lower gears

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bygone era

Über Member
im looking at getting lower gearing on my hybrid its got a 26 36 46 front and 11 32 rear I want to go down to a 22 32 44 front and 12 36 rear for loaded touring would a long arm deore rear mech handle a 36 I have a spare acera long arm mech and my current c/set is a 9 speed deore hollowtech what would a 22 front and 34 rear give in gear inches thanks
 

Cycleops

Legendary Member
Location
Accra, Ghana
Deore should cope fine.
You can calculate your gear inches here;
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/gear-calc.html
 

I like Skol

A Minging Manc...
Don't forget to consider overall chain wrap into your calculations! While a given mech may be able to cope with the 36T rear sprocket you are intending to fit, can it manage the amount of chain slack? You will have 22-44 at the front (+22) as well as 12-36 at the back (+24) so will need a mech that has 46T capacity.
 

T4tomo

Guru
22F 36R is at or past the limit of being useful, even for loaded touring, you will struggle to keep the bike upright at the speeds you'll be putting out. It's a gear of 16 or 18 inch depending on wheel size. Passing tortoises will offer you a ride.

I'd suggest leaving the front alone and change to a 12-36 sprocket and try that.
 
OP
OP
B

bygone era

Über Member
22F 36R is at or past the limit of being useful, even for loaded touring, you will struggle to keep the bike upright at the speeds you'll be putting out. It's a gear of 16 or 18 inch depending on wheel size. Passing tortoises will offer you a ride.

I'd suggest leaving the front alone and change to a 12-36 sprocket and try that.
would a deore long arm take a36 rear the guys at the giant store in Lincoln said the mech can only handle up to a 34
 

KneesUp

Guru
I had 44/32/22 12-32 on one of my bikes and 22/32 was perfectly ride-able - that was a 17" gear. I had an Acera long-cage mech and it was totally fine. 22/36 might be lower than you would use for reasons @T4tomo states.

Calculate your gear inches here - http://cycleseven.org/bicycle-gear-inch-calculator

If you google the exact model of derailleur you have, you will be able to find it's capacity.
 

si_c

Guru
Location
Wirral
I'd say you'll probably be OK with a 36t instead of the 34 - the bottom of the cassette will be about 4mm lower - so if you have that space left available then you should be fine - check the b-tension screw to increase this if needed.

I'd just avoid putting the chain in large large if possible. For reference I've put a 36t cassette onto a bike with a max 34t (Sora 9speed dual) rear derailleur with no problems.
 

raleighnut

Legendary Member
22F 36R is at or past the limit of being useful, even for loaded touring, you will struggle to keep the bike upright at the speeds you'll be putting out. It's a gear of 16 or 18 inch depending on wheel size. Passing tortoises will offer you a ride.

I'd suggest leaving the front alone and change to a 12-36 sprocket and try that.
I'd do it the other way round, change the front to the smaller Deore but leave the rear alone for 'tighter' ratios.
 

RobinS

Veteran
Location
Norwich
After multiple fully loaded crossings of the Alps and Pyrenees I decided on 22/32/44 and 12-34 on a tourer with 700c wheels. the 22-34 gives me a gear as low as I would ever want - I can ride at down to 4kph - slower than getting off and pushing! A gear lower than that would be useless.
 
Location
Loch side.
I had 44/32/22 12-32 on one of my bikes and 22/32 was perfectly ride-able - that was a 17" gear. I had an Acera long-cage mech and it was totally fine. 22/36 might be lower than you would use for reasons @T4tomo states.

Calculate your gear inches here - http://cycleseven.org/bicycle-gear-inch-calculator

If you google the exact model of derailleur you have, you will be able to find it's capacity.

It is not just about the size, but the deraileur's capacity, as was pointed out to you. To understand capacity, do a search on here, it has been discussed and explained. All deraileurs have their capacity published. You can google that too.

Also, as pointed out, it is a pointless exercise. You will fall over at such speeds. It is best to develop some aerobic capacity and strength or just walk when you have to.
 

Aravis

Putrid Donut
Location
Gloucester
I'd do it the other way round, change the front to the smaller Deore but leave the rear alone for 'tighter' ratios.
When I renewed my transmission last year I did a kind of inversion. I found I could no longer easily get the 8-speed 12-32 cassette which had worked well with 48/38/28 rings, and replaced it with an 11-30. Alongside 42/32/24 rings the effect was exactly what I was looking for.

The new chainset came with a 22 inner, which lasted precisely one ride before being swapped for a 24, giving a much better progression when moving between the bottom two rings. Something else to consider when plotting ratios. The bottom gear - about 21½ inches in old money - gets used very rarely but I do like having it there.

I hesitate so say that a particular gear is too low to be useful. I know I used to be very sniffy about triples, but advancing years have taught me otherwise. I'd like to apologise on behalf of my 25 year old self.
 

RobinS

Veteran
Location
Norwich
One thing to consider when deciding what the lowest gear you want is your comfortable cycling cadence. For example, My wife and I ride the same routes, with similar loads - but her lowest gear is considerably higher than mine - not because she is fitter or stronger, but she comfortably pedals at 50-60 rpm, while I am more comfortable at 75-85, this makes a big difference.
 
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