# FSA Gossamer vs Shimano 105/Ultegra crankset



## AidanKeats

I am upgrading my soon to be cervelo s1 fsa gosssamer compact crank to a standard racing double, and was considering either just swapping it for a standard crank( i can do that for free from my shop) or upgrade to either 105 or ultegra crank. 

What do you think of the cranks?


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## TomH

I have a gossamer on my bike right now.. 

Destroyed the middle ring quickly, I think it let go under 100 miles (bent). Installed an ultegra ring (lbs tossed one on at cost, due to how fast the FSA failed). ~2000 miles later I finally got fed up with how the BB felt and installed an ultegra. Even after servicing it, the FSA bb always just felt nasty. 

Now that it has ult rings and bb, Im plenty satisfied with my FSA. I probably could have sold it off when new, and bought an ultegra (considering the cost of the ring and bb) though. 

The ultegra crankset is damn near flawless. Its just an excellent piece of bicycle gear. It shifts well, its durable, the bb is about as good as an outboard gets, and its fairly cheap.

Considering you're on a cervelo, the money probably isnt a huge deal. I think id lean towards the shimano cranks.


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## AidanKeats

Well the money is a huge deal actually, because I work at a shop and am getting EP on the cervelo and using my paycheck to pay for it as well as selling my old bike. I only have about 200 dollars cash right now to spend on whatever.

How much could I get a crankset?

And is it much better then the 105 crankset or should I really definetely go for the ultegra.


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## Ventruck

I'd assume your Gossamer was post-recall. 

Brand-for-brand, you can't really say one's outright superior. On paper the Shimano stuff is typically stiffer, but would you actaully notice?. I wouldn't say the Ultegra is notably better for the price. 

The aged "standard vs. compact" comparison does come with some things in your potential move. Might suit your terrain and/or condition better. There is also the opportunity to exploit new crank lengths (go to a shop and test ride some bikes?).


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## PJ352

AidanKeats said:


> Well the money is a huge deal actually, because I work at a shop and am getting EP on the cervelo and using my paycheck to pay for it as well as selling my old bike. I only have about 200 dollars cash right now to spend on whatever.
> 
> How much could I get a crankset?
> 
> And is it much better then the 105 crankset or should I really definetely go for the ultegra.


I'm closing in on 10k miles on my 5600 105 crankset and it spins as smoothly as it did the day I got the bike. Zero problems.

The Ultegra will be just as trouble-free, might weigh a little less and have forged (not stamped) chainrings, but at ~$180 versus ~$250 the 105 is hard to beat - and most any Shimano will beat Gossamer's in reliability. Do a search and you'll see.


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## AidanKeats

I've got connections to shimano so I could get it cheaper. Hmmmm what should I do.


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## TomH

AidanKeats said:


> Well the money is a huge deal actually,


Wouldnt bother then. Ride the gossamer, it'll be fine  Its not a bad crank really.. its just not the same quality as shimano. 

The BB really let me down, but my ultegra upgrade was 25 bucks.


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## Optimus

I prefer Shimano over anything else, so my vote is the Shimano. Either the 105 or the Ultegra will fit the bill.


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## frdfandc

Ventruck said:


> I'd assume your Gossamer was post-recall.



Recall was for BB30 only crank arms. 


If you want a Gossamer compact, I'll sell you mine. I'm going with a Force crank with Red chain rings. I flex the big ring on the Gossamer.

But I'd take the 105 over FSA any day. Shimano has the best front shifting on the market IMO. The Ultegra is a tad stiffer in the big ring due to the big ring being hollow forged. Much stiffer than the stamped 105 ring.


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## orlin03

I've never been satisfied with Gossamer; flexy rings, poor shifting, heavy IMO. Either the 105 or Ultegra (or Force for that matter; in the same price range) will be an upgrade. You'll stay happy with the Ultegra, I'd bet, and not regret it. I don't know anyone who isn't pleased with their 6700 crank.


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## Hank Stamper

dude, Save your money for now. Considering you don't even have the bike yet and on another thread you said: "I don't really understand what a compact crank/gearing ratio is vs a regular standard one." it would be prudent to ride what the bikes comes with and learn what you think will improve it so you can spend wisely as opposed to guessing what might make it better and be wrong. Very few if any people just getting into cycling would benefit from having a standard instead of a compact.


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## beston

There's a coffee shop (Cafe Domestique) in my area that has some kind of close connection with Vroomen and White of Cervelo. The guys at Cervelo are constantly loaning out their 'historic' bikes for him to hang on his walls.

A few months ago, he had Fabian Cancellara's 2006 R3 bike from the Paris-Roubaix (a race he won). One thing that stood out to me was that his bike had a Gossamer crankset installed. ... If the crankset is strong enough for one of cycling's biggest engines and performs well enough for one of the world's most demanding races, I'll have a hard time thinking it's not good enough for the average cyclist!

I've had the gossamer crankset (std. and compact) installed on two Cervelos I've owned and shifting and performance has never been an issue.


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## MisterMike

I just took a Gossamer compact off of my bike and replaced it with a new 5700 (105) compact. The difference in shifting to the large ring is nothing short of remarkable. The FSA would always be somewhat "vague" in it's shifts whereas the 105 is repeatably predictable and fast. I would expect you would see the same performance from a standard size 105 crank set. Since price is a factor then the Ultegra probably won't be that much better than the 105 and you will save a bunch by getting the 105. I got my 5700 compact for well under the $200 target you mentioned. But, free is free so the swap your shop offered may be best until you get more cheddar or find a stellar deal on a Shimano crank. Just wanted to let you know the difference I found with my actual experience.


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## frdfandc

beston said:


> A few months ago, he had Fabian Cancellara's 2006 R3 bike from the Paris-Roubaix (a race he won). One thing that stood out to me was that his bike had a Gossamer crankset installed. ... If the crankset is strong enough for one of cycling's biggest engines and performs well enough for one of the world's most demanding races, I'll have a hard time thinking it's not good enough for the average cyclist!
> /QUOTE]
> 
> 
> The probably installed the Gossamer after the K-Force Light was removed.


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## beston

Read my post again. I was looking at Fabian's 2006 Paris-Roubaix R3, not Andy Schleck's 2008 R3-SL. These are different years / bikes / riders! 

Here's the link to the photo that you used that clearly states who's bike this is and when it was used.
cdn.mos.bikeradar.com/images/news/2008/07/15/Andy_Schleck%27s_CSC_Cervelo_R3-SL_cranks-670-75.jpg



frdfandc said:


> beston said:
> 
> 
> 
> A few months ago, he had Fabian Cancellara's 2006 R3 bike from the Paris-Roubaix (a race he won). One thing that stood out to me was that his bike had a Gossamer crankset installed. ... If the crankset is strong enough for one of cycling's biggest engines and performs well enough for one of the world's most demanding races, I'll have a hard time thinking it's not good enough for the average cyclist!
> /QUOTE]
> 
> 
> The probably installed the Gossamer after the K-Force Light was removed.
Click to expand...


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## beston

Not the same bike as I mentioned above (this one is an SLC-SL), but Fabian was still using the Gossamer in 2007.

https://autobus.cyclingnews.com/roa...llaras_Team_CSC_Cervelo_SLC-SL_Gossamer_crank


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## TomH

Smart move by FSA, wouldnt you say? The high end stuff gets out of reach of most cyclists pretty quick.. couple that with minimum weight requirements, a heavy crankset can be a perfect place to add in some weight on a pro bike. 

Next thing you know, people are relating a ho-hum fairly average crank to pro level gear, because they saw someone win a big race on one  Its too obvious with a shimano or sram mid level crank.. FSA's lineup isnt so easy to place, people will just see gossamer and assume relate it to race gear.

Its by no means a bad crank.. but its nothing spectacular.


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## frdfandc

beston said:


> Not the same bike as I mentioned above (this one is an SLC-SL), but Fabian was still using the Gossamer in 2007.
> 
> https://autobus.cyclingnews.com/roa...llaras_Team_CSC_Cervelo_SLC-SL_Gossamer_crank



I digress...... but you do see that he is using the FSA Super Pro chain rings instead of the standard rings. They are a bit stiffer.


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## cyclesport45

Shimano Ultegra 6600 SL crankset and BB. 12K miles, runs like day 1. I expect to get another 12K out of the chainrings, easy. 

Light, durable, inexpensive. You can only have two, but if the crank lasts forever, its more like two and a half.


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## beston

... I suppose that you haven't noticed that Gossamers are now sold with those (Pro) chain rings.

http://www.fullspeedahead.com/products/20/Gossamer-Pro-MegaExo
http://www.fullspeedahead.com/products/21/Gossamer-Pro-Compact-MegaExo




frdfandc said:


> I digress...... but you do see that he is using the FSA Super Pro chain rings instead of the standard rings. They are a bit stiffer.


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## beston

Sorry for getting off topic on this thread. To get things back on topic; 

I've used both the FSA gossamer and the Shimano Ultegra (among others from Shimano, FSA, and SRAM). While the Gossamer has never let me down (shifting, stiffness or otherwise), the Shimano Ultegra is a very nice crankset. It's a little lighter and Shimano chain rings offer the absolute best shifting performance IMO. 

As others may have already pointed out, the major difference between cranksets like Ultegra and 105 is the way the chainrings are made (stiff vs. almost as stiff). There is a lot of value and performance in the 105 line.


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## frdfandc

Nope. Because I can't stand the Gossamer thats on my bike, and they are not equipped with the Pro rings. I don't like how FSA stuff shifts. I ran an FSA Afterburner MTB crank with Blackspire chainrings because of this.


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## twigseattle

FSA IS TOTAL COMPLETE RUBBISH!!!!!
Immediately replace crankset for Shimano.


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## TomH

I strongly prefer shimano too.. but statements like that are ridiculous. The guy said hes on a limited budget, theres no need to rush out and spend even more money. Chunky shifting still shifts.


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## TomH

If 105 uses stamped rings, whats the difference between 105 and tiagra?


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## twigseattle

sorry to spend money you may not have.
IMO, poor front shifting from FSA ruins all riding experiences.

Shimano Ultegra 6600 road crank for $85 with BB on my CL,
should be able to get a used in very fine condition under $100


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## CleavesF

TomH said:


> If 105 uses stamped rings, whats the difference between 105 and tiagra?


"but my bearings aren't ceramic"

It doesn't matter if machined or stamped. It does if you really care, but if it performs as advertised... AS SHIMANO nearly always does, stamped doesn't make me second guess the quality of 105. 

You can race on 105... hell you can race on Tiagra and Sora as well! 

Maintenance and adjustments are the most important things on the bike. After that is done, if all is still iffy, it's the components. And I tell you... FSA is not exactly my first choice... 

Gruppos are designed to work as a group. Intermixing can work, and usually does, but sometimes poor performance is unavoidable.


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## TomH

CleavesF said:


> "but my bearings aren't ceramic"
> 
> It doesn't matter if machined or stamped. It does if you really care, but if it performs as advertised... AS SHIMANO nearly always does, stamped doesn't make me second guess the quality of 105.
> 
> You can race on 105... hell you can race on Tiagra and Sora as well!


You kinda went off on a random tangent there.. no one said theres anything wrong with the 105 rings. 

Does the tiagra use thicker 9 speed specific rings? Im finding conflicting weights, but it looks like the tiagra is very very similar to 105.

Edit: its almost 100g heavier.. guess its not that similar!


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## rustybucket

Hincapie has was seen training on some gossamer cranks last year http://zonasepeda.com/road-bike/bmc-racemaster-slx01-george-hincapie.html


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## baker921

rustybucket said:


> Hincapie has was seen training on some gossamer cranks last year http://zonasepeda.com/road-bike/bmc-racemaster-slx01-george-hincapie.html


So Gossamer = old man's cranks then? 

Seems like I got the right ones then. I just thought I was being cheap.


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## Oldteen

I have both on different bikes. Gossamer is OK, but I find Ultegra smoother. I'm no Boonen, but both are plenty stiff for me. Not worth upgrading if you have the Gossamer, but I would go Ultegra if starting from scratch.


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## Slow Ride

delete > oops. mis-read original post.


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## seanmullins

*K-Force Light*



frdfandc said:


> beston said:
> 
> 
> 
> A few months ago, he had Fabian Cancellara's 2006 R3 bike from the Paris-Roubaix (a race he won). One thing that stood out to me was that his bike had a Gossamer crankset installed. ... If the crankset is strong enough for one of cycling's biggest engines and performs well enough for one of the world's most demanding races, I'll have a hard time thinking it's not good enough for the average cyclist!
> /QUOTE]
> 
> 
> The probably installed the Gossamer after the K-Force Light was removed.
> 
> 
> Speaking of K-Force Light, anyone rate this?
> I currently have the gossamer that came on my Cervelo. It creaks a lot, even after servicing and replacing the big chairing, its shifting is iffy.
> The K force light is on sale (half off I think) on chainreactioncycles, or would I be better off looking for an Ultegra/Dura ace replacement?
Click to expand...


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## beston

To answer your crank question. Every creak on a bike sounds like it's coming from the BB. I've been amazed myself to see that even the skewer not being quite tight enough can lead to creaks sounding like they are coming from the BB. It's really frustrating. Do check that all bolts (stem, handlebar, seatpost, seat clamp) are tightened to spec and there is absolutely no play in them. If it still creaks, I guess the only option left is to consider the crank.

I've never had shifting issues with the gossamer myself, but you are not the first to complain of such problems. Assuming that the front derailleur adjustments are not to blame, you can certainly look at other great options out there.

I would suggest looking at the Ultegra crankset at ribble cycles. For around $225, it's cheaper than the FSA k-force and will be one of the stiffest and best shifting cranks you can buy. 




seanmullins said:


> The probably installed the Gossamer after the K-Force Light was removed.


No. It's pretty well known that he used the gossamer. It would be great if people actually tried to do research (a simple search for Cancellara and gossamer on google would do) before posting.

I've seen many other Cervelo's come into Cafe Domestiqe from Cervelo's pro squad's (From Sastre, Cancellara, Hushvod, DZ, Hesjedal etc.) and they all seem to be kept in the same state as when they won. I don't think that they would down spec a bike so that FSA could have bragging rights about using one of their lower end crank sets. 

www.cyclingnews.com presents the 94th Tour de France

_For the mostly flat Stage 4, Cancellara augmented his frame's aerodynamics with a particularly deep-section Zipp 808 carbon wheelset. At nearly 1.9m (6' 3") tall, 80kg (176lb), however, and with a power output rivaling most nuclear fission reactors, Cancellara naturally runs his choice in componentry a bit on the safe side when it comes to just about everything else. As with many professional riders, Cancellara prefers the added security of an aluminum handlebar and stem. Surprisingly, however, he also foregoes the de rigueur carbon fiber crankset for FSA's decidedly mid-level (and substantially heavier) Gossamer model.

According to Team CSC mechanic Alejandro Torralbo, Cancellara began using the Gossamer cranks during the Spring classics, but grew more comfortable on them than carbon ones because he feels that they're stiffer. We have our doubts as to whether or not a bench test would support that statement, but with the raise of a brow and wry grin, Torralbo explained in simpler terms: "He's a strong man."_


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## Dbbled

*Upgrade*

Just fyi -- I upgraded mine to Ultegra 6700 for about a net of $100. Bought a very light used take off from ebay and sold my cranks on ebay.... It can be done pretty inexpensively.

DD


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## Oldteen

Old thread, but I have 2 Gossamer cranks on diff bikes- 1 MegaExo & 1 BB30. Both shift fine (properly adjusted) & have been bulletproof for 1,000's of miles. Not the lightest nor best finished cranks, but entirely serviceable. Ultegra crank I have on another bike is much nicer finished & lighter, and also has been bulletproof. I would prob spring for Ultegra if I were doing a new build, but sure would not bother to swap if bike already had Gossamer installed.


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## abamosh

The Gossamer is fine, there is no need to upgrade. However, if I have to make a choice between the FSA crank and Shimano, I'm going with Shimano every time. I'm running a Gossamer Compact right now and I liked the feel of my old DA 7700 crank better.


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## Scott in MD

*FREE Gossamer Crank*

If you want a 53/39 Gossamer standard crank ...

...I'll give you mine for free*. I pulled mine brand-spanking new off of a 2009 Spesh Tarmac, and have had it in my bike part box for a few years now, and would really like if someone gets some good use out of it. I replaced it with a Shimano Ultegra SL compact that has been really nice.

Fine print: Really, seriously, but ... Only applies to OP, and you have to send me your compact crank or $15 after it arrives to cover the cost and hassle of shipping it out to you. And you have to post a pic of the bike on this thread when it is finished.

I'll post a pic of mine up later today ... shoot me a message with your address if you want it.

(Whoops. I'm stupid on this. I just realized this is a leftover 2011 thread ... )


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## WaynefromOrlando

On my bike I am currently using the FSA Energy crank (compact) and it is at the point of failure after about 3 years of moderate riding due to the bottom bracket bearings failing. Why does this mean the whole crank is a failure? Easy, the replacement BB for this system costs more than $60 and is darn hard to find at all these days! 

I am replacing it next week with a Shimano 105 crank (5650) that I bought yesterday for $95.99 on sale from Nashbar. It's not as light as the Ultegra cranks, but the actual weight difference is equal to 1 single Cliff Mojo bar (1.59 oz). The cost difference was $88.00, and I could not see spending $88 for a component that was less than 2 oz lighter with little difference in performance.

As far as the FSA crank goes, yes, I did find it to be a bit flexy at the worst possible time. It once locked up the chain, flexed to the point where it intersected with the front derailleur. It stopped the crank from rotating just as I stood up on the pedals at the beginning of a hill, and I was very, very lucky to have been alone when that happened and not in a race. I was able to keep it upright, and clip out before crashing, but I did injure my right calf muscle (separated the two lobes resulting in massive bruising) in the process. 

I realize the OP has probably made his decision long ago, but others will read this as they do their own research on this topic. The bottom line: FSA makes good bicycle cranks, but anecdotal evidence shows them to be of a lesser quality than Shimano cranks. I will come back here after I put a thousand miles or so, including some Blue Ridge mountain climbs, on the new 105 crank to give a review.

Edit: First ride review- Rode 40 miles with my new 105 crankset and now I am wondering why I waited so long to get rid of the FSA crank. The shifting was silkly smooth, the look of the new crankset is great and I perceived zero flex when mashing up the hills on my basic training lap. Paired with the Ultegra RD and a new Ultegra chain, many of the shifts were utterly silent, causing me to look down to make sure it had changed at all at first, and then I just relied on the change in effort without the former "rattle, rattle, clunk" that I had been used to with my previous crank. I'll be back in a month or so when I take if for some longer rides and steeper hills to add to this review.


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