Gear Ratio advice

[rostyle]

Hi, not sure if this is the correct place to ask this question but here goes..

Im trying to up my riding a in order to try a sportive later in the year, my riding has mainly been MTB with a little bit of Road Riding, a few times with the club on a saturday but usually work doesn't allow that.
Getting out by myself mainly once or twice a week and usually incorporate the box Hill zig zag when I can. I notice that on the climb i feel i could do with that extra one or two gears to keep the legs spinning, something I notice from people passing me!
According to the Strava apt last time i was 9.43 for the Zig Zag Climb ( and No i wasnt walking)

At the moment I have a 53/39 fr and 12/25 rear. Is there any scope to change the cassette for something with a wider range? and is this the way to go?

Or shall I get to the Gym and do some power squats and get on with it?

Also considering a Garmin Edge 800 with cadence sensor and HRM also has ghost rider to ride against, any thoughts on this would be appreciated

Cheers Stuart

[Antloony]

I'd seriously consider getting rid on the 53/39 and putting on a 50/34 compact. That will give you far lower gears for climbing without affecting your top end speed much. If you still wanting more gears run a 27 at the back as well You could try that with your current set up but I'd say you need more help than that. Box Hill isn't that much of a climb, you'll come across far harder hills on a sportive. Hope that helps

[Sylv]

I would start with the cassette, will be cheaper and simpler. I got myself one of these, 12/28:

http://compare.ebay.co.uk/like/36059086 ... sbar&cbt=y

Which works fine with a standard Shimano rear derailleur.

(I've also got a compact crankset since last year but that's really to cope with long Alpine climbs and the local 20% hills).

I wouldn't bother with a cadence sensor - the most important is to have enough gears to cope with your preferred cadence. So if it's falling much below 80rpm on a climb like Box (quite easy to count in your head for a minute while climbing), yes you need more easy gears. I do Box at around 95rpm. It's also commonly acknowleged these days that your natural cadence is what works best for you, and you shouldn't try to force it either way (unless doing specific exercises obviously), but 80-95 is the ballpark range.

On a long sportive you will also experience less muscle fatigue if you are able to spin more on the climbs.

And I've never used the virtual training partner thingy either!

[Nick L]

I'd go for a compact if I were you. I'm a fan of my 50/34 x 11/25. But you could go for 12/28 cassette (if your rear mech will handle it), I think 39x28 is about the same gear inches as 34x25?

[rostyle]

[quote="Antloony"]I'd seriously consider getting rid on the 53/39 and putting on a 50/34 compact. That will give you far lower gears for climbing without affecting your top end speed much. If you still wanting more gears run a 27 at the back as well You could try that with your current set up but I'd say you need more help than that. Box Hill isn't that much of a climb, you'll come across far harder hills on a sportive. Hope that helps

[Andrew G]

Google CTC gear table and download it, it's an excel file.

Pop in tyre size and compare the results of various chain ring and sprocket combinations to see what is what. Depending what you run front and back will alter ratios and gaps between gears and crossovers.

It's easy to say do this or that but check what is what. A 39x27 is very close to a 34x23 for example and you may find that you don't really want lower and would rather keep the 39 inner for more usable gears than the 34 gives albeit with bigger gaps. Alternatively you may want the 34 as you are a spinner and would rather a range of lower gears.

Personally I don't like compacts as I find too many gears too low and too big gaps between them, but that's me not you. I prefer to roll than spin.

The other thing with climbing is to put more effort in rather than always change down too quickly. A lot of people change down too soon and run to their granny gears at the start of a hill giving them nowhere left to go.

[rostyle]

Just an update to firstly say thanks again for the advice and secondly I can't count!

I went with the decisicion to order a new cassette 12-28 and after struggling this weekend thought I would eventually fit it once i got back from a ride yesterday. I then discovered that I had a12-23 fitted not the 25 I thought!! Now I know why it felt like a was pushing my kneecaps out the sockets uphill and everyone else was spinning nicely.
A quick ride round the block and I felt I could climb verticals with ease
Just hope I haven't gone too far the other way..

Once again thanks for all the advice, would probably have helped if I gave the correct info at the begining

I wonder how it has helped or hindered my riding??? Fuel for the ongoing Strava addiction I guess

Stu

[mrP(Boonen)VT]

Just a heads up - new cassette = new chain.

Otherwise a used chain will wear out the new sprockets very quickly.

[rostyle]

[quote="mrP(Boonen)VT"]Just a heads up - new cassette = new chain.

Otherwise a used chain will wear out the new sprockets very quickly.

[rostyle]

Just a bit of an update on the New setup.

I know you can't beat miles on the bike to up your game and that's probably played a massive part. But since the cassette change I have managed a PB on Box Hill of 7.39 and now completed 2 sportives( a 50 mile and 70 mile) both sportives I have managed the Gold standard.

I am obviously very pleased with these results and feeling stronger than ever on the bike.

So once again thanks for the great advice all

The trouble is now I spend all my spare time on the Web looking at 'Bike Porn' for the latest carbon framed beauty that I obviously need and must have! Or is that the natural progression.....?

Cheers Stuart

[Phil H]

[quote="rostyle"]The trouble is now I spend all my spare time on the Web looking at 'Bike Porn' for the latest carbon framed beauty that I obviously need and must have! Or is that the natural progression.....?

[Fabobiker]

It also depends where you go riding: Compact is good on the Alps to make sure you get everywhere, and also to help you out when you haven't got the mileage and the strength in your legs yet.
Around here there are some short but very steep hills where a compact helps, but it depends how many time you ride those hills.
High cadence is the key to climb without producing too much lactic acid in your legs, which will just affect your climbing performance.
Possibly, it would be good to have both front crank-sets and switch them over, although it's a bit of a faff.
It also depends if you train mostly with a group or on your own: following a group with a compact, you'll realise that after a certain speed, you'll run out of gears to keep up, whether with a 53/39 and a good selection of sprockets on the back, that wouldn't happen.
A good set of wheels, it's better than a new bike with a good carbon frame but poor components ..you see lots of those combinations on the market, to keep the price reasonably low..
Hope this helps and congratulations for your achievements so far.
Cheers, Fabo