Road bike gear ratios

[Herman Toothrot]

Just wondering what sort of ratios people run?

This is a typical elevation profile for the area I ride.

totalled 427m elevation over 44km, I'm quite unfit tend to average 24kph ride a Ribble Aluminium winter training frame bike with full mudguards etc but I can't help but feel its too high geared, even for someone reasonably fit, chain set is 53/39 cassette 23-12?

Sensible to get some smaller chain rings / change cassette or are these 'normal' sensible ranges and I should just push harder?

Cheers :-)

[Disco You]

I ride 50/34 with 25-12 and 25-11 on my other bike.

39-23 is relatively high for your lowest gear, but ratios are personal. Do you feel that you're really grinding up hills and would benefit with being able to increase your cadence and spin a bit more? If so, then think about changing your cassette to a 25-12 (or perhaps lower if your dérailleur can take it) or even a compact chainset.

[Herman Toothrot]

Disco You said:

I ride 50/34 with 25-12 and 25-11 on my other bike.

39-23 is relatively high for your lowest gear, but ratios are personal. Do you feel that you're really grinding up hills and would benefit with being able to increase your cadence and spin a bit more? If so, then think about changing your cassette to a 25-12 (or perhaps lower if your dérailleur can take it) or even a compact chainset.

I end up out of the saddle on almost every climb...

The ratios you have are quite a bit lower which appeals, I didn't want to gear my bike down if I should really try and develop to be able to push what I've got - if deemed normal for a road bike. If they are seen as on the high side I'm happy to lower them :-)

My current low 1.7 high 4.4

Yours low 1.4 high 4.2

[Disco You]

Herman Toothrot said:

I end up out of the saddle on almost every climb...

The ratios you have are quite a bit lower which appeals, I didn't want to gear my bike down if I should really try and develop to be able to push what I've got - if deemed normal for a road bike. If they are seen as on the high side I'm happy to lower them :-)

My current low 1.7 high 4.4

Yours low 1.4 high 4.2

You'll probably be faster up hills on a compact then. Generally, it's a good idea to remain in the saddle and spin because it's more energy efficient and can be better for your knees.

If you're worried about the top end, then remember that 50-11 is taller than 53-12.

[richardxjr]

^ That. All my mates run compacts, 10 speed 50/34 with 28-11 cassette, lots of hills like the one in your profile, nice high cadence, sit down up anything.

[Herman Toothrot]

Disco You said:

You'll probably be faster up hills on a compact then. Generally, it's a good idea to remain in the saddle and spin because it's more energy efficient and can be better for your knees.

If you're worried about the top end, then remember that 50-11 is taller than 53-12.

Think that's decision made, high gear is not one I ever end up spinning at 90 so happy to reduce it all round. Group set is Campagnolo Veloce, I guess a new cassette maybe cheaper but its probably better to get smaller chainrings, keep closer ratios, less weight, better shifting etc?

[qureshia]

Cannondale Synapse with sram apex gears

compact at the front 50/34
With a (get this) 11-32 rear cassette

34 at the front and 32 at the back, is like ridding a mountain bike triple
I can sit down and spin up most hills

I very rarely use the 28 at the back and only once or twice a year the 32, but it is great knowing its there

[Mark83]

Herman Toothrot said:

Think that's decision made, high gear is not one I ever end up spinning at 90 so happy to reduce it all round. Group set is Campagnolo Veloce, I guess a new cassette maybe cheaper but its probably better to get smaller chainrings, keep closer ratios, less weight, better shifting etc?

I run Campagnolo Veloce 50/34 12-25 on my now commuter/spare bike. That was fine for 'hills'. It got me through 11 laps of the Nordschleife during the 24hr bike race. If tackling 'mountains', Campagnolo do a 13-29 but you'll need a medium cage rear derailer rather than the standard short cage.

[TheLemming]

qureshia said:

Cannondale Synapse with sram apex gears

compact at the front 50/34
With a (get this) 11-32 rear cassette

34 at the front and 32 at the back, is like ridding a mountain bike triple
I can sit down and spin up most hills

I very rarely use the 28 at the back and only once or twice a year the 32, but it is great knowing its there

Same setup on my boardman cx, the medium cage apex rear mech can officially take up to a 32, there are reports of people running bigger without issues.
The only downside is the big gaps between ratios at the top of the cassette, otherwise it's sooo good.

I've been running my Carrera TDF since I crashed the cx on ice, the difference is shocking. The only problem is my tendency to take it easy and use the gear range I've got..

[Herman Toothrot]

Given I've been riding, although finding hills hard on what I've got I think 50/34 would drop ratios enough - I now I realise I have the issue that its old 9 speed Veloce, so I'm going to have to get a new chain set and bottom bracket - then it's all 10 or 11 speed these days so will a 10 speed chain set work with my 9 speed setup?

Maybe I'm going to have to go for a 13-27 cassette for simplicity in upgrading, I see ribble lists them for £23, that would give me a 1.4 low, quite specked ratios though.

Edited by Herman Toothrot on Saturday 4th January 22:17

[gazza285]

First thing is to check that your cranks will accept a smaller sprocket, some of the Campag cranks are 135BCD and will not accept a sprocket smaller than a 39.

I run an old Vitus with a 53/39 up front and an 11-28 cassette on the back, that gets me up everything round here, including Holme Moss without too much trouble. I can spin out the 53/11 on the way down as well, 50+ miles an hour, makes your eye's water a bit.

[richardxjr]

Good point. At the moment I'm running single 40T with 8-speed 11-28 cassette and it gets me up the same hills as my mates on compacts, and I've no problem with the range.

Having said that, I am going 10 speed compact for the alps this year.

[uncinqsix]

I run a 50/36 on the front and a 12-26 on the back (8 speed). That seems to be about the minimum I can get away with around here, and I find that I can get up everything reasonably comfortably without getting out of the saddle. Here is a profile showing the "upper end" of what I normally have to contend with:



Having said that, I reckon that 34/28 would make things just that little bit easier and would be what I will be looking for when I replace the bike. I don't see any need to go lower than that though.

[Gizmoish]

Profile graphs like that don't really give the detail... let's be honest, the key thing is the steepest gradient you can get up. We can all ride up a 5% gradient until we run out of oxygen, but can you get up 15%? 20%?

I have 50/34 12-28 on my road bike, 50/34 11-32 on the CX. 39x23 as a bottom gear is basically what a pro would ride...do you have an F1 car's gearbox on your car?

[Herman Toothrot]

Just ordered a new cassette 13/26 will see how I get on with that, if I'm still struggling will try 13/28 these range 9 speed cassettes are reasonably cheap so worth a go rather than having to mess about with new bottom brackets chain sets / downhill spiral into 10 Speed upgrade etc for the time being :-) cheers for the advice - silly really, but there is a local hill I actually avoid 16% gradient as not sure I could ride it on the current setup, that should really have been enough to tell me I needed to lower it.

Edited by Herman Toothrot on Saturday 4th January 23:00

[CaptainSlow]

Herman Toothrot said:

Just wondering what sort of ratios people run?

This is a typical elevation profile for the area I ride.

totalled 427m elevation over 44km, I'm quite unfit tend to average 24kph ride a Ribble Aluminium winter training frame bike with full mudguards etc but I can't help but feel its too high geared, even for someone reasonably fit, chain set is 53/39 cassette 23-12?

Sensible to get some smaller chain rings / change cassette or are these 'normal' sensible ranges and I should just push harder?

Cheers :-)

That doesn't look that hilly, what's the gradient on the long climb...about 5%?

Your gearing is very high, I wouldn't fancy using it for the routes near me.

[yellowjack]

I'm about the same sort of average speed as you, OP.

I ride a 50/34 with 11-23 and I've not found anything I cannot get up with that combo yet. There have been some 'grim' experiences, such as Coombe Lane and Whitedown in the Surrey Hills, but I gurned, gritted my teeth, and got through them. I used to blast about on a 53/39 but I'm not sure what was on the back of that, but same again - I never met a hill I had to walk up, although a few times I might have been quicker walking

I'm not sure I can offer any advice that'll add anything new to what others have said already, though.

[Dixie]

A 23 on a double seem pretty low. I'm sure a cassette change will be plenty. I'd have probably gone for the 27/28 one. But I'm a bit of a wimp.

[agentnomad]

If you get a new Shimano Dura Ace or The to be released ulterga the PCD is 110mm for all chain ring sizes but is 4 bolt not 5 so you can change a chain ring and it is a compact change it again and it is big gears.

So if you are looking at a new chain set consider the above and it will work with campag it is after all just a chain set and the 11 speed will work with 10,9,8, speeds as the 11 is narrower so it will fit and work.

[uncinqsix]

Gizmoish said:

Profile graphs like that don't really give the detail... let's be honest, the key thing is the steepest gradient you can get up. We can all ride up a 5% gradient until we run out of oxygen, but can you get up 15%? 20%?

15% is manageable on 36-26, but I wouldn't want to do it for very long. 10% is fine and 20% would be OK for short bursts (probably out of the saddle there though).