Using a double, coming from a triple

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What, you mean starting in a low gear and then shifting up? That's not 'using them like a car', that's just using them effectively.

or you could just start in 50/18 and push the pedals....
 
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Kookas

Kookas

Über Member
Location
Exeter
I'm not really interested in arguing the merits of sprinting from lights with regard to safety, just that I did it on my triple and am interested in finding out how to achieve the same on my double.
 
I'm not really interested in arguing the merits of sprinting from lights with regard to safety, just that I did it on my triple and am interested in finding out how to achieve the same on my double.

As I said, just find a gear which you can accelerate up to 20 from a standstill and use that. Assuming you are a competent cyclist and can ride safely in a straight line, that is by far the quickest and most practical method.
 
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Kookas

Kookas

Über Member
Location
Exeter
As I said, just find a gear which you can accelerate up to 20 from a standstill and use that. Assuming you are a competent cyclist and can ride safely in a straight line, that is by far the quickest and most practical method.

Fair enough. I dont know what gear combo is best to start from, so I was hoping that others who went through similar could give me a rough guide. Of course I'll figure it out on my own, but knowing what others do means I have something to build from.

I think my questions have been mostly answered though.
 

vickster

Squire
Are you starting I the flat, a hill, do you have big thighs like sir Chris? If not squats are the way to go apparently!
 

Leaway2

Lycrist
Just to complicate things, the shifters are reversed on the Cannondale (double)as to the Specialized (triple, which I use every day). It has caught me out a few times when brain in neutral.
 

slowmotion

Quite dreadful
Location
lost somewhere
Does cross-chaining really matter on a compact? I have 50/39 chainrings and a ten speed cassette. In a moment of pure geekiness, I just measured the geometry. The chainrings are about 7mm apart and the distance between the biggest and smallest sprockets on the cassette is about 38 mm. The chainstay length is 420 mm. If you do the trigonometry, the angle between the ideal chainline and the actual one is 2.1 degrees when the gearing is BIG to LITTLE. ( inverse tan 15.5/420) When the gearing is BIG to BIG the angle is 3.0 degrees from the ideal one. (inverse tan 22.5/420

Does that 0.9 degree difference really matter, or have I missed something?
 

slowmotion

Quite dreadful
Location
lost somewhere
http://www.bicyclechainrings.com/crosschaining.htmlhtml Has a little section on compacts too.

Basically it isn't so much the angle as it is the length of the chain (big-big: too short, small-small: too long) and the ability of the rear derailleur to cope. Plus small-small will cause the chain to rub the big ring.
Thanks Kookas. I appreciate that the rear mech has to cope with the change in length. I'll have to scratch my head for a while about the last point. It's a bit late for me to put on my trigonometry hat helmet:evil:
 

Dogtrousers

Kilometre nibbler
Personally I think there's a bit of snobbery here. "Oh I saw a frightful newbie riding in big-big. What a loser. All the gear and no idea etc. etc." It's probably in those Velominati rules somewhere. Personally I avoid big-big and little-little and that's it. If I ever mistakenly find myself in big-big then I change as soon as convenient, but I don't call the Samaritans about it.

That said, I've only ever ridden doubles. When riding a triple it feels like I'm sailing a full rigged-ship, with all the options. Splice the mainbrace.
 
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