Compact crank and Quarq
I currently have a Quarq installed on a standard crank and an 11/26 rear cassette. After listening to the "Gearing come to Jesus" podcast, I realize I need to make some changes for IMCDA. So, I plan to change the rear cassette (to an 11/28?), and wanted to do a compact crank. But, after talking with the bike shop, it sounds like I can't change the Quarq to a compact crank after the fact. Anybody know what my options are?
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I think your options are:
1. sell the quarq and buy a compact quarq.
2. Keep the standard and go as low as you can. You won't need an 11 tooth in the rear. I believe sram now has a new drivetrain line (the name escapes me now) that has something crazy like a 32 tooth big cog in the rear.
In my humble opinion, option 1 is your best bet.
I am a Quarq user as well and raced the entirety of last year on a standard double (53/39T) Quarq on a variety of different cassettes depending on the race. I started the season off with a 12-25, but in preparation for IMWI I switched to an 11/28, whcih I believe is the most teeth (28) that you are going to be able to find on a Shimano drive train without creating some sort of frankenstien monstrosity like Coach Rich did when he somehow mounted a MTB cassette on his bike for a crazy mountain stage race.
Taking my 53/39T w/ 12-28 to IMWI was far from the worst bike configuration out there that day, but it still left a lot to be desired on at 3 of the steepest and more important climbs of the day, forcing me to maintain what I felt to be a miserably low cadence on the these big climbs to stay within my power zones. I've since sold my old Quarq and bought a 'new' used Compact Quarq and honestly I have been thoroughly enjoying it. I can swap it between both my road and tri bikes and I have so far not missed the Double one bit while really enjoying the compact on what little climbs I've been able to muster this early in the season (still winter here).
A few disclaimers / notes.
1. You can't have your Quarq re-built into a compact, you have to beg/borrow/steal/sell/trade your way into the switch.
2. I am a high cadence rider, have a W/Kg about 3.9 currently, I like to spin more than grind so compact just happens to suit me.
3. On the 11/28 cassette with the double you will notice a "Cadence Gap" due to the giant jump between 11 and 28 teeth. This is not horrible, but it's not ideal either.
4. I'm not that familiar with the IMCDA bike course so take my IMWI experiences for what they're worth.
I was considering a compact vs standard quarq and my LBS said that if the standard gearing (53/39) didn't work then they could change the rings without affecting the strain gauges. You can't change to a compact crank but with smaller chain rings and rear cassette you should be able to get pretty close. With that said I decided to buy the compact based on the recommendations from this forum!
Stephanie,
CDA is divided as:
The hills nearly all have false flats at the top, ie the hill is actually longer than it appears, as it might start at 6%, then 4%, then 2%...and keeps going at 2 for a while.
It's also "punchier" than IMWI, ie, some of the hills can have quite steep bits near the top. Recommendations:
Also, I have changed rings on a quarq and it did effect the calibration. I spoke with quarq directly regarding this and they recalibrated it for me for free the same day they received it and had it shipped that afternoon. Their customer services is outstanding, my suggestion is if you have questions, call quarq, not the LBS.
@Stephanie - you found the one downside to quarq, you are pretty much stuck with one spider/cinqo and if you want to change that you have to buy another. You can change rings and you can change crank arm lenght (both require recalibration which is free), but you can't change from 130bcd to 110bcd).
@Luke,
Just wanted to comment quickly on what your LBS said about putting smaller chain rings on your current standard (130 BCD) Double. On cranks, you typically have plenty of room to go up in size (number of teeth) but very little room to go down. 53/39T really is the smallest "common" size you can put on a 130bcd Double, the majority of the time you find variations from that it's usually people who have gone up in size to 54/40 or other TT rings.
That being said, I do know that FSA makes or at least used to make a 38T 130bcd inside ring, and I've seen 52T 130bcd big rings on triples. So you may be able to squeeze a little more gearing onto your double but your options become very limited if you do. Typically, if you want to go any smaller than 53/39, you go compact.
Edit: Oops, hadn't seen Matt's post when I wrote this. Apparently you do have a bit more play in the outer ring than I thought, but the inner ring really is really what justifies a compact.
Now for my frustration. I have a 2010 Specialized Transition Pro. I had decided to get a compact crank and a new Quarq, but am having a lot of trouble. Apparently, the compact crank from Specialized cannot be fitted with a Quarq yet. Quarq told me they could install on a SRAM BB-30 crank, but the braze-on that the derailler screws into is mounted too high on my bike to accomodate the compact crank. The LBS guys worked on a demo model in the store today and were able to install the compact crank, but were unable to get it to shift appropriately. Now, they think that they can change the derailler and the mounting to accomodate the compact crank. Does this make sense? Who knew it would be so difficult to get a compact on my bike! So, I plan to take my bike into the guys at the LBS tomorrow to have them try this set-up on my bike. Does anyone see a problem with this solution? Does anyone know of a better solution?