Am I using my gears incorrectly?

[night cycler]

I basically only use the top three gears on the 11/32 cassette while cycling on the flat. When I had the chain and cassette replaced last month, it was only the top 2 or 3 gears of the cassette that were slipping. Understandable when thinking about it. The middle range gears tend not to have much use.

 

[cougie uk]

Isn't Rotherham quite hilly ? I'd have thought you'd be using more than 3 gears ?

Are you saying it's the 32 sprocket that you use or the 11 ?

And what chainset do you have - how many rings and what sizes ?

 

[richardfm]

If you don't struggle to turn the pedals or don't find the pedals spinning too fast the you probably have it about right

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I basically only use the top three gears on the 11/32 cassette while cycling on the flat. When I had the chain and cassette replaced last month, it was only the top 2 or 3 gears of the cassette that were slipping. Understandable when thinking about it. The middle range gears tend not to have much use.

You could change your chainring so you use the other gears
Swap it every few months and you wear will get evened out a bit

I presume???

 

[night cycler]

You could change your chainring so you use the other gears
Swap it every few months and you wear will get evened out a bit

I presume???

@ebikeerwidnes
Thank you. You are on the right track. I need to explain more detail. I have tended to just use the larger of the two chain rings when 'I am going for it head down", or when going down hills.

This system originated partly due to the difference in costs between the two chain rings. Because I bought about 3 of the small chain rings when they were only £9 each. The large change ring is an 'all in one part with the crank'. At the time when I was buying the small chain rings, the large chain rings were £60. The bike is fitted with Shimano 105 stuff as original.

Should I do things differently, and if so what ?

 

[richardfm]

@ebikeerwidnes
Thank you. You are on the right track. I need to explain more detail. I have tended to just use the larger of the two chain rings when 'I am going for it head down", or when going down hills.

This system originated partly due to the difference in costs between the two chain rings. Because I bought about 3 of the small chain rings when they were only £9 each. The large change ring is an 'all in one part with the crank'. At the time when I was buying the small chain rings, the large chain rings were £60. The bike is fitted with Shimano 105 stuff as original.

Should I do things differently, and if so what ?

I refer you to my post above.
Is there a problem that you are trying to solve?

 

[Dogtrousers]

I don't think there's a "right" way. Some people blather on about always hitting a 90rpm cadence being the "right" thing to do (actually, I've not heard that for a while) but really, if you're happy and you can get up the hills you want to go up then stay happy.

If there is a right way, I'm pretty sure it's not what I do. And I'm not worried about it.

 

[Emanresu]

I don't think there's a "right" way. Some people blather on about always hitting a 90rpm cadence being the "right" thing to do (actually, I've not heard that for a while) but really, if you're happy and you can get up the hills you want to go up then stay happy.

If there is a right way, I'm pretty sure it's not what I do. And I'm not worried about it.

It is a question about how worried you and whether you need to be concerned.

There is a video by Alee Denham whose basic job as far as I can make out is to cycle his backside off and get paid for it. Given he clocks up 1000's miles a year he has an interest in working out what gearing is best *for him*. You can do the same sort of calculations and come up with the perfect gearing for your set up. But why worry if you are not Alee Denham

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipENw5mjjSg

 

[Dogtrousers]

It is a question about how worried you and whether you need to be concerned.

There is a video by Alee Denham whose basic job as far as I can make out is to cycle his backside off and get paid for it. Given he clocks up 1000's miles a year he has an interest in working out what gearing is best *for him*. You can do the same sort of calculations and come up with the perfect gearing for your set up. But why worry if you are not Alee Denham

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipENw5mjjSg

Nice video. I didn't learn anything new, but it was well presented.

 

[night cycler]

I refer you to my post above.
Is there a problem that you are trying to solve?

Thank you for your interest.

Yes I am trying to solve something. I will try to explain.

I feel that most of the gears on my cassette would be much more use to me if they were higher gears.

Do all large chain rings come with the crank arm as part of it? If I could get some large chain rings without the crank I would stay on the large chain ring 95% of the ride, and would be using just about every gear on the cassette. In summary I stay on the small chain ring and I ware out the top 3 gears and eventually renew the cassette when 8 of the gears have had little use.

Does that help explaining it that way?

 

[Wooger]

Thank you for your interest.

Yes I am trying to solve something. I will try to explain.

I feel that most of the gears on my cassette would be much more use to me if they were higher gears.

Do all large chain rings come with the crank arm as part of it? If I could get some large chain rings without the crank I would stay on the large chain ring 95% of the ride, and would be using just about every gear on the cassette. In summary I stay on the small chain ring and I ware out the top 3 gears and eventually renew the cassette when 8 of the gears have had little use.

Does that help explaining it that way?

The gear usage you describe is very wrong - it's cross chaining 100% of the time. It'll put more stress on the chain, be less efficient and wear all your drivetrain components faster. Just use the big chainring as necessary and replace when it's worn, allowing you to use more gears on your cassette and wear it far more slowly.

Yes, all Shimano groupsets come with both chainrings as separate, replaceable, removable parts, including the 105 11-speed which you have. I'm not sure why you think you need to replace the cranks alongside the big ring, but you don't. The big chainring can be a bit more expensive to buy separately for some reason, but given that entire 105 cranksets can be had for very cheap used, and in particular, un-used chainrings can be found on ebay/Facebook marketplace for almost nothing, there is no reason to worry about this. Lots of people switch to bigger chainrings and have their originals in a cupboard.

Even new, they're not bad if you shop around:
https://www.freewheel.co.uk/shimano...MjMxNTgxJjE4ND0yMzIxNDY=#93=231581&184=232146

Even at full price, you're probably costing yourself far more in chain and cassette wear by worrying about the cost of a chainring.

 

[presta]

Nice video. I didn't learn anything new, but it was well presented.

It seems like pretty silly clickbait to me. He starts off with a title that hill climbs are no harder than the flat, and then spends 10 minutes explaining why they are. It's pretty pointless making cadence an independent variable too, you won't necessarily get that choice by the time the gradient gets to 25-30%. Once you're going at the slowest speed you can balance, the only option left is to stump up the necessary power or get off and walk.

Do all large chain rings come with the crank arm as part of it?

No.

 

[Deleted member 121159]

The gear usage you describe is very wrong - it's cross chaining 100% of the time. It'll put more stress on the chain, be less efficient and wear all your drivetrain components faster. Just use the big chainring as necessary and replace when it's worn, allowing you to use more gears on your cassette and wear it far more slowly.

Yes, all Shimano groupsets come with both chainrings as separate, replaceable, removable parts, including the 105 11-speed which you have. I'm not sure why you think you need to replace the cranks alongside the big ring, but you don't. The big chainring can be a bit more expensive to buy separately for some reason, but given that entire 105 cranksets can be had for very cheap used, and in particular, un-used chainrings can be found on ebay/Facebook marketplace for almost nothing, there is no reason to worry about this. Lots of people switch to bigger chainrings and have their originals in a cupboard.

Even new, they're not bad if you shop around:
https://www.freewheel.co.uk/shimano...MjMxNTgxJjE4ND0yMzIxNDY=#93=231581&184=232146

Even at full price, you're probably costing yourself far more in chain and cassette wear by worrying about the cost of a chainring.

I read the OP's other post as well. It doesn't sound like they're describing cross chaining. Sounds like they must be either very powerful or cycle at very low cadence. Whatever the case, OP, if you feel that 50/34 is too small for you, then you can change to 52/36 or even 53/39. 53-11 gives you 34mph at 90rpm. On flats I don't think I could hold that speed for more than a few seconds.

 

[Wooger]

I read the OP's other post as well. It doesn't sound like they're describing cross chaining. Sounds like they must be either very powerful or cycle at very low cadence. Whatever the case, OP, if you feel that 50/34 is too small for you, then you can change to 52/36 or even 53/39. 53-11 gives you 34mph at 90rpm. On flats I don't think I could hold that speed for more than a few seconds.

The OP explicitly describes only using the 3 smallest cogs on their cassette, while staying in the small chainring 100% of the time, because they think that the big chainring can only be replaced with the entire crankset and will be expensive, so they don't want to wear it out... Meanwhile they keep wearing out the 3 small rings on their cassette prematurely. 100% crosschaining.

 

[cougie uk]

Best avoid using the bike totally and you'll have no wear on any components. The bike will last forever!

It's so wrong to have what, a 20 speed bike but only use 3 gears.