Road bike chainrings, which ones?

Let’s have a look at the usual chainring available combinations and how I selected them for each specific use.

As usual I’m wearing kit courtesy of Siroko, if you would like to shop you can use my link for an automatic extra 10% discount.

Let me know in the comments your preferred gearing combinations.

Thank you again for watching,
Federico

[Gufolicious]

i live in the alps and have lots of long steep climbs (1h-1.5h climbs up to 34 percent gradiant) around me. i ride a 50/34 in the front and a 11-34 in the back on a very light bike and i would not change it ever. technically i could use more than a 50/11 on steep long downhills but i prefer to stay alive and conquer more epic climbs.

[crackn]

I run 48/32 - 11/28 because I noticed that my chain line is dead straight at my comfort power output. I get to 30km/h and I can pedal with around 85-90 rpm :)

[Carftymk]

48-31 11-34 on road any day. I live in the mountains and I don't have a massive ego problem. Unlike many of the local seniors pushing their bike up anything over 15% because they have dumb ratios. Of course I could spin it out descending but I value my collarbone far more.

You have a nice verity for any occasion with your bike choices. My 52/36-11/34 is perfect 90% of the time over here for me I like to spin. There are a handful of super steep climbs I run out of gears and need to stand I'm right on that threshold but never had to zig zag or stop ever and some climbs I just want to spin a little faster. My ideal would be a 12 speed 52/36-11/36 cassette I would be set. Great video as always! Aloha 🤙

[billkallas]

I live in the 2nd flattest State in the US, so I ride with a 53x39, and a 12-25. I changed to a 12-25 after retiring from racing at age 71, after 32 years. Before that, I'd use a 12-23, except for hilly road races, where I would use a wheel with a 12-25. I've never needed an 11, since I can spin the 12 to 40mph. (around 65kph) I've only done that on the flats, a few times, with a tailwind.

[FFSDenny]

I own a Felt F Series Ultegra level race bike. My ten speed gearing is 50/34 x 11/28. The gearing is just fine for my fitness level and the rolling terrain of Northern California. If I get a new bike, I will stick with a compact chainset, but I may use 11/34 for the rear.

[clp]

I went from a 52/36 and 11-30T to a 50/34 and 11-32T this year and my cycling has improved significantly. My average cadence has gone up from 86 to 93 and I feel way more confident smashing the climbs. I’d even consider going to an 11-34T.

[johnjcs]

Good video Fede, there's a big stigma attached to chainsets, particularly among club riders I've found. There seems to be an obsession for putting people down for using compacts and some riders feel the need to run a 53/39 or risk being branded a wimp! Me personally, I don't care! I wanted lower gearing for my rides this year around the North York Moors and the Peak District, so now I run a Praxis Alba 48/32 sub compact on my Bianchi which is similar to the gearing you would get on a gravel bike. My Campag Veloce 10sp cassette is 13/29 at it's lowest, so unless I go to the trouble of ripping the freehub off on two wheelsets or changing the entire groupset, it was easier to simply replace the chainset. I don't notice any drop in flat speed and I don't push hard on descents anymore following my crash last year, so spinning out isn't something I worry about. I'm just gutted I've got an American chainset on my otherwise complete Italian bike! It is what it is!

[bindingcurve]

I run a 50-34 and a 11-40 on my gravel wheelset. the 50-11 is nice as I can usually outrun the younger guys on the downhills. (yes the 40 works with a 7K 105 rear derailleur without issue.)

[Ligma-Bass]

Great video 👍
For me 52/36 paired with 11-34 is perfect, especially with the Campagnolo 12v. Great range allows me to get up pretty much anything 👌

[dsonyay]

I know of a triathlete who runs a 56 up from.. he spins out on the 53 too easily. (Makes me feel like a little girl)

Good to see another video. Ciao!

[robo]

Semi compact but change the 36 to 34 small ring is perfect for me. 52-34 front with 11-34 back can conquer all kinds of terrains.

[Al.]

Those are gears for pro's that have 5-6 W/kg FTP. If you don't have that (and most of us are between 3-4 W/kg, many even lower) you will never ride with a comfortable cadence on a long steep climb or at the end of a long ride. Use a bike calculator to see the speeds for a given power on different gradients and calculate the corresponding cadence.

[cyclingunboxed]

For me on the commuter it has to be the 50/34 makes everything so much easier but definitely bigger for the main road bike

[chrishendry]

Great video. I ride relatively flat with some short steep hills. Starting to spin out on the 52/36 up front and going to a 53/39 sounds like the next move. Thank you

[kiriha]

Thank you! now I can choose the size I need with confidence!!

[davidnicholson]

A 50-11 at 120 RPM sprinting cadence is ~66km/hr. I don't think many people need more than that. I would want a bigger chainring for racing crits just to keep the chain further up the block, but the largest ratio itself is plenty big. On my fastest road bike I actually run a 12sp SRAM setup with 48/35 and 10-30. 48-10 is basically the same ratio as 53-11.

[SPLSE]

54/40 and 11-30. Sunny and flat in south Florida. Keeping the chain line straighter and in larger cogs are more efficient.

[chrism]

Great video. Miss mclaren colors 😭.
Chain ring decesions 😢.not easy to deceide .🚴🍺🚴

[kwameakom]

Thank you Federico for making the video as per my request 😊. I was running 50/34 but upgraded to 52/36 which really is a great combination for flats and the downhills as well improving strength on the uphills. However I doubt I will stretch to a full standard chainset I will leave that to a semi pro such as yourself 😉