Road Bike Chainset Sizes

A 50 34t pairing known as a compact or a semi compact 52 36t.

Road bike chainset sizes. Chainring sizes are grouped into three alternatives. Road bike cassettes for climbing. Compact chainsets offer a middle ground between the more race oriented standard road double and semi compact chainsets with two larger chainrings typically with 53 39 or 52 36 teeth chainrings and heavier road triple chainsets. Every bike has a chainset.

Road bike cassettes will have smaller sprockets with a smaller jump between the teeth sizes when compared to mountain bike cassettes. Specialized diverge comp the 2017 version gets a sub compact chainset triple chainset. In each case the chainrings are 50 39 and 30 tooth. Road chainsets come in double or triple chainring versions and in several different crank lengths.

Most modern road bikes feature a dual ring set up with a front mech being responsible for shifting duties. The chainset defines your bike s gearing. Shimano s ultegra 6800 chainset has. There are three common double chainring combinations.

Compact and standard chainsets a chainset is described as a compact model when it has 34 36teeth inner chainring and a 50teeth outer chainring fitted. Best road bike cranksets. If you re on a road bike you ll probably have a double chainset that is a chainset with two chainrings. Most road bikes will come with 11 12 or 13 teeth on the smallest sprocket and then will have anywhere between 21 and 32 teeth on the largest sprocket.

Shimano offers triple chainsets for its three cheaper road bike groupsets claris sora and tiagra. It is the name given to a group of components that rotate when you turn your pedals to drive the bike s chain and turn the rear wheel to propel the bike along. On the right is the drive side which is a crank arm attached to one or more chainrings. A classic road racing bike for example may use a 53t large chainring while a bike more aimed at leisure and sportive riding may use a 50t large chainring as part of a hill friendly compact chainset.

Despite offering the most gears of any road chainset road triple chainsets have become less common as compact chainsets have grown in popularity. A 52 or 53 tooth outer chainring with a 39 tooth inner chainring. Compact chainsets are a great alternative to a triple chainset as they offer a good wide ratio of gearing and provide a good chainline thus giving increased chain strength. Chainsets designed for pedal heavy mtb disciplines such as cross country xc racing will need to be light in weight and offer a wide range of gears while those aimed at the gravity market will need to be stronger at the expense of light weight and will use a narrower range of gears.

Standard semi compact and compact. Different manufacturers use alternative bottom bracket fitment methods the chainset has to be compatible with the bottom bracket. A triple chainset is one with three chainrings.