Compact, definitely. Especially since you are doing IMLP. If it were IMFL, then maybe not. But with the hills of LP, you will appreciate the smaller ring up front as it will allow you to keep a more normal cadence while keeping your power lower.
When you go from standard to compact you give up a couple of high-end gear-ratios to gain a couple of climbing gear-ratios.
You lose a little on the super-mega-high-end-downhill speed, when many triathletes would coast for (a) safety and (b) because the marginal gain in time per unit of effort is a bad race investment of limited energy.
You gain a lot on the climbs because it's easier to stay steady with your effort, which equates to fewer power peaks. Lower variability equates to good riding for a tri because you maximize your average speed per unit of energy spent.
When you go from standard to compact you give up a couple of high-end gear-ratios to gain a couple of climbing gear-ratios.
You lose a little on the super-mega-high-end-downhill speed, when many triathletes would coast for (a) safety and (b) because the marginal gain in time per unit of effort is a bad race investment of limited energy.
You gain a lot on the climbs because it's easier to stay steady with your effort, which equates to fewer power peaks. Lower variability equates to good riding for a tri because you maximize your average speed per unit of energy spent.
Bottom line - compact...
Compact also has a smaller cadence gap - which I've found is one of those things you have no idea what it is until you suddenly find yourself spinning at an awkward cadence and can't find a nice comfortable home between two gears
@Gary, I'm doing Placid on a compact... I need an 11 if there are any hills because I spin out and I love to bomb down hills. I'll likely be going with an 11-27 bit maybe an 11-28. I don't mind cadence gaps so much and I generally think more gears are more better... I'm gonna ride the course this summer to determine if I need that extra gear or not. And for color, I'm gonna be racing around 180lbs (but reasonably high W/kg somewhere around 4.0) if that helps you at all.
I use 11-28 on all my bikes, but I live in the mountains and climb 100,000's of feet each year, but I also like to go fast down hill and on the flats. 11-28 will give you tons of options. Downside is "cadence gaps" potentially, but it has never been an issue for me.....
I am a fan of the 50-34 and 11-26 mix. The tallest gear is taller than 53-12 (from the stanard 53-39 and 12-25), and the shortest gear is a LOT easier than 39/25. The cadence gaps are relatively minor in my opinion. I do not live in mountains, so the times when 34/26 isn't enough are pretty small. Getting down to 28 is another 8% or so easier, but also means the derailleur has to be that much more perfect (in addition to the increased cadence gaps), so I haven't gone that far.
For the record, "cadence gap" is more a function of the spacing of the cassette sprockets than of using a standard vs. a compact crank set. An 11-28 cassette has a "wide spacing" with many cadence gaps while an 12-23 has a "tight spacing" with few cadence gaps.
12-23: 12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,21,23 - when you see non-consecutive numbers is a cadence gap: 19->21, 21->23 <--2 cadence gaps <br /> 11-23: 11,12,13,14,15,16,17,19,21,23 - when you see non-consecutive numbers is a cadence gap: 17->19, 19->21, 21->23 <--3 cadence gaps <br /> 12-25: 12,13,14,15,16,17,19,21,23,25 - when you see non-consecutive numbers is a cadence gap: 17->19, 19->21, 21->23, 23->25 <--4 cadence gaps <br /> 11-28: 11,12,13,14,15,17,19,22,25,28 - when you see non-consecutive numbers is a cadence gap: 15->17, 17->19, 19->22, 22->25, 25->28 <--5 cadence gaps <br />
Cadence gaps are "annoying" when they occur in your pedaling sweet spot, say 17 being too "hard" and 19 too "easy", but you've got no 18 to go to.
That being said, go with the compact and figure out what cassette will work for you in the cycling circumstances you anticipate encountering.
I always love looking at that site Jenks! Probably not surprising since I'm a bike nerd...
It allows you to not just realize if you will have the right gear for your expected pace and cadence, but allows you to think about real world stuff like when you will need to shift between the big chainring and small chainring with different cranks and/or cassettes. Part of it is for determining top-end and bottom end gearing (like comparing those on a 53/39-12/27, vs. a 50/34-11/25 combo) but also for helping to imagine when you'll have to shift down to the smaller chainring at say 17mph to avoid cross-chaining, etc...
Has anyone switched from a standard to compact and wished they hadn't? I've had a standard for several years and raced IMWI. I have an 11-28 casette and kind of wanted more gears during training and racing. Probably going to get new quarq this year, before going that route wanted to poll the collective to see if any negative experiences with compact. I have read though all sorts of stuff in forum and wiki and it seems like there is a resounding yes to get compact. I figure if coach rich has ridden to KQ on a compact it will be god enough for me....
I'm racing IMMT this year so figure the compact will be nice to have.
@David still a compact in my mind. IMMT has some hills and climbing. If you are really strong approaching 4+w/kg then you could probably tighten up the cassette. Hopefully someone with IMMT experience will chime in.
There are hills of every kind at IMMT. Some really lonnggg gradual ones out on the highway in the winds, some short and moderately steep ones right near the town and then there's the climb to Lac Superieur. It is like a staircase with some sections that are over 10%.I was at 3.75 W/Kg for that race last year and I very much appreciated having my 34x28 gear to go to. Sure, I could have gone up all those steps in my big ring on a road bike (I live where 15%+ hills are a dime a dozen) but I was really trying hard to keep my wattage down. Even so, I was easily somewhere between 250 and 300 watts on those ramps while going 5-6 mph - but I was spinning easily and had no sense of having survived a big climb when I got to the turnaround. Except maybe the relief that I managed to not tip over going that slow. ;-)
Once I was done with the bike was when I appreciated the compact cranks. I followed the EN methods (only made possible by the compact's little ring) on the bike and was able to run almost all of the marathon. While a 4:28 isn't all that fast it was a HUGE improvement over the 5:21 the previous year at IMLP. It was being patient on the bike that did it. I'll be up there again this summer. Maybe I'll have a different cassette to tighten up the gears, I dunno. I do know that I'll be using a 34x28 gear at A-Z this May though.
Comments
just kidding.....compact
@Chris - Say reason.
Not that I don't mind your "heresy", I am just curious as to why you recommend that.
{{EDIT}} Disregard....I see you were just foolin'......You lose a little on the super-mega-high-end-downhill speed, when many triathletes would coast for (a) safety and (b) because the marginal gain in time per unit of effort is a bad race investment of limited energy.
You gain a lot on the climbs because it's easier to stay steady with your effort, which equates to fewer power peaks. Lower variability equates to good riding for a tri because you maximize your average speed per unit of energy spent.
Bottom line - compact...
Actually, I have always thought of it as:
If you can ride fast enough that coach Rich can't catch you to kick you in the Nutz than you can *consider* a standard
Compact also has a smaller cadence gap - which I've found is one of those things you have no idea what it is until you suddenly find yourself spinning at an awkward cadence and can't find a nice comfortable home between two gears
12-23: 12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,21,23 - when you see non-consecutive numbers is a cadence gap: 19->21, 21->23 <--2 cadence gaps <br />
11-23: 11,12,13,14,15,16,17,19,21,23 - when you see non-consecutive numbers is a cadence gap: 17->19, 19->21, 21->23 <--3 cadence gaps <br />
12-25: 12,13,14,15,16,17,19,21,23,25 - when you see non-consecutive numbers is a cadence gap: 17->19, 19->21, 21->23, 23->25 <--4 cadence gaps <br />
11-28: 11,12,13,14,15,17,19,22,25,28 - when you see non-consecutive numbers is a cadence gap: 15->17, 17->19, 19->22, 22->25, 25->28 <--5 cadence gaps <br />
Cadence gaps are "annoying" when they occur in your pedaling sweet spot, say 17 being too "hard" and 19 too "easy", but you've got no 18 to go to.
That being said, go with the compact and figure out what cassette will work for you in the cycling circumstances you anticipate encountering.
It allows you to not just realize if you will have the right gear for your expected pace and cadence, but allows you to think about real world stuff like when you will need to shift between the big chainring and small chainring with different cranks and/or cassettes. Part of it is for determining top-end and bottom end gearing (like comparing those on a 53/39-12/27, vs. a 50/34-11/25 combo) but also for helping to imagine when you'll have to shift down to the smaller chainring at say 17mph to avoid cross-chaining, etc...
I'm racing IMMT this year so figure the compact will be nice to have.
Thoughts?
There are hills of every kind at IMMT. Some really lonnggg gradual ones out on the highway in the winds, some short and moderately steep ones right near the town and then there's the climb to Lac Superieur. It is like a staircase with some sections that are over 10%.I was at 3.75 W/Kg for that race last year and I very much appreciated having my 34x28 gear to go to. Sure, I could have gone up all those steps in my big ring on a road bike (I live where 15%+ hills are a dime a dozen) but I was really trying hard to keep my wattage down. Even so, I was easily somewhere between 250 and 300 watts on those ramps while going 5-6 mph - but I was spinning easily and had no sense of having survived a big climb when I got to the turnaround. Except maybe the relief that I managed to not tip over going that slow. ;-)
Once I was done with the bike was when I appreciated the compact cranks. I followed the EN methods (only made possible by the compact's little ring) on the bike and was able to run almost all of the marathon. While a 4:28 isn't all that fast it was a HUGE improvement over the 5:21 the previous year at IMLP. It was being patient on the bike that did it. I'll be up there again this summer. Maybe I'll have a different cassette to tighten up the gears, I dunno. I do know that I'll be using a 34x28 gear at A-Z this May though.