Newbie Question

[Kevin Alexander]

Hi Guys

Newbie question here but if you are wanting a better range of gears for climbing what cassette should you be looking for?

Totally new to the techy side of road bikes.

Thanks

 

[bpsmith]

That totally depends on what you presently have and how much extra that you need.

Post back with what bike you have, whether still standard or not or just count the teeth on your current cassette.

Then we can all give advice on what may be required.

 

[bpsmith]

Count the teeth on just the biggest and smallest rear cogs btw.

 

[Cyclist33]

32 on the back will get you most places.

 

[bpsmith]

32 would usually mean a new derailleur, where a 30 or 28 would not. Depending on present setup.

 

[Kevin Alexander]

I will be riding a Bianchi Nirone Xenon 7, but I am looking for general information, i.e. how to know what would be good for climbing or not ideal

Frame:
VIA Nirone 7 ALU 6061

Fork:
Alu Carbon-Kevlar C2C – 28" – 1.1/8 300mm ss46mm

Front Derailleur:
Campagnolo Veloce, clip-on 35 mm

Rear Derailleur:
Campagnolo Xenon 10s

Number of Gears:
20

Shifters:
Campagnolo Xenon QS/Escape 10s Ergopower shifting levers

Chainset:
Fas Vero Compact, Forged AL6061

Chainrings:
50/34T

Bottom Bracket:
Fas JIS 68-103mm

Cassette:
Primato 10sp 12-25T

Chain:
Fas Team Issue 10sp, 110 link

Pedals:
Not Supplied

Brakeset:
Reparto Corse Alloy Dual-Pivot caliper

Handlebars:
Reparto Corse Compact, Flat Top, alloy 6061 diam. 31,8mm, reach: 126mm, drop: 77mm, black

Stem:
Reparto Corse Alloy 6061, Oversize, 1 1/8"

Headset:
Fas NO.8B/ZS4D 1-1/8" Semi-Integrated lower + Integrated upper

Grips:
La Spirale Ribbon cork + new plug carbon look with Bianchi logo

Rims:
Reparto Corse Road Runner 700C – Aluminium 6063T6; CNC sides walls

Front Hub:
Racing 28H Black Anodized with Alloy QR

Rear Hub:
Alloy 28H black anodized, two sealed bearing, steel body; with QR

Spokes:
Inox 2mm – Black

Front Tyre:
Hutchinson Equinox 2 700 × 23, 66TPI, Dual compound

Rear Tyre:
Hutchinson Equinox 2 700 × 23, 66TPI, Dual compound

Tubes:
Hutchinson 19/23-622 Valve 48mm

Saddle:
San Marco Era Start Power, steel rail, cover SYNTEX, length/wide277x145

Seatpost:
Reparto Corse 6061-T6 alloy shaft, 6061 forged alloy head, 15mm offset, L350mm, 31,6mm

Seat Binder:
AL 6061-T6 34.9mm

Accessories:
Alloy black Bottle Cage, Celeste Water Bottle

Weight:
Not Specified

 

[bpsmith]

So you will have 34 at front and 25 at rear as your lowest gear. Now it depends on ability tbh.

I originally had a 12:30 on my Defy 1. Upgraded to an 11:28 cassette when I bought new wheels as wanted the higher 11 tooth compared to the lower 30. I don't tend to use the 28 very much at all, unless knackered and on pretty steep hills. Next lowest is 25, which is the lowest I normally use.

 

[Kevin Alexander]

Hi Bg

I think thats where my knowledge fails as you are mentioning different numbers but I don't know which is easiest for climbing, is it the highest number or teeth or the lower

 

[bpsmith]

No worries. The easiest gear is the smallest front chainring and the biggest rear sprocket.

 

[Kevin Alexander]

Thanks BG - I tried to google it but couldn't word the question right.

 

[bpsmith]

For simplicity, if you try pedalling with a 34 tooth front and a 25 tooth rear, you will turn the rear wheel 1.36 times for every full turn of the crank arm or pedals.

If you use the same 34 tooth on front but a 12 on the rear then your wheel turns 2.83 turns per turn of the crank.

It basically means you will travel just over twice as far per turn of the crank. The downside? It requires twice the effort!

 

[Kevin Alexander]

Yeah that is what I was looking at finding out as I want to try and do more climbs but at the moment my cannondale seems to restrict me, or maybe I just need to work on my stamina and strength more haha

 

[bpsmith]

Stamina is very different to Strength. You need to pedal faster in a lower gear (higher cadence) to build your stamina and pedal slower in a higher gear (lower cadence) to build strength.

Gearing is only part of the equation though. It really depends on how good the bike is at getting the power from the crank to the wheels and how much the bike and wheels weigh is a big factor too.

 

[Kevin Alexander]

How do you tell how good the bike is at getting power from crank to wheels?

Please don't tell me a power metre as the missus will kill me if I spend more money on bike equipment, only just bought the bianchi

 

[bpsmith]

This is very difficult to explain or calculate tbh. It's more about the feeling of responsiveness.

Gernerally a stiffer frame will help. Lighter wheels also help a lot. The correct fitting is very important. It's all about being efficient.