Discussion
12-25t on a road bike 22 gears boardman MTB Team 650b
12-36t on a mtb 20 gears boardman carbon pro
reading about other setups
riding up hills? help - whats the range and their meaning please.?
Whats should a Sunday keen rider look for on the gearing. Living nr Brighton so a fair few hills.
12-36t on a mtb 20 gears boardman carbon pro
reading about other setups
riding up hills? help - whats the range and their meaning please.?
Whats should a Sunday keen rider look for on the gearing. Living nr Brighton so a fair few hills.
So this gives you all the numbers and data you should need, if you need some help interpreting the figurtes, just ask!.... basically, you can divide the first number (the chainring) with the rear number (the sprocket at the back) and that gives you something like 1:1.9 which tells you how many revolutions of the rear wheel you get for every full pedal revolution.
http://www.bikecalc.com/gear_speed
http://www.bikecalc.com/gear_speed
GaryGlitter said:
Depends on the gradient.
Down sarf you might be ok, oop north you might prefer a 28.
haha us southern softies dont have real hills so it sounds like it will be fine for me. although there is Ditchling beacon which is a ball breaker but I walk up that.....Down sarf you might be ok, oop north you might prefer a 28.
my ambition is to one day get up that in one go.

For me this is a local short hill:
https://www.strava.com/segments/castle-lane-bolsov...
I'm yet to do it on 34x25
https://www.strava.com/segments/castle-lane-bolsov...
I'm yet to do it on 34x25
No hill down south at all, this is the first 6 miles out of my village heading east
https://www.strava.com/activities/310919436/segmen...
I've done it on 34x25 but it rather not have to again...
https://www.strava.com/activities/310919436/segmen...
I've done it on 34x25 but it rather not have to again...
Here's the daddy in the Downs for you to aim at SLR...https://www.strava.com/activities/348491469/segments/8283920920
If you drag the pointer over it you can see 27% in places although it may not be that accurate.
It's easier and cheaper to change your cassette than the cranks, usually good practice to change the chain at the same time. My old bike had 12-25 with a 53-39, changed it to 12-27 and found climbing a bit easier, could stay seated a bit longer. Next time it was 12-29, a bit easier again.
If you drag the pointer over it you can see 27% in places although it may not be that accurate.
It's easier and cheaper to change your cassette than the cranks, usually good practice to change the chain at the same time. My old bike had 12-25 with a 53-39, changed it to 12-27 and found climbing a bit easier, could stay seated a bit longer. Next time it was 12-29, a bit easier again.
I'm happy(ish) riding up Ditchling Beacon using 34/25. But I keep meaning to change my cassette to 13-29 so I can spin up it rather than grind - I know it might not be a "northern" hill but it's still a decent challenge.
One of the guys who rides with us only has as low as 39/23 - he suffers up the Beacon and I've suggested a couple of times that he should get a bigger cassette on the back. We climbed Cobb Lane (steep but short) last week and he couldn't do it sitting down, but every time he stood on the pedals the back wheel spun.
Another of my riding buddies has just bought a new bike with 34/32 as the lowest gear - he's like a hamster on a wheel going up the Beacon. All three of us (Mr 39/23, Mr 34/32 and me) are similar strength riders - regular and reasonably fit but not particularly competitive or putting in huge miles.
One of the guys who rides with us only has as low as 39/23 - he suffers up the Beacon and I've suggested a couple of times that he should get a bigger cassette on the back. We climbed Cobb Lane (steep but short) last week and he couldn't do it sitting down, but every time he stood on the pedals the back wheel spun.
Another of my riding buddies has just bought a new bike with 34/32 as the lowest gear - he's like a hamster on a wheel going up the Beacon. All three of us (Mr 39/23, Mr 34/32 and me) are similar strength riders - regular and reasonably fit but not particularly competitive or putting in huge miles.
Yeah - really hard getting in a hilly ride down south...
https://www.strava.com/activities/315616634 lol!
If i were the op, i'd just go 12-28 as mentioned above!
https://www.strava.com/activities/315616634 lol!
If i were the op, i'd just go 12-28 as mentioned above!

200ft per mile anyone?
MTB ride but the steepest hill is a road.
https://www.strava.com/activities/348505173
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Sorry, trying to post a link from my mobile last night. I was on about Bignor Hill, or "Missed Glatting Lane" as the segment is called. It's tough on a road bike, very rough surface near the farm at the bottom, you go round an S bend which is very steep and it holds that for about 200m after, then the gradient backs off for the rest which is about another 1 km at a guess. It also ends on the South Downs Way so is a dead end on a road bike; if anyone goes that way because of this post PLEASE take care going down, it's frightening in the dry and would be horrendous in the wet.https://www.strava.com/segments/4224076
Zigster - one of the reasons I went from 12-25 to 27 then 29 was when I was riding with others on compacts, every last one of them would pull away from me on the steepest hills. I could get up them, but would be out of the saddle sooner and for longer, and moving slower, where they seemed to whizz up them, sitting down. I've now got a semi-compact 52-26 with an 11-28 which for me is the perfect compromise.
Getting lots of good ideas here for my Legs of Steel training, thanks lads! Richard, which one is the steepest?
Edited by Daveyraveygravey on Tuesday 21st July 12:57
Edited by Daveyraveygravey on Tuesday 21st July 13:00
lol down south no hills? Get yourself down to Cornwall mate! Loads of short and brutal hills, great for hill reps! Longer more fluid hills around as well
As soon as you go down one hill....you are up the next!
Nice little signposted 33% climb in St Mawes that I was one second off getting the KOM of
As soon as you go down one hill....you are up the next!
Nice little signposted 33% climb in St Mawes that I was one second off getting the KOM of

GaryGlitter said:
For me this is a local short hill:
https://www.strava.com/segments/castle-lane-bolsov...
I'm yet to do it on 34x25
Pussy https://www.strava.com/segments/castle-lane-bolsov...
I'm yet to do it on 34x25

Are you doing Flagg this weekend?
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