gearing help !
Discussion
help !
Approaching 50, not had a road bike for 30 years..... had specialised mountain bikes in between, so been biking for years to reasonable fitness levels.
Bought a Trek Domane road bike this summer....however, I live in Yorkshire, Great rides, but blooming hilly.......struggling to get to grips with the shimano gearset with only two front rings (sprockets, mountain bike has 3). It was so bad last weekend, that I had to get off and push up a very steep hill........on my mountain bike the previous week I'd just got into granny gear and ground it up slowly.
Best mate (aka wife) says I need to get fitter, but this is no fun presently on the road bike.
Any advice on changing front sprockets? I've thought about adding a third sprocket to the chain set at the front, but this would require a new front changer, and possibly handlebar levers or swapping the smaller front sprocket for one the same size as my mountain bike (as I know I can get up the hills on these).
Appreciate anyone's viewpoint on the topic as I'm a bit at a loss and really want to be on the road bike through winter.
Thanks for reading.
chris
Approaching 50, not had a road bike for 30 years..... had specialised mountain bikes in between, so been biking for years to reasonable fitness levels.
Bought a Trek Domane road bike this summer....however, I live in Yorkshire, Great rides, but blooming hilly.......struggling to get to grips with the shimano gearset with only two front rings (sprockets, mountain bike has 3). It was so bad last weekend, that I had to get off and push up a very steep hill........on my mountain bike the previous week I'd just got into granny gear and ground it up slowly.
Best mate (aka wife) says I need to get fitter, but this is no fun presently on the road bike.
Any advice on changing front sprockets? I've thought about adding a third sprocket to the chain set at the front, but this would require a new front changer, and possibly handlebar levers or swapping the smaller front sprocket for one the same size as my mountain bike (as I know I can get up the hills on these).
Appreciate anyone's viewpoint on the topic as I'm a bit at a loss and really want to be on the road bike through winter.
Thanks for reading.
chris
What front chainrings & rear cassette do you currently have on the bike? As an example, could be 50/34 on the front & 12-28 on the back.
A new rear cassette with a larger biggest cog eg 11-32 or 11-34 could be an easy way to make life easier on the hills. However, you can then start to push the spec' limits on rear derailleurs (depending on what's fitted now). Shimano are known for being conservative with their limits though.
A new rear cassette with a larger biggest cog eg 11-32 or 11-34 could be an easy way to make life easier on the hills. However, you can then start to push the spec' limits on rear derailleurs (depending on what's fitted now). Shimano are known for being conservative with their limits though.
Edited by Harpoon on Thursday 9th September 22:10
Need to know what your current set up is.
Im near Settle and older than you.
I have fitted Ultegra 11-34 cassettes to my road bikes which I find works better for me.
They have a better spread compared to standard cassettes more like MTB ratios.
Mind you I still get off and push sometimes Malham Cove for example.
Im near Settle and older than you.
I have fitted Ultegra 11-34 cassettes to my road bikes which I find works better for me.
They have a better spread compared to standard cassettes more like MTB ratios.
Mind you I still get off and push sometimes Malham Cove for example.
Your best mate is on the money
If you havent ridden in years it will be tough, no doubt
On the other hand as above what gearing does your bike actually have?
Im broadly your age and as I get older add extra teeth to my rear cassette
It was 23T when I wore tight jeans and is currently 30 but I imagine will be a 32 next year and a 34 sometime after which is probably the point at which I'll buy an ebike
Your bike 'probably' has a 50/34 on the front although some of the pricier/pro-spec/look-at-me Treks run a 36 front ring
Honestly 2 at the front is all you need, triples used to be the thing but were retired over a decade ago on road as well as MTB
If you're not shy tell us the exact model of your bike and we can check gearing online
Again as mentioned above 30T on the back you *may* need a new rear mech/clanger/derailleur
Cheers, and welcome on board
Domane has 50/34 and 11*34 cassette. That's pretty low gearing. There is no shame in walking up steep hills. Some stuff is just too steep.
I don't think you can fit a grx 46/30 crank as I looked this up for my Domane. You could fit an 11*40 cassette which unofficially works with a Shimano GS rear derailleur.
I don't think you can fit a grx 46/30 crank as I looked this up for my Domane. You could fit an 11*40 cassette which unofficially works with a Shimano GS rear derailleur.
Pando99 said:
I think practice is your best bet as you already have a big cassette.
I'm 50 and my 10 year old Allez sport has an 11-25 and that gets me up everything.
However i am near crying some times
More miles will make it easier...... or should i say, it won't get easier you just get faster
11-25 and you don't struggle. Wow where do you live, Holland!I'm 50 and my 10 year old Allez sport has an 11-25 and that gets me up everything.
However i am near crying some times
More miles will make it easier...... or should i say, it won't get easier you just get faster
I live near Sunrise and Edge hill (south warwickshire) and last year i struggled with an 11-28. Bought a new bike and asked for an 11-32 to be fitted to make my JoGLE easier and on some 16+% i'm still peddling squares.
Similar to you but I am 61 and re-started riding about 5 years ago using an old non-sus MTB with 3*8. Graduated to a Giant Rapid 3 years ago which was chosen because of the gearing (another 3*8 - Claris, not as low as the MTB but 50t large ring at the front but lowest gear is 34/34). I didn't use the very low gears on the MTB so I knew it would get my up the hills as most of the cycling before lockdown was around the Office (Romsley in Worcestershire so hilly - E.g. Winwood Heath Road, St Kenelms Pass and I could not avoid the climbs as the office is on top of the hill).
My muscles continue to improve so now looking to get a 2*11 which again won't have the low gears the Rapid has but I can handle the hills better than I could 3 years ago and now more of my cycling is near home (Cannock Chase) so the hills are generally not as steep but longer (one lunchtime loop climbs 250m in 18km).
Your mate is right - but you need the right gearing to achieve it - look for an 11-34 rear cassette but it may need a long cage derailleur to cope with it.
Edit - I see you have a 11-34 now, pick routes that avoid the steepest hills for a while?
My muscles continue to improve so now looking to get a 2*11 which again won't have the low gears the Rapid has but I can handle the hills better than I could 3 years ago and now more of my cycling is near home (Cannock Chase) so the hills are generally not as steep but longer (one lunchtime loop climbs 250m in 18km).
Your mate is right - but you need the right gearing to achieve it - look for an 11-34 rear cassette but it may need a long cage derailleur to cope with it.
Edit - I see you have a 11-34 now, pick routes that avoid the steepest hills for a while?
Edited by IJWS15 on Friday 10th September 08:33
Have you ever thought that you are trying to get up the hill too fast. Maybe you are blowing up as you haven't paced yourself at the bottom. I rode the Alps for a week a few years ago on a 34 / 46 front 11 / 32 rear set up and I rarely had to use first gear.
Try pedaling slower until you build your fitness a bit more. The speed will come. It never gets easier...you just go faster.
Try pedaling slower until you build your fitness a bit more. The speed will come. It never gets easier...you just go faster.
As others have said, have a look at your gears front and rear and tell us what you have. A lot of more recent bikes have 52/36 chainsets, which I think is a great compromise for most people. Other common road options are 53/39 (harder) and 50-34 (easier) than the 52/36.
Changing the chainset at the front will be more expensive than a cassette change at the rear, even if a bigger cassette requires a longer derailleur. I think a triple chainset might be hard to find, you would definitely need a shifter, and the front derailleur might need to move if not be changed too.
10 years ago, I was riding an Italian Olmo bike which had 53/39 at the front and 12-25 at the rear. My mates who were on 50/34 would all gradually ride away from me on the climbs, they would be seated and I would be standing on the pedals hauling on the bars. Their legs would be going round faster whilst my cadence was pitifully slow. Back then I would have said I was a stronger rider, certainly did a lot more miles than them. When the cassette wore out, I changed to a 12-27, which narrowed the gap, and when that wore out, a 12-29 was a good thing.
My current bike has Ultegra with a 52/36 at the front. I think originally it was 11-28 at the back, but is now 11-32, with a long cage derailleur. I might be able to get a 34 on there, not completely sure.
I believe there are some gadgets you can get that might make a larger cassette than that work, or maybe Sram components have different limits.
Changing the chainset at the front will be more expensive than a cassette change at the rear, even if a bigger cassette requires a longer derailleur. I think a triple chainset might be hard to find, you would definitely need a shifter, and the front derailleur might need to move if not be changed too.
10 years ago, I was riding an Italian Olmo bike which had 53/39 at the front and 12-25 at the rear. My mates who were on 50/34 would all gradually ride away from me on the climbs, they would be seated and I would be standing on the pedals hauling on the bars. Their legs would be going round faster whilst my cadence was pitifully slow. Back then I would have said I was a stronger rider, certainly did a lot more miles than them. When the cassette wore out, I changed to a 12-27, which narrowed the gap, and when that wore out, a 12-29 was a good thing.
My current bike has Ultegra with a 52/36 at the front. I think originally it was 11-28 at the back, but is now 11-32, with a long cage derailleur. I might be able to get a 34 on there, not completely sure.
I believe there are some gadgets you can get that might make a larger cassette than that work, or maybe Sram components have different limits.
Lots of good comments on gearing. Not enough on just how hard Yorkshire can be!
no mountain biker but you mentioned a triple which is quite rare now - that probably goes very low?
Also had to get off of my gravel bike (near 1x gearing differential) on Malham Cove this summer. Any of the below will feel like murder, on a 34x34 or whatever.
I found accidentally piling on the 15, 20, 25% lumps far more painful round the dales and moors than doing bigger heights on a less steep Pyrenees mountain.
https://www.godsowncounty.co.uk/yorkshire-dales/st...
Crumbs, Chief!
This brings back memories of riding out from Ripon on a big lump of a 1990s Falcon Pro-Line (Reynolds cromoly) steel framed road bike.
Back then I didn't know any better, so just accepted that 53/39 x 13-23 were the gears I had. Damn, I struggled up there too. Then I hit 40 and treated myself to a 2010 Merida Road-Race 905 which had a 50/34 chainset and I think an 11-25 tooth cassette. Bliss! But by this time I was in Essex, near the borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, and regularly headed up to the fens around Ely.
Thinking about it, I really should have had those bikes the other way around...
Now, at 51 years old, I ride a Trek Emonda with 50/34 and an 11-28 tooth cassette. I haven't met anything down south (Dorset, Wiltshire and Hampshire mainly) that I can't get up on it, but I've been close to stepping off and walking it up a couple of times. I had a bash at a century in Derbyshire a few weekends ago too. Again I managed to ride up everything that had tarmac on it but had to walk a couple of footpaths and bridleways (I was "collecting" VeloViewer tiles - don't ask
)
This brings back memories of riding out from Ripon on a big lump of a 1990s Falcon Pro-Line (Reynolds cromoly) steel framed road bike.
Back then I didn't know any better, so just accepted that 53/39 x 13-23 were the gears I had. Damn, I struggled up there too. Then I hit 40 and treated myself to a 2010 Merida Road-Race 905 which had a 50/34 chainset and I think an 11-25 tooth cassette. Bliss! But by this time I was in Essex, near the borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, and regularly headed up to the fens around Ely.
Thinking about it, I really should have had those bikes the other way around...
Now, at 51 years old, I ride a Trek Emonda with 50/34 and an 11-28 tooth cassette. I haven't met anything down south (Dorset, Wiltshire and Hampshire mainly) that I can't get up on it, but I've been close to stepping off and walking it up a couple of times. I had a bash at a century in Derbyshire a few weekends ago too. Again I managed to ride up everything that had tarmac on it but had to walk a couple of footpaths and bridleways (I was "collecting" VeloViewer tiles - don't ask
)Edited by yellowjack on Saturday 11th September 02:17
Thanks for the advice and suggestions so far.
Re--cap, I'd like to get similar gearing to enable me to climb easier in Yorkshire.
My mountain bike (specialised-11 year old) has the following Shimano Deore XT:-
Front big ring 44 teeth; Middle 32t; Small 22t
Rear derailleur 11t; 13t; 15t; 17t; 20t; 23t; 26t; 30t; 34t
My new road bike Trek Domane AL3 D SN22(which I'm really struggling to climb hills that I can do relatively easily on my mountain bike) as follows:-
Shimano Sora
Front big ring 50teeth; smaller ring 34 teeth
Rear derailleur 11teeth; 12t; 14t; 16t; 18t; 21t; 24t; 28t; 32t
Any help, Great fully received.
Chris
Re--cap, I'd like to get similar gearing to enable me to climb easier in Yorkshire.
My mountain bike (specialised-11 year old) has the following Shimano Deore XT:-
Front big ring 44 teeth; Middle 32t; Small 22t
Rear derailleur 11t; 13t; 15t; 17t; 20t; 23t; 26t; 30t; 34t
My new road bike Trek Domane AL3 D SN22(which I'm really struggling to climb hills that I can do relatively easily on my mountain bike) as follows:-
Shimano Sora
Front big ring 50teeth; smaller ring 34 teeth
Rear derailleur 11teeth; 12t; 14t; 16t; 18t; 21t; 24t; 28t; 32t
Any help, Great fully received.
Chris
You could spin up Everest on a 22x34 on your MTB. Not quickly but you'd get up it...
I'd expect you could swap to a 34T cassette without to much hassle with the rear mech & chain length but it's probably not going to make a hugh difference and suddenly have you getting up steep hills without breaking sweat. Though having written that, can you get an 8 speed cassette that goes up to a 34T?
Other options I can think of are going to start costing a fair few quid. For instance, mullet drivetrains using an MTB rear mech & cassette can give up a much bigger range but you've got to figure out shifter compatibility etc and find the parts (which ìf in stock, aren't cheap at the moment). Potential extra cost of you need to pay somebody to fit it all - you could be well into the hundreds of pounds.
I'd expect you could swap to a 34T cassette without to much hassle with the rear mech & chain length but it's probably not going to make a hugh difference and suddenly have you getting up steep hills without breaking sweat. Though having written that, can you get an 8 speed cassette that goes up to a 34T?
Other options I can think of are going to start costing a fair few quid. For instance, mullet drivetrains using an MTB rear mech & cassette can give up a much bigger range but you've got to figure out shifter compatibility etc and find the parts (which ìf in stock, aren't cheap at the moment). Potential extra cost of you need to pay somebody to fit it all - you could be well into the hundreds of pounds.
TheDrownedApe said:
11-25 and you don't struggle. Wow where do you live, Holland!
I live near Sunrise and Edge hill (south warwickshire) and last year i struggled with an 11-28. Bought a new bike and asked for an 11-32 to be fitted to make my JoGLE easier and on some 16+% i'm still peddling squares.
Aberdeenshire with hills everywhere, i guess its just what you get used to and have never had more to pick from.I live near Sunrise and Edge hill (south warwickshire) and last year i struggled with an 11-28. Bought a new bike and asked for an 11-32 to be fitted to make my JoGLE easier and on some 16+% i'm still peddling squares.
Also lucky to be tall and slim
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/cassette-9-speed-11x...
This will work with your current rear derailleur. You could fit a new slightly longer chain. Or just don't ride big big cross chain otherwise you'll knacker the rear derailleur.
This will work with your current rear derailleur. You could fit a new slightly longer chain. Or just don't ride big big cross chain otherwise you'll knacker the rear derailleur.
There's a third element to gearing, which hasn't been mentioned yet, although it's a smaller factor than the front and rear chain rings. Tyre size will make a difference.
On 1:1 gearing, (like 34 front, 34 back) a 23c rear tyre will see you at 7 mph when pedalling at 90rpm. A 35c rear will see you doing 7.3 mph.
Just something to keep in mind. I wouldn't advocate intentionally choosing smaller tyres to make it slightly easier, but something to keep in mind if you are (for instance) putting road tyres on a CX bike or whatever.
On 1:1 gearing, (like 34 front, 34 back) a 23c rear tyre will see you at 7 mph when pedalling at 90rpm. A 35c rear will see you doing 7.3 mph.
Just something to keep in mind. I wouldn't advocate intentionally choosing smaller tyres to make it slightly easier, but something to keep in mind if you are (for instance) putting road tyres on a CX bike or whatever.
I have a far eastern Gearoop cassette expander which cost £30 - it's essentially a light alloy big ring which converts a 11-32 cassette to 12-36 by removing the smallest cog and adding the extra big ring. Not sure if it's still available or in 9-speed - mine was for 11-speed. Not the most durable device and as others have noted it may cause derailleur issues and you'll likely need to add 2, if not 4, links to the chain.
Don't know if it fits Sora, but Absolute Black sell special 46/30 oval chainring pair for Ultegra cranks. Not at all cheap at £150+ for the pair and you can't fit the 30 on its own as it sort of hangs off the 46.
Don't know if it fits Sora, but Absolute Black sell special 46/30 oval chainring pair for Ultegra cranks. Not at all cheap at £150+ for the pair and you can't fit the 30 on its own as it sort of hangs off the 46.
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