Gearing for Alpine Touring

[iLB]

I'm in the middle of planning a 2 week, 1500 mile tour/trek/adventure from London to Romania and the route looks like it will take us over 2000m on two occasions with the inevitable lumps in the surrounding areas of these main peaks. I'd love some advice for gearing on such long, high climbs with a touring load. I'll be riding a Marin Mill Valley hybrid/flat bar road bike, which currently has a 52-40-30 triple chainset with a 12-23 cassette. I'm probably looking at either changing to a MTB triple or going for a wider range at the back, but how small a gear should I be aiming for in an ideal world?

I've just posted our initial kit list and some thoughts on my blog here http://andrewcater.wordpress.com/2013/07/23/thoughts-on-kit/ , a quick look might give you an idea of how much/little we are going to carry. I'd appreciate some feedback on sleeping arrangements as well.

Cheers,
Andy

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

With the amount (minimal) kit you are planning on and the possibility of a reoccuring knee injury, you probably want to play it as safe as possible and give yourself plenty of gears to fall back to on any of the steeper climbs, if you go for the higher & harder of your 2 routes. I personally find the steepness of the climb more of an issue that the length of the climb. I guess I would be looking at a 11-28 minimum possible even taking it into the 30 range of mountain bike gearing, just to save that possible knee injury from reoccurring which is likely to be far more terminal to the tour that having to conceed defeat and stop on a climb for a rest/push the bike if you can accept that!

I would not take the tarp & bivvy for a 2 week tour, not with a tent being available. As you mentioned with both tarp & bivvy weight savings are minimal and insect life is easier to escape from in a tent. (we have carried both, and decided against it in future.) I would also take something to sleep on this time around. Some of the exped mats are now really light (less than 1/2L of water) and very warm and warmth from below means you can have a lighter sleeping bag and nothing can make up for a bad night's sleep IME. We used an exped downmat 7 each on a 12 month tour and neither had any issues. Clothing wise, 1 set of cycling clothing (I went with longs not shorts), plus an extra layer in the way of cycling thermals (precaution and good to sleep in if needed) and waterproofs should be fine. We then had 1 set of clothes for off the bikes as well - to wear something whilst the cycling kit was washed & dried!
We aim for 2 rear panniers & a more or less empty rackpack + tent for 2 weeks touring, but we carry a stove & full first aid kit, plus additional medical supplies & food supplies because I have to take into account that one of us is allergic to all dairy products, so alternatives need to be carried.

 

[Dave Davenport]

I've ridden the Alps and Pyrenees fully loaded on a lowest gear of 26 x 27 (24"), I wouldn't have liked to do either on anything higher geared than that.
Easiest and cheapest option would seem to be to fit a 34 cassette (plus new chain) which would give you 24". Even if you change to a 22 inner chainset it would still only give you a 25" gear on the 12-23. I've assumed you'd be running 700x32 tyres on those figures and your rear mech will take a 34.

 

[Dave Davenport]

You might find this useful for working out your options.
http://cycleseven.org/bicycle-gear-inch-calculator

 

[robjh]

I've ridden the Alps and Pyrenees fully loaded on a lowest gear of 26 x 27 (24"), I wouldn't have liked to do either on anything higher geared than that.
Easiest and cheapest option would seem to be to fit a 34 cassette (plus new chain) which would give you 24". Even if you change to a 22 inner chainset it would still only give you a 25" gear on the 12-23. I've assumed you'd be running 700x32 tyres on those figures and your rear mech will take a 34.

Personally I'd go for even lower - I currently have a 22 (front) : 32 (back) mix on 26" wheels on my touring bike which gives a ridiculously low 17.7 inches, but when I'm fully laden I do use it on longer and steeper hills. If I have to spend an hour or more plodding up a mountain at 4mph then at least it saves the strength in my legs for the rest of the day. That said, I certainly travel a bit heavier than you're intending to.

I've just posted our initial kit list and some thoughts on my blog here http://andrewcater.wordpress.com/2013/07/23/thoughts-on-kit/ , a quick look might give you an idea of how much/little we are going to carry.

On your gear front, I would think that if you intend to be camping all the way then you will want to be able to shop and eat en route, so even if you decide you can do without a stove for hot food, I'd take at least a penknife, spoon and light plate or bowl. And why a pillow? Your spare set of clothes will give you that. And I would certainly want 1 change of cycling gear, having to wash + dry it overnight may not always be that practical.

In my opinion you could get away with a bivi+tarp for 2 weeks, but bear in mind it could start feeling pretty miserable after a few days of rain.

 

[Dave Davenport]

Wouldn't have thought you'd save much weight using a bivi & tarp over a small tent and if you're planning on using campsites at all you'd be a bit exposed.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Yebbut you're young fit and good looking so little point in asking the rest of us. I'd go full mtb gearing if poss with a 32 or 34 cassette with 22-32-44 if for no other reason that if you are riding with others lower gears can be more sociable on the climbs as you don't have to 'bomb off up the hill'.

That said I've toured Alps, and other mountain ranges, credit card stylee (no camping no sir not at my age, no fear) on a 12-28 cassette and 52-40-30 without my knees exploding.

 

[rich p]

I tour with a heavy-ish load on a lowest gear of 28 x 34 but Andy is lighter loaded, lighter weight and a lot fitter and younger than me. I'd gear down to as low as practical - nobody forces you to use them if you don't need to!

 

[slowmotion]

I tour with a heavy-ish load on a lowest gear of 28 x 34 but Andy is lighter loaded, lighter weight and a lot fitter and younger than me. I'd gear down to as low as practical - nobody forces you to use them if you don't need to!

Rich, is that a 28 chainring or a 34 chainring?

 

[rich p]

Rich, is that a 28 chainring or a 34 chainring?

28 chainring!

 

[slowmotion]

Thanks.

 

[iLB]

So if I could scrape together the cash for this, should do the trick nicely? What would you say it was worth though? Sub 100 miles of use I think.

 

[Gravity Aided]

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/238549-Shimano-Heirarchy
Alivio is in post #9, which is quite complete. It is near the low end of the pecking order, although I've owned a lot of 100 GS and Alivio and been happy with it. I currently run Alivio on my Touring Bike and 100GS on my hybrid/tourer. Trigger shifters always seemed a little triggy to maintain. Make sure those pedal threads are still good.

 

[asterix]

My last tour was done with a good load incl Hillberg 2 person tent, probably well over 20kg with food and water. My lowest gearing works out at 18.6 inches on a tourer weighing 12.7 kilos and it was low enough to get me up the Galibier no probs.

As regards being spartan, that's not for me. I would rather gear down rather than be miserable - a little extra weight doesn't make that much difference, does it? If you encounter mosquitoes in strength you'll be glad of a tent, anyway.

In my experience there are some very steep Alpine roads and in the Pyrennees I encountered a short 22% and a longer 19% however it is the length of climbs that can take its toll if you are not used to it. A good, smooth pedalling style helps a great deal. i do find that as the days go by I get stronger and by the end of a tour I feel much,much better than at the beginning.

 

[rich p]

Here's a picture of iLB on his overnight tour from London to Brighton on his lightly-loaded tourer