Scooter Says
Chainrings
In my first article, (see archive), I suggested that the normal 39/53t chain ring set that comes on most road bikes is not suitable for the majority of people who purchase these beasts. Since then I have recieved a lot of email telling me that I don't know my head from my #*$@.
Ha ha! Chewy on ya boot. You will now see most crank manufacturers offering either a standard or compact set up with 36/50t or 39/50t or 36/48t and so on. Bicycle manufacturers such as Felt are offering these as standard on some model road bikes.
The bottom line is that the average person who does not race will rarely be able to efficiently use a 52 or 53t chain ring. In fact if you chose a 42t small chain ring and you rode at an acceptable cadence you would rarely need to use a big chain ring at all but if you did a 50t would be perfect. For people living and or riding in a hilly area a 39t small chain ring would be good, or if you have a new 10spd bike and a 12-26t cassette with a 39 or 42t small ring would be ideal.
Think about what you would realistically do with your bike, not what you might do with it. A 53t chain ring will let you ride at 60-70Km per hour and if you think you are regularly going to do this your kidding yourself.
If you intend to race well that's another story...