Discussion
Can you get up any hill you want to in the third biggest ring on your cassette? That'll be equivalent to the easiest gear you'll have with a different cassette.
I want to go the other way - 12-25 to 11-28 because I can still get up all the hills here I find myself having to get out of the saddle and grind a gear too much.
I want to go the other way - 12-25 to 11-28 because I can still get up all the hills here I find myself having to get out of the saddle and grind a gear too much.
McFsC said:
Riders who ride a lot/steep hills what gearing do you use? I'm riding 53/39 and 11/28 but want to move to 11/23. Thoughts?
Define steep. I tried a 12-25 on the rear and whilst I could get up most of the really steep stuff where I live ( http://www.strava.com/segments/3493311) it was hard graft. I doubt I could get up to the top of the climb I linked with a 23 on the back. I've gone back to 12-27 and it really helps as a get out of jail gear.P
Edited by paulmon on Saturday 7th September 16:48
McFsC said:
Smaller gaps between gears and it looks better.
I ride 22% hills now and again.
Looks I ride 22% hills now and again.
I run std QXL rings and 12/28, I tried 12-25 but I like to spin up hills and most rides we will be doing 1000m+ of climbing in and around the Chilterns. It's enough but if I was heading back to Tenerife I might fit a compact front. If rotor made the QXL profile on a compact chainring I would prolly have that. 50/34 would equate (guessing) to something like 54/36 and with an 11-23 cassettes would be good. Unless it was TT or racing I think I would prefer to have a slightly bigger range. Some people mock people riding on compacts but until quite recently I had them on everything! The QXL's are great though, I would never go back.
Check this calculator out, it's quite helpful.
okgo said:
There is no answer. Its personal. And it certainly isn't a reflection of ability to have a smaller block on, pro's run bigger gears on steep climb days. The same way its not a relection of ability when you rock up to a TT and someone wit a 56t chainring turns in a 24
This. Even better when you go past your minute/two minute man on a road bike. Loved that this year
I was out last week and a rider I was with had 11-23 on up 25% climbs which made me think about it. He's a good rider to be fair.
Okgo, a 56 isn't much difference from a 53 though and in a TT he will have rode a 24 because he isn't very good rather than because he rode a 56 chainring.
Okgo, a 56 isn't much difference from a 53 though and in a TT he will have rode a 24 because he isn't very good rather than because he rode a 56 chainring.
jamiebae said:
I want to go the other way - 12-25 to 11-28 because I can still get up all the hills here I find myself having to get out of the saddle and grind a gear too much.
Same here. There might be bigger gaps but my thinking is that it gives me more options at both the top and bottom end.If you do make the change I'd be interested to hear how you get on.
McFsC said:
I've got 11/28 at the minute, the gaps between gears are annoying and I often switch between front chainrings to find in between gears. The 28 will get you up anything, literally.
Easy option if you're part of a club ask to borrow one or buy a s/h cassette off of radar/fleabay. You will only know by riding it.Timely thread for me. I am currently looking at a s/h road bike as an n+1 to my hybrid. It has the standard 53/39 up front and 12-25 at the back (8 speed). Thinking about the gears I use to scale hills on the hybrid, I reckon that is going to be too high for me (I do use my 36/28 and 36/24 combos quite a bit), but from what people are saying here it sounds like I just need to apply rule 5. Would a 9kg road bike be noticeably easier to climb with than a 12kg hybrid?
Applying the gears I use most on the hybrid, I think I'd need a compact crankset (50/34). I do have quite a few hills here (this morning I did 50.9kms with 1300m climbing).
Applying the gears I use most on the hybrid, I think I'd need a compact crankset (50/34). I do have quite a few hills here (this morning I did 50.9kms with 1300m climbing).
A lot of what is being said on here borders on unbelievable frankly. Especially when folks like Contador think you need a big cassette for the steep stuff http://road.cc/content/news/36163-giro-tech-contad...
Dropping 3kg off the bike might seem like a lot, but consider how much it weighs with you on board.. 3kg will make naff all difference.
Rule 5 always applies, but that doesn't mean you have to push tall gears. If you think you need compact, you do.. if you think you need standard.. you're probably better off on compact
Dropping 3kg off the bike might seem like a lot, but consider how much it weighs with you on board.. 3kg will make naff all difference.
Rule 5 always applies, but that doesn't mean you have to push tall gears. If you think you need compact, you do.. if you think you need standard.. you're probably better off on compact
upsidedownmark said:
A lot of what is being said on here borders on unbelievable frankly. Especially when folks like Contador think you need a big cassette for the steep stuff http://road.cc/content/news/36163-giro-tech-contad...
Dropping 3kg off the bike might seem like a lot, but consider how much it weighs with you on board.. 3kg will make naff all difference.
Rule 5 always applies, but that doesn't mean you have to push tall gears. If you think you need compact, you do.. if you think you need standard.. you're probably better off on compact
Ta. Confirms my thinking. I'm inclined to think that a compact and a 13-26 cassette would be just about perfect. An 11-28 would also work, but I think I'd rather have closer ratios instead of the 11 and 12 cogs that wouldn't get much use with a 50 up front. (the hybrid has a 48 up front, and I pretty much never use the 11). Dropping 3kg off the bike might seem like a lot, but consider how much it weighs with you on board.. 3kg will make naff all difference.
Rule 5 always applies, but that doesn't mean you have to push tall gears. If you think you need compact, you do.. if you think you need standard.. you're probably better off on compact
Did you watch the S14 of the Vuelta yesterday? Ratto had a huge bottom gear on his cassette and a long cage rear mech. He probably had a 53/37 on the front but the cassette looked like it had a 32T (maybe even 34T) big sprocket.
A standard chainset with 11-23 cassette is probably only any good if you live in Cambridgeshire.
Try it - wind in your bottom limit screw so that you can't get the lowest 1 or 2 gears and ride for a few weeks.
A standard chainset with 11-23 cassette is probably only any good if you live in Cambridgeshire.
Try it - wind in your bottom limit screw so that you can't get the lowest 1 or 2 gears and ride for a few weeks.
Edited by Barbarossa on Sunday 8th September 08:31
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