Timeline for choosing the right gear ratio
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
10 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 2023 at 6:00 | comment | added | Mech_Engineer | I have a 11speed casette; but hate the gear jumps; I am going to go for the 50/34T solution just for that reason. I figure if I pin a number for a local race and they can ride +55kmph for a longer period they deserve to drop me! | |
| Apr 22, 2023 at 6:29 | comment | added | Michael | IMHO bigger cassette only makes sense on an 11 or 12 speed. If OP has an older bike with only 9 or 10 speed I wouldn’t go above 11–30 because then the gear steps get too big. | |
| Apr 21, 2023 at 20:16 | comment | added | mattnz | Have you considered an 11-30 cassette? Will give the lower get same as 50 chainring but maintain the high gears you want with the sacrifice of larger steps between gears. (Could swap cassette for a race as you do not need the lower gears if the step is to much sacrifice.) | |
| Apr 21, 2023 at 20:07 | comment | added | shox | I'll echo the suggestion of a wider range cassette if possible. Even if your current derailleur doesn't support it you could change the derailleur when you next need to do a cassette swap. It could be inexpensive if you are willing to go lower end (e.g. drop from Dura-Ace to the still excellent 105). I assume you are no longer counting grams if you are racing more casually now. You'd have more range and flexibility in chain ring selection, the downside being more difficult to keep a particular cadence (bigger jumps in gears). Though if you are running 2x11 that may be a non-issue. | |
| Apr 21, 2023 at 19:01 | history | became hot network question | |||
| Apr 21, 2023 at 13:15 | answer | added | Michael | timeline score: 7 | |
| Apr 21, 2023 at 12:19 | comment | added | Criggie♦ | What is the rear derailleur on your bike? Try and find the model number, often printed/stamped onto the mech. For shimano, it will likely start with RD-. That will tell us if you can take a larger large cog in teh cassette, like a 32 or 34 tooth. | |
| Apr 21, 2023 at 11:50 | comment | added | Chris H | You can get 51 and 52T chainrings compatible with a lot of setups so you don't need to make such a big jump. Also, have you considered swapping cassettes (or back wheels) between events to show you to optimise the gearing for each race? Do you know what your RD can handle? | |
| Apr 21, 2023 at 11:49 | comment | added | user2705196 | You sound like you're in a better position then people on this forum to answer your question!! You know your athletic ability, you know your hills, you know your preferred cadence. Together with a bike cadence calculator you should be able to put everything together bikecalc.com/speed_at_cadence | |
| Apr 21, 2023 at 11:00 | history | asked | Mech_Engineer | CC BY-SA 4.0 |