Road bikes: What's your lowest gearing?

[loudlashadjuster]

I'm wondering what sort of gear ratio people are pushing up the steepest of inclines?

I'll be honest and say that my puny legs seem to struggle with the >15% stuff with my 36/28T. It's not that I have to stop or get off and push, but the (obviously) meagre power I'm able to put out means I'm down to walking pace and my cadence drops to around 30-40 which feels reeeally low and can't be good for my VAM, or my knees.

I did Streatley recently (one of the 100 Climbs) which is just over 1km at about 11%, including 0.7km all above 15%, and although it was very cold and I guess I didn't post a bad time, it was a fairly grim experience. I'm sure I could go faster with a higher cadence as my legs weren't shot at the end, just not able to grind any faster. I realise there's probably a contradiction in there, but that's how it feels.

Now of course the Rule V answer is just to get out there and hammer the hills more, and within the time available I'm doing that. But it's a slow process getting faster up hills and I'm getting fed up with being overtaken by old duffers and ladies positively whizzing past me on something like a 34/30T, grinning, sat up and their legs going like billy-o.

Now there is of course no shame in being beaten by a lady or an old git (the chap who runs our club is mid-50s but built like a whippet and he climbs like a beast, it'll be a long time until I can catch him!), but on anything other than a longer >15% climb I'm just about able to keep up with the leaders, not be struggling at the back of the pack. Most of the faster guys seem to have much higher cadence on the big hills too, and that's not just because they're pressing harder on the pedals before anyone says!

I've been eyeing a 12-30T cassette which should improve things a bit, or maybe I'm just needing to go the whole hog and fit a compact chainset? Or might it just be that I do indeed need to MTFU and get on with it?

So, I'm interested to know what your lowest gear is and if you think it's sufficient? Do please note of the kinds of hills you commonly tackle.

Rather than list 100 different chainring/cassette options I thought I'd group the poll by gearing ratio. I know things like crank length and tyre size also affect overall gearing/power transfer, but I'm concentrating on the main gearing as I assume it makes the biggest difference. None of this old-fangled gear inches nonsense though just simple arthmetic, the closer to 1 the lower the gearing. I've listed some common combinations, otherwise just calculate:

1 / smallest chainring teeth * largest cassette ring teeth

Some common combinations
39/23T 0.59 <- Real Men, legends from days of old
39/25T 0.64
39/28T 0.72
34/25T 0.74
36/27T 0.75
36/28T 0.78 <- Me
34/27T 0.79
34/28T 0.82
36/30T 0.83
30/25T 0.83
34/30T 0.88
30/27T 0.90 <- Must be like riding an e-bike?

Edited by loudlashadjuster on Monday 4th April 17:03

[loudlashadjuster]

TwistingMyMelon said:

In answer to your question it mostly depends on where you live in the country , your weight and then climbing style. If I had to pick one I would go for 53/36 with a 28 top gear on the back, none of my bikes have it though as I have just stuck with whats on there!

I'm in the Chilterns, so a lot of short, steepish stuff and not very much flat unless I head down to the Thames. I'm currently about 76kg, but as long as I (mostly) stay off the ale and keep doing the 50-150km a week that I've been managing recently (more is tricky due to family etc.) then this should continue to drop (I was nearer 80kg at the beginning of the year).

I've a semi-compact 52-36 and a 12-28T cassette and you're right, I'm probably just being impatient. I guess can already see an improvement in speeds since I got the bike in the summer and it seems that most have similar gearing, so maybe I just need to to get on with it and stop posting rubbish threads betraying my lack of climbing ability

[loudlashadjuster]

neilski said:

42/21 on my Raleigh Dyna-Tech from 1990 back when cycling was a hard man's sport and not something fashionable after a bit of Team GB success at the Olympics. No such thing as compact or triple chainsets back then lad.



Fine for south east England including the fearsome Ditchling Beacon but I don't think I'd want to take it to the Alps though.

Crikey. That's the Real Deal. Nice bar tape too.