I'm setting out on a big ride on Thursday taking in a route from St. Malo to Paris, then up to Le Havre.
I'd always considered Northern France to be quite flat, but then I've only ever done it on a motorbike. However, looking at the route a member of our group has planned there seems to be a little more overall climbing involved than I thought.
Basically I'm running a 12-25 cassette (34/50 on the front). I always used to use 12-27 but rarely found myself using "granny gear". I'm wondering if I should swap back or whether it's unnecessary. I know I can get up an 18% gradient with what I have (although admittedly, not terribly fast!). Based on that, should I be ok in northern france (ie are the gradients generally less steep), or is it worth throwing a 12-27 back on?
My knees thank you in advance!
I'd always considered Northern France to be quite flat, but then I've only ever done it on a motorbike. However, looking at the route a member of our group has planned there seems to be a little more overall climbing involved than I thought.
Basically I'm running a 12-25 cassette (34/50 on the front). I always used to use 12-27 but rarely found myself using "granny gear". I'm wondering if I should swap back or whether it's unnecessary. I know I can get up an 18% gradient with what I have (although admittedly, not terribly fast!). Based on that, should I be ok in northern france (ie are the gradients generally less steep), or is it worth throwing a 12-27 back on?
My knees thank you in advance!