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6 comments
Shimano XT M785. 40/28.
Good to hear my plan has been tried and tested! A few weeks ago i got stuck on the 34t and realised it didn't really make much difference to my overall speeds at all. Obviously could have pushed on a bit more on downhill sections but if you're a beginner you may as well cruise and get your breath back.
What crankset did you use out of interest?
My TCX came stock with both a braze-on 105 FD and a 46/36T crank. No real problems.
Sure, the tail of the FD cage looks like it's a little too far away from the 46T big ring, but actually shifting between chainrings was no hardship.
I would assume the Defy would be able to handle that same crank or a 46/34 just fine.
Beginners that live in hilly areas aren't really well-served by current chainsets. I still think there's a gap in the market for something like a 40/28 up front with 11-34 at the rear. You can even hold 22mph at 90rpm on a 34t ring, a 40t would give you 26mph.
Once I've decided which gravel/adventure/cx bike I'm getting, I'll be taking the compact off my road bike and swapping it out for something like a deore 40/28 and just use it for climbs so I can drop wattage on the steep stuff (12% onwards) if needed just to keep going rather than stop. Stopping is moral breaking, I'd rather just go slower and keep moving.
I built my bike with 40/28 chainrings and 11-32 cass also 11-40 for mountains. I have done club runs with the former and were able to hold onto the pack at 27-28mph on the flat. I use all the gears were as most general setups rarely use the 50-11 or 12t gearing.
I take it the bike is running 50/34 crankset at the moment. I can't see any benefit fitting a 46 t outer ring. Just change up to an easier gear.
If she is struggling with hills then a smaller inner ring of 28t or 30t.
I went full MTB for my wife with 36/22 and 11-36 cassette. But her bike used a clamp. Measure how you can lower the front derailleur. I have a 40t, 46t crankset and 50t crankset , I can measure and tell you the diameter of you want?