Cycling in Haworth/Oxenhope without the gears (or legs) for the job

[Ghost Donkey]

I finally took my road bike on a visit home to take on some of the lesser hills around Hawoth, Oxenehope and the surrounding area. No mountain bike gears to save me this time. Bigger hlls were left well alone. I failed miserably :-) My mate with his nice carbon fibre steed was running lower gears than me and that must be the way forward. What ratios do the locals use? I also had the indignity of being passed by a lady in full British cycling kit going down hill while I was pushing uphill. The only saving grace was being able to run up the 20% hill out of Haworth the day before when I went out on foot.

 

[Globalti]

You should be OK with a compact. Say 34 - 27.

 

[atbman]

If tha' can't ride up t'hills round there wi' 42 x 28 tha' shouldn't be posting on this forum, tha' knows.

Tha's probably one o' them riders 'oo rides fer fun and not t'pain an' sufferin'. Call thysen a cyclist!

 

[ColinJ]

When I was skinny and fit, my climbing gear round here was 39/23 or 39/26.

I am currently fat and unfit so it is 30/28!

 

[BearPear]

The lady in the British Cycling kit may have been Hannah Mayho, she lives in my village (when not in Belgium, I believe she has been home since the catastrophic collision last year). Hannah has been out and about quite a bit recently on the local roads.

 

[Ghost Donkey]

Providing I can count I'm runnning 39x26 at the bottom end . It's a double, shimano sora, on a trek 1000. At 13st 5'7"and living in a flat part off the world for the forseeable future I'm going to need something smaller. I've never changed a cassette but I always presumed it'd be easier to change the cassette at the back than mess around at the front end. Rather not have to do both for a once every four weeks trip.

 

[potsy]

I lowered my gearing once I started to ride around that area, there again I'm fat and unfit like Colin
I went 2 teeth lower on the granny ring and an extra cog at the back, hopefully soon they will only be used for emergencies

 

[Ghost Donkey]

The lady in the British Cycling kit may have been Hannah Mayho, she lives in my village (when not in Belgium, I believe she has been home since the catastrophic collision last year). Hannah has been out and about quite a bit recently on the local roads.

It may have been (just googled her picture). She was going too fast to get a look and I try not to stare at women in lycra. Either way it's good to see she's on the mend. I think I was too busy laughing/embarrassed about pushing up the hill. I wasn't planning on going up that hill, just down. My mate had a brake mechanical without telling me and didn't fancy the descent. I didn't hear him shout so ended up going down and then back up to collect him and go a different way.

I lowered my gearing once I started to ride around that area, there again I'm fat and unfit like Colin
I went 2 teeth lower on the granny ring and an extra cog at the back, hopefully soon they will only be used for emergencies

I'm fat and unfit too Seeing what's easiest I might go for a smaller chainring at the front and keep my current cassette (12 or 13-26) at the back and go for something higher, maybe 12-21, for the east midlands. I've lost two stone and am training more than ever so hope to lose more but I can't get the hill work in where I live to train for roads
around haworth.

Alternatively I could go for a triple to cover all locations (noooooooooooooooooooooooooo). The triple option for my year of bike looked generous enough to go with a 26 at the back, 52/42/30. No faffing around for me if I went for that.Still, a triple .