swee'pea99
Legendary Member
Chatting to a (younger) friend over a pint, and he insisted that if I insisted that going from ten to 14 had been a great move, having 27 (as he does) must be better. I disagreed.
Admittedly I've never tried 27 gears.
Going from 10-speed to 14 made a big difference. With a five speed rear block, you have one so low it's only of use going up hills, one so high you hardly ever use it (much less need it) leaving effectively only three for regular riding. Going up to seven increases those 'riding' gears from three to five, which importantly means you get genuinely good progression from one to the next in that crucial mid-range, not big gaps that make it difficult to maintain cadence.
So surely going to 9 - ie, seven 'riding gears' - at the back would be better still?
I'm not so sure. Seems to me that just means smaller increments, and the one time I did ride a bike with one tooth increments, I found the gaps just too small. I think two-tooth increments gives you just the right gap for any kind of 'normal' riding. Hence a 7-speed block is the mummy bear solution - 'just right'.
Needless to say, I'm talking racers here - I guess off-road is a whole different thing, granny rings and all.
Admittedly I've never tried 27 gears.
Going from 10-speed to 14 made a big difference. With a five speed rear block, you have one so low it's only of use going up hills, one so high you hardly ever use it (much less need it) leaving effectively only three for regular riding. Going up to seven increases those 'riding' gears from three to five, which importantly means you get genuinely good progression from one to the next in that crucial mid-range, not big gaps that make it difficult to maintain cadence.
So surely going to 9 - ie, seven 'riding gears' - at the back would be better still?
I'm not so sure. Seems to me that just means smaller increments, and the one time I did ride a bike with one tooth increments, I found the gaps just too small. I think two-tooth increments gives you just the right gap for any kind of 'normal' riding. Hence a 7-speed block is the mummy bear solution - 'just right'.
Needless to say, I'm talking racers here - I guess off-road is a whole different thing, granny rings and all.