ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
Er, I mentioned gusty hills in post #58 ...
I climbed the ghastly thing below into a 20 mph wind once and it almost killed me!
Granny gears
- Thread starter Chris S
- Start date
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I climbed the ghastly thing below into a 20 mph wind once and it almost killed me!
Paladin - York
New Member
- Location
- York
Davidc's last two sentences are of course bang on.
A bike should really be "tailored" to suit the individual & the role the bike is expected to meet. Appologies for stating the obvious and one man's meat etc.
In the USA, Adventure Cycling, we were weaned on "gear inches" which "commonised" all the chainsets & cassettes. For example, and again I apologise if I am stating the already well known (Aberal), we were advised that for steep hills (whatever they are), we should be looking at 20 - 25 gear inches. I wanted a steep hill bike (or a Blackpool sea-breeze bike), I'm like some other CCer in that anything that assists anno dominii is welcome, so my current chainset is 42/32/22 & my cassette is 32/?. Divide the small front ie 22 by the large rear ie 32 & multiply by the wheel diameter, in my case 26". My gear inches are therefore 17.9. This is actually below the steep hill gear inch range recommended. This suits me fine as I was told this bike can climb walls - not quite, but it is useful on the steeper grads. However, I will not be breaking any flat or downhill speed records.
As a matter of interest (maybe!) for medium hills approx 40 gi, flats approx 70 gi, downhills approx 100gi. Also, a gear inch is the distance travelled in one pedalled revolution.
I noticed that Aberal's gear inches are 31.7 quoted. This would be too difficult for me.
Hope I don't live to regret doing this post - thanks for bearing up with me.
A bike should really be "tailored" to suit the individual & the role the bike is expected to meet. Appologies for stating the obvious and one man's meat etc.
In the USA, Adventure Cycling, we were weaned on "gear inches" which "commonised" all the chainsets & cassettes. For example, and again I apologise if I am stating the already well known (Aberal), we were advised that for steep hills (whatever they are), we should be looking at 20 - 25 gear inches. I wanted a steep hill bike (or a Blackpool sea-breeze bike), I'm like some other CCer in that anything that assists anno dominii is welcome, so my current chainset is 42/32/22 & my cassette is 32/?. Divide the small front ie 22 by the large rear ie 32 & multiply by the wheel diameter, in my case 26". My gear inches are therefore 17.9. This is actually below the steep hill gear inch range recommended. This suits me fine as I was told this bike can climb walls - not quite, but it is useful on the steeper grads. However, I will not be breaking any flat or downhill speed records.
As a matter of interest (maybe!) for medium hills approx 40 gi, flats approx 70 gi, downhills approx 100gi. Also, a gear inch is the distance travelled in one pedalled revolution.
I noticed that Aberal's gear inches are 31.7 quoted. This would be too difficult for me.
Hope I don't live to regret doing this post - thanks for bearing up with me.
I've come across a few cyclists who complain their bottom gear is too high. I have yet to find one who complained about it being too low!
Having said that, there are times if I've been on a long ride where I get of and walk, even though I could climb the hill because sometimes it's nice just to stretch the legs and have a change of pace.
Having said that, there are times if I've been on a long ride where I get of and walk, even though I could climb the hill because sometimes it's nice just to stretch the legs and have a change of pace.
XmisterIS
Purveyor of fine nonsense
The granny gears on a mountain bike are essential! Not so much on a road bike.
david1701
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Bude, Cornwall
I climbed a 1 in 5 today, 30-32 isn't that low really
Fab Foodie
hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
- Location
- Kirton, Devon.
I'm gonna use this phrase again:
'There is too much macho bullshit written about gearing .... '
Who really gives a toss what gears other people use to get them up hills? There's no prizes for running x'y or z gearing, just run what works for you. There are as has been discussed various pro's and con's of different set-ups but if 28x32 floats your boat then twiddle away with pride.
Here's the rub though; Go sit atop Ditchling Beacon on L2B day and watch who rides over the top and who's pushing. There are a lot of racy roadies walking while Croydon office girls on their Apollo hybrids and shopping bikes with cheap Megarange cassettes serenly pedal on by....
My own prejudices:
Gearing-wise is either fixed or a triple, other set-ups I find too compromised.
Whatever Paul Smith at Corridori says is probably correct.
Agree with MacB, most bikes are over geared not undergeared (I've only spun-out my 52x11 top gear on Ventoux overtaking a pick-up truck at 50mph).
'There is too much macho bullshit written about gearing .... '
Who really gives a toss what gears other people use to get them up hills? There's no prizes for running x'y or z gearing, just run what works for you. There are as has been discussed various pro's and con's of different set-ups but if 28x32 floats your boat then twiddle away with pride.
Here's the rub though; Go sit atop Ditchling Beacon on L2B day and watch who rides over the top and who's pushing. There are a lot of racy roadies walking while Croydon office girls on their Apollo hybrids and shopping bikes with cheap Megarange cassettes serenly pedal on by....
My own prejudices:
Gearing-wise is either fixed or a triple, other set-ups I find too compromised.
Whatever Paul Smith at Corridori says is probably correct.
Agree with MacB, most bikes are over geared not undergeared (I've only spun-out my 52x11 top gear on Ventoux overtaking a pick-up truck at 50mph).
mcshroom
Bionic Subsonic
- Location
- Egremont, Cumbria
I've got a 28x32 on my main bike and a 28x34 on my hybrid. At the end of a long day then just spinning up a hill with little resistance can be very relaxing.
I could put higher gears on the bike but crawling up a hill at walking pace and not pushing is far more fulfilling for me than walking. Oh and I'm thinking of gearing down to a 22x32 on the tourer for a camping trip in Scotland at the end of the month.
I could put higher gears on the bike but crawling up a hill at walking pace and not pushing is far more fulfilling for me than walking. Oh and I'm thinking of gearing down to a 22x32 on the tourer for a camping trip in Scotland at the end of the month.
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
Might not be much call for 'em in 'aamshur! but they they do have their uses in Yorkshur!
... and Cornwall!
mcshroom
Bionic Subsonic
- Location
- Egremont, Cumbria
Might not be much call for 'em in 'aamshur! but they they do have their uses in Yorkshur!
... and Cornwall!
... and Cumbria: -
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
I'll definitely be using a triple when I finally get round to doing my cycling holiday in Cumbria!... and Cumbria: -
david k
Hi
- Location
- North West
tuff in cumbria, been there quite a few times, never cycling hough
PpPete
Legendary Member
- Location
- Chandler's Ford
You should - I only cycled there for the first time last year, after 4 decades of going just for walking and rock-climbing. It is just fantastic.
I had absolutely no regrets about my exceptionally low gearing: 50/38/26 front and 12/30 cassette, but even with that I couldn't get up some of the hills.
Bodhbh
Guru
Re: walking vs cycling. Even bottoming out the gears on my tourer with 22-34 I'm probably still doing 3mph or so. If you get off and walk it's liable to be approx 2mph pushing a bike up the hill. Also it gets very tiring very quickly pushing a heavy bike up a hill, using all sorts of muscles that don't normally see any action...at least the cycling muscles are generally up to the job. But I can appriciate some might like a change!
GrumpyGregry
Here for rides.
pushing a bike? A good walk spoilt.
Davidc
Guru
- Location
- Somerset UK
Stop thinking and do it.
If you can't get up a hill with that (it's what I have on mine) then you've met your match so walk!
My maximum 'tour' for the past 7 years has been 2 days, hope yours in Scotland is longer and very enjoyable. It's the place I never got to for a cycling holiday and I do regret that.
