Why do so many people not change gear?
Discussion
TonyHetherington said:
Just to make sure I understand right - you're all advocating a lower gear but pedalling faster to maintain the same speed?
Yes, it will feel like you are spinning at first but you will soon get used to it and as other have said see big improvements in everything really.Kermit power said:
TonyHetherington said:
Just to make sure I understand right - you're all advocating a lower gear but pedalling faster to maintain the same speed?
Correct.There's an article here which does a decent job of explaining why.
Basically, it's all to do with slow and fast twitch muscle fibres. The former are designed for endurance and burn fat, which we all have plenty of, whereas the latter are designed for explosive short bursts and burn glycogen, which we have a limited supply of.
High cadence uses slow twitch fibres, whereas low cadence uses fast twitch. You'll use the same amount of total energy, as you can't escape the laws of physics, but the difference comes in how long you can sustain the energy spend, and how long it takes you to recover afterwards.
I find It's easier to engage in the clipless pedals when pushing off in a bigger gear as there is more time to do so during the slow rotation if the crank. Ok, I wouldn't be talking off in a 53x12 but a spinny ratio causes too much dicking about. Once clipped in, a couple of big pulls and you can immediately get the jump of anyone, even cars unless they have Mario andretti behind the wheel and/or launch control.
JuniorD said:
I find It's easier to engage in the clipless pedals when pushing off in a bigger gear as there is more time to do so during the slow rotation if the crank. Ok, I wouldn't be talking off in a 53x12 but a spinny ratio causes too much dicking about. Once clipped in, a couple of big pulls and you can immediately get the jump of anyone, even cars unless they have Mario andretti behind the wheel and/or launch control.
Rather than more time, I find it's actually because there's more resistance to push against when trying to clip in. In a small gear I find the pedal doesn't clip in, instead it just pushes the pedal round 
(I sometimes find a quick brake is enough to provide some resistance)Oh I assume not - some famous cyclists through the years with legs like tree trunks seem to go at about 20rpm, while Armstrong etc at 4 times that
However, on my completely unscientific experiments over only 2 runs, it's quicker
I do find myself on the big ring on the far left at the back though too much :s
However, on my completely unscientific experiments over only 2 runs, it's quicker
I do find myself on the big ring on the far left at the back though too much :s
TonyHetherington said:
I do find myself on the big ring on the far left at the back though too much :s
Just experiment a bit. You'll find small ring somewhere in the centre-right will give you pretty much the same gearing as big ring and far left, and let's face it - it's always better to be centre right than far left!TonyHetherington said:
I assume it's just practice, but anything on the small ring, even centre right, still feels weird like i'm not doing enough work/speed
I'm still getting used to that too, but it's an illusion. Obviously it depends on what gearing you've got, but if I look at my bike, which has 53/39 tooth front rings and a 13-14-15-16-17-18-19-21-24 cassette on the rear, then big ring and rear left moves the wheel round 2.21 times for every revolution of the pedals, and small ring front, dead centre rear (39/17) moves the wheel round 2.29 times for every revolution of the pedals.In other words, the work you put in is almost identical in terms of power and cadence on either of those settings, but the small ring option is much better for the bike, as you're keeping the chain much straighter, which will minimise wear.
TonyHetherington said:
Has been an interesting coupple of days tho! Any more tips? I have more time to shave from my commute
I'm exactly 2 days ahead of you in this whole high cadence commuting lark, so I've pretty much exhausted my knowledge now! 
Mustn't forget that Lance's crazy leg cadence was probably done in a 53-15, what with his natural ability and harder training than anyone else, but definitely nothing to do with the special ribena which he absolutely didn't use which is proven by him being the worlds most tested athlete and never having failed a test either.
TonyHetherington said:
I think you used the right word there; the "illusion". I need to do some calculating! I know at the front Im 34 / 50, but need to check what the back is to work it out.
All very interesting still, thanks
Get yerself over the Sheldonbrown.com and dig out the gear index calculator. You can dial in your chain ring and cassette numbers and it will feed out GI for each gear. On a "normal" 20 speed road bike there is (IIRC) usually a 4 gear overlap between small front+small rear and large front+ large rear. All very interesting still, thanks
A use for this piece of info is to work out how many sprockets you have to shift at the back at the same time as you shift rings at the front so that you don't suffer sudden onset over/undergearing.
What you said works out pretty much spot on: I have 50/34 at front and 13-26 at back, so using that my cross over is indeed 4 gears in on the back. Ie rather than 50-26 I can go to 13-(whatever 4 in is) and it's the same
As geeky as that would appear to any normal person, it's actually blooming useful. Thanks!
As geeky as that would appear to any normal person, it's actually blooming useful. Thanks!
Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff