which gears should i use

andy610

i own i trek pilot 2007 1.0 with triple chainset 52 42 30 im beinning to think im using the gears wrong last week i went on a 32 mile ride and only used gears 17 to 24 on my biggest front cog i think i should be spinning more as my legs seem to get tired maybe im using a too high gear what gears do most people use on a long flat road

Bronzie

It will depend on your level of fitness and leg strength - try and concentrate on your cadence rather than "what gear" - I'd aim for 80-90rpm as a comfortable cadence on the flat - that's 3 revolutions every 2 seconds. If you have trouble gauging it by eye / feel, consider fitting a computer with cadence sensor until you get the feel of it.

For what it's worth, I normally ride 18mph solo on a flat road in still wind - that's something like 90rpm on 53x21 or 39x16