so that you have to do the same amount of total work in a given time.

So to put it in real-world terms, it's like you're increasing your gearing range. I have mine set to about 30%, which allows me to stay in the big ring and middle of the cassette on most courses. On big climbs like Radio Tower, I can stay in the small ring and middle of the cassette.

KCookie
Posts: 1963
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2015 9:40 am
Location: Pom living in Australia

by KCookie

Many thanks, thats interesting. On the radio tower im in 39-28 and struggling. Alpe Du Zwift 12.5km at 10% kills me.
So I should lower the setting and scrap the new crank idea. I'm just about to go on the trainer so will try that out. Didn't want to make it to easy and not realistic.
Looking at my stats out on the road on the same gradient im quicker so i thought changing the crank was the right idea.
Cheers

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Last edited by KCookie on Thu Jun 14, 2018 12:59 am, edited 1 time in total.

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silvalis
Posts: 765
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2015 1:02 am
Location: Aus

by silvalis

KCookie wrote:
Thu Jun 14, 2018 12:22 am
feel like I'm cheating if I lower it,
The point of the setting is to attempt to keep your gearing in the centre of the cassette, so it's not really cheating. A watt is still a watt.
Chasse patate

TobinHatesYou
Posts: 12458
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2017 12:02 pm

by TobinHatesYou

I mean you can still get new cranks if you want. I ride 50/34x11-32t most of the time.

KCookie
Posts: 1963
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2015 9:40 am
Location: Pom living in Australia

by KCookie

silvalis wrote:
KCookie wrote:
Thu Jun 14, 2018 12:22 am
feel like I'm cheating if I lower it,
The point of the setting is to attempt to keep your gearing in the centre of the cassette, so it's not really cheating. A watt is still a watt.
Ok many thanks.

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KCookie
Posts: 1963
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2015 9:40 am
Location: Pom living in Australia

by KCookie

TobinHatesYou wrote:I mean you can still get new cranks if you want. I ride 50/34x11-32t most of the time.
So want crank would you suggest. Stay with the easy option Shimano or Praxis.

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alcatraz
Posts: 4064
Joined: Mon Aug 29, 2016 11:19 am

by alcatraz

50/34 11-32 gives you the best allround range. If you like to do power training and ride in the hills it's important to have the right gears. If you need to do 200w and happen to be on an uphill slope you need that 34-32 sometimes. If not you'll find yourself going offtrack the training program when you see those 400+ watts and then have to stop at the top. Useless.

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ultimobici
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by ultimobici

A real First World Problem! ;)


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kman
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by kman

ultimobici wrote:
Thu Jun 14, 2018 6:58 am
A real First World Problem! ;)
Bingo!

The OP "doesn't want to cheat" (as long as I was getting a good session I couldn't care less) yet admits the trainer is clearly harder than actually riding on real roads. :?

Spend your money on any of the cranks and rings you like, they're all decent. For me though, the logical solution seems to immediately drop the Zwift setting down to around 30% and at least TRY to make it feel like riding on a real road - isn't that the entire point of being able to adjust the settings?
Plus, trying the setting first is FREE and will take seconds or maybe a couple of minutes to tweak, rather than shopping, waiting, fitting the new cranks etc.
You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer.
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KCookie
Posts: 1963
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2015 9:40 am
Location: Pom living in Australia

by KCookie

kman wrote:
Thu Jun 14, 2018 10:13 am
ultimobici wrote:
Thu Jun 14, 2018 6:58 am
A real First World Problem! ;)
Bingo!

The OP "doesn't want to cheat" (as long as I was getting a good session I couldn't care less) yet admits the trainer is clearly harder than actually riding on real roads. :?

Spend your money on any of the cranks and rings you like, they're all decent. For me though, the logical solution seems to immediately drop the Zwift setting down to around 30% and at least TRY to make it feel like riding on a real road - isn't that the entire point of being able to adjust the settings?
Plus, trying the setting first is FREE and will take seconds or maybe a couple of minutes to tweak, rather than shopping, waiting, fitting the new cranks etc.
Yes because the gearing is different to my road bike that's why it was harder, and I didn't know where the setting needed to be to feel real, just assumed it needed to be 50% or over.
Dropped it down to 30% on today's ride, from around 50%, definitely made a difference.
No defiantly not a First world problem just a normal question being asked looking for an answer, which I have now got.
Cheers.

Wookski
Posts: 1416
Joined: Tue Feb 23, 2016 5:51 am

by Wookski

This is the first time I have heard someone considering new cranks for watopia. Amazing.

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