Ratio's for climbing Alpe d'Huez

[red13pjb]

Hi Guys.
I'm new to this forum and joined because I was looking for some advice. I have never really taken much notice of gear ratio's before but as I am going to attempt Alpe d'Huez this summer i thought I better look into it a bit.
I ride a bianchi road bike with a campag veloce groupset (53/39) with a 9 speed 13/26 cassette on the back. Looking at the cassettes in bike stores I can only get a 13/28 cassette and I wondered if this is going to make any difference to my climbing?
Any thoughts would be welcome
Cheers

 

[BigGee]

I am guessing by the fact that you are asking this question that you have never ridden up a long alpine climb before, Alpe D'Huez is actually far from the longest or hardest but still is about 10km long and climbs 1000 vertical metres, so is like nothing you will climb in this country, or even close.

The steepest bits of the climb are actually the ramps up to the first 2 hairpins which I am sure you would probably get up one way or another, either by good fitness or will power! The danger is that you do yourself some damage on these early bits when you have still got a long way to go with steady gradients all the way. Most ordinary cyclists would want a gear that they can spin quite comfortably to do that. Don't be fooled by watching pros do most of it out of the saddle, that is not something most mortals can do!

When I did it a fair few years ago, it was on a touring bike, so a lot heavier than your but I needed to use a triple and a granny gear on the back. From memory it was 48/38/28 and a rear sprocket with a 32 on it. I think I used the 32 on the steepest bits and the 28 on the rest, I was in the small 28 front sprocket all the way up. Once I got into a comfortable rhythm and past the first 2 hairpins, I did not find it to hard and did the whole ride without stopping. I kept it in an easy gear all the way up though and felt very elated when I got to the top.

If I was attempting it now on my road bike I would be happy with my 50/34 compact but I would be having a debate with myself as to whether to go 30 or 28 on the rear. For the record I am 50 years old now but still pretty fit, doing 5000 or so miles a year including a lot of endurance rides. I currently weigh in at around 85kg, about 5 kg heavier than I was when I did it the last time.

Obviously you have not said what kind of a cyclist you are, or how fit you consider yourself, but I suspect most riders at the more leisure end of the spectrum would be better off using a compact chainset than a standard 53/39. If you do go with the standard then I would suggest the biggest possible gear you can get on the rear!

 

[JasonHolder]

Go light. Better to be over geared than arriving and being blown apart so far from home

 

[Herzog]

It's a tough climb, particularly the first couple of km. Is getting hold of a compact chainset an option? If you're not used to these kind of long, long climbs, I'd go 34/30 as grinding up Alps is not fun (I know, I've done it)!

What's the biggest climb you done so far and how did you fair? And what gears were you using?

 

[Shut Up Legs]

It's a tough climb, particularly the first couple of km. Is getting hold of a compact chainset an option? If you're not used to these kind of long, long climbs, I'd go 34/30 as grinding up Alps is not fun (I know, I've done it)!

What's the biggest climb you done so far and how did you fair? And what gears were you using?

It isn't fun? I dream about riding a bicycle up the various European alpine peaks . The toughest climb I've done here is Mt Baw Baw, east of Melbourne, which is rated hors categorie, with a main climb of 960m over 12.5km. I'd absolutely love to ride up Alpe d'Huez.

 

[simon.r]

Some years ago I did it on a MTB, complete with 2.3" knobblies, on a 22 / 32

 

[Herzog]

It isn't fun? I dream about riding a bicycle up the various European alpine peaks . The toughest climb I've done here is Mt Baw Baw, east of Melbourne, which is rated hors categorie, with a main climb of 960m over 12.5km. I'd absolutely love to ride up Alpe d'Huez.

I meant "grinding up Alps is not fun" as in struggling to turn the pedals when massively undergreared (i.e., standard chainset and 25/27 on the back) on >10km passes is not fun.

Spinning up Alps with suitable gearing is great fun and as I live in Switzerland, I get the opportunity to do it regularly!

 

[Trull]

I was out for a wee tootle yesterday and despite knocking over 5 minutes off my PB for ascending Cairn O'Mount I had hit the starting 18% too hard and thus when the killer second to last switchback hit…at about 30% I had to walk. Oh the shame! This was on a Battaglin C12 (all carbon, about 8kg riding) Veloce 34x50 compact onto 10sp 12x25 cassette. So, now I'm also looking for sensible lower gearing, check my segment . You can see that despite being in lowest gear, I was grinding away at 50rpm for most of it, which is not efficient! And then I had to walk which is even more not efficient!

Ideally, some guidance to fit a different cassette/rear mech would be great, please?

 

[BigGee]

I was out for a wee tootle yesterday and despite knocking over 5 minutes off my PB for ascending Cairn O'Mount I had hit the starting 18% too hard and thus when the killer second to last switchback hit…at about 30% I had to walk. Oh the shame! This was on a Battaglin C12 (all carbon, about 8kg riding) Veloce 34x50 compact onto 10sp 12x25 cassette. So, now I'm also looking for sensible lower gearing, check my segment . You can see that despite being in lowest gear, I was grinding away at 50rpm for most of it, which is not efficient! And then I had to walk which is even more not efficient!

Ideally, some guidance to fit a different cassette/rear mech would be great, please?

I remenber climbing the Cairn O'Mount when I was up staying with my friends in Banchory twenty plus years ago. I was on my old Puegot 653 Road Bike and I am pretty sure in those pre-compact days they front gearing was 52/42 and the biggest rear cog was 25. That is a steep climb and boy did I struggle on that gearing, I did make it to the top but am sure i had to stop a few times and can't say it was particularly enjoyable, unlike the descent which was great fun!

Admittedly you don't get those kind of gradients on the Alpe d@Huez but I wish i had had a compact chainset on the bike when i did it. I found it far easier to cycle up the Tourmalet and other big climbs in France on a loaded touring bike with a triple chainset than i did to get up there on that gearing!

 

[Trull]

Yes BigGee, my point exactly, I'd normally attempt it on my 28front to 30 dinner plate at back…on my Raleigh Randonneur which weighs in at 16kg once I'm good to go… and just spin my way up at 70-80rpm. This would take longer - but I'd not be walking. Also - haste ye back! The Grampian Mountains miss you :-)

 

[Trull]

OK applying thinking cap, using Sheldon Brown's fabulous gear calculator's Custom Sprockets I get 34x25 to be 37inches, if I want to spin at 70rpm rather than 50rpm then I need a gear development which is in proportion, so 50/70 x 37= 26inches. The closest I can get with campy cass is 34x28 which yields 33inches, while it would take a 35 tooth at rear to get the treasured 26inch development!
Would a campy/SRAM ultra wide rear mech work?

 

[red13pjb]

Climbing is not a regular passtime for me it has to be said. I am a former rugby league player (now 40 years old) and a PE teacher. While I am quite fit generally and do usually a few sportifs I would not say I am cycle fit in those terms. This is my usual daft challenge that I set myself. Something I have always wanted to do since starting to watch the tour on TV in 1987 ( Roche's year). I have climbed hills like the Horseshoe pass on my 53/39 with a 13/26 cassette and never got off to walk despite being 13-14 stone. I tend to use my rugby strength in my legs and bloody mindedness to get to the top. I am definitely no Claudio Ciapucci. My main question remains would a 28 tooth rear be that much better than a 26 tooth bearing in mind my build and level of fitness and experience.

 

[MikeG]

..........My main question remains would a 28 tooth rear be that much better than a 26 tooth bearing in mind my build and level of fitness and experience.

The answer is a clear yes. And a 30 would be better still.

 

[HLaB]

I changed my 53/39 11-25 10sp Veloce for 50/34 13-29 and that got me up the Alpe DHuez twice last year (The second after the Glandon, Galbier, etc, the Marmotte). I was going to take my Scandium bike with 52/38 (changing the 38 for a 36) and a 11-28 Shimano cassette but the bikes chain stays cracked just before; I'm glad though I was pushed into the even lower Veloce gearing.

 

[PpPete]

Not sure about 9 speed availability but Campag do a 12-30 ten speed cassette. Chuffin' expensive though as it's only in the Centaur range, not in the Veloce.
Ribble have them if your local stores can't help.
Or if you've loadsamoney you can get even more teeth on your Campag here.

Another alternative (whisper it) would be an adapter ring but I've only ever seen a 130/74, never a 135/74. I guess that's Italian machismo for you.