Granny gears

[potsy]

All kudos to him for not getting off to push. At least he was 'aving a go...

Another +1 from me.
I do get off and walk from time to time, especially on some of the hillier forum rides, but I can now get up some of them after lowering my gearing a bit, never realised you could cycle so slowly and not fall off

 

[asterix]

Granny gears require different kinds of muscle to be most effective, muscle that can pedal fast without fatigue.

When I started touring in hilly areas, long, looooong ago, I found this out.

If you want to you can build this muscle, otherwise you can just pedal quite slowly in very low gear.

Personally I always find it harder to push a bike up bad-ass hills than to spin up 'em in low gear. Except Rosedale Chimney Bank after 60 miles.

 

[Banjo]

I think the OP answered his own question, by spinning lightly up the hill on low gears when he got to the top he still had the energy left to accelerate away straight away.

 

[phil_hg_uk]

never realised you could cycle so slowly and not fall off

neither did I until I saw it only kidding

 

[Davidc]

I use them on 'orrible 'ills so that if I do have to get off and push, at least I know I gave it my best shot and that the hill got the better of my legs, not my mind, IFYSWIM

There are plenty of those round here!

Once you get beyond your physical prime Granny Gears are an essential part of cycling. Like the OP I prefer not to get off if I can help it. I'll stay on down to 3 mph, occasionally 2.5 mph, but will get off and push below that.

My lowest gear is 22 front with 32 rear, with which I can get up most of the hills here. It lets me get up Burrington Combe in the Mendips and Blagdon Hill in the Blackdowns, which are two of the nastier beasts round here, and up some of the roads onto the Quantocks.

Just as importantly that ratio lets me go up long moderate climbs comfortably at speeds up to 5 or 6 mph, despite the effects of medical conditions and the drugs that control them.

 

[dellzeqq]

I'm impressed that people can stay upright when using these gears. Susie has trouble staying steady on a 34 inch gear, but some people are clearly getting along on something like a 20 inch gear. Chapeau!

 

[summerdays]

On my touring bike I have 48 36 26 with a 11-32 which suits me even with heavy loads.

I have the same on the front with 11-34 on the back... and yes I do use that lowest of low gears.... sometimes I think it encourages me to be lazy and not push harder ... but I like my knees and have the odd joint problems (slight hyper-mobility and slight scoliosis) so I don't want to push too hard.

 

[StuAff]

I'm impressed that people can stay upright when using these gears. Susie has trouble staying steady on a 34 inch gear, but some people are clearly getting along on something like a 20 inch gear. Chapeau!

Once or twice I've lifted a wheel in bottom gear on the Jetstream (22" or so), but it got me up Ditchling.

 

[ChristinaJL]

I'm another one who has granny gears and uses them. Same as above, I have bad knees and pushing a big gear uphill just trashes them even further. A smaller gear/faster cadence enables me to climb faster than my husband who insists on pushing a larger gear slowly, but then I guess he prefers it.

another +1 for the guy for keeping going too.

 

[Cubist]

The first time I rode a MTB challenge I ran out of gears, puff and willpower halfway up a steep off-road climb about 30 miles into the ride. I ground to a halt, got off and started to push and the cramp hit my calves like I've never known it. I was so relieved to get back on where I could pedal and work the cramp out of my calves. Since then I simply don't care how slowly I'm going- if my legs are tired it's far better to sit and spin or even twiddle in a 22-32 combo!

 

[asterix]

How true!

 

[david k]

There are plenty of those round here!

Once you get beyond your physical prime Granny Gears are an essential part of cycling. Like the OP I prefer not to get off if I can help it. I'll stay on down to 3 mph, occasionally 2.5 mph, but will get off and push below that.

My lowest gear is 22 front with 32 rear, with which I can get up most of the hills here. It lets me get up Burrington Combe in the Mendips and Blagdon Hill in the Blackdowns, which are two of the nastier beasts round here, and up some of the roads onto the Quantocks.

Just as importantly that ratio lets me go up long moderate climbs comfortably at speeds up to 5 or 6 mph, despite the effects of medical conditions and the drugs that control them.

could ave wrote this post mself, well said, meds n all

 

[Cyclopathic]

On those occasions when I'm really tired and the hill is steep I still find that I can keep pedaling up them in these very low gears. When I get down to a fast or even slow walking pace I resign myself to going slowly but surely and still find pedaling at this speed less strenuous that walking.

It occurred to me to reverse the question and ask why don't people put their carbon fibre super road bikes into the very top gear and pedal as fast as possible on descents? But then I thought better of it because it was a bit facetious of me and isn't really the same, but you get the idea.

 

[david k]

if your only goal is to cover distance in the least time possible and you think walking is quicker fine
i enjoy cycling and want to conquer it, so i stay on

 

[aberal]

I'm thinking about a new bike, specifically for sportives and long rides over lots of hills (the cotswolds on my doorstep) and some of the hills have got easier over time but not all of them, do I need: A triple chain ring? OR that 12-27 cassette just for that slightly lower gear...

There are other threads on this very subject if you do a search. It's horses for courses and really depends on your fitness level, but if you are even only moderately fit then the answer is no - you don't need a triple, but you might need a compact 34/50 at the front and look for maybe a 25 or 28 large cog at the rear. For the moderately fit a triple is only really ever needed for heavily laden touring or MTB's. Bearing in mind that a triple is typically 30 at the front the extra gears isn't really particularly useful except on mega steep bits and there are all sorts of disadvantages with the alignment of a front mech on a triple and adjusting the shifters as well as a bit of extra weight.

Having said all that - I don't agree with the sentiment of the OP. There are plenty of people who need to use or just prefer to have a triple at the front and no shame in that.