How many gears do you REALLY need?

Tallyarver

HI Everyone.
I am on the brink of purchasing a new Ridley Road Bike. All of my cycling is done in Warwick shire/Staffordshire so no major climbs on my routes really.

The gearing is a 9 speed Ultegra. My cycling mate has just bought a 9 speed Bianchi and he is having no problems with any of the climbs round here. He is no fitter than I am so i dont reckon I should discount the bike because it isnt twin or triple set.

Unless anyone out there thinks differently?

John C.

Many a good rider on a double has laughed at my mountain bike rear end with a triple front. Until the 25% on the 100 mile mark Then I sing 'These petals are made for pedaling and that's just what I'll do............................

sub55

Tallyarver wrote:

HI Everyone.
I am on the brink of purchasing a new Ridley Road Bike. All of my cycling is done in Warwick shire/Staffordshire so no major climbs on my routes really.

The gearing is a 9 speed Ultegra. My cycling mate has just bought a 9 speed Bianchi and he is having no problems with any of the climbs round here. He is no fitter than I am so i dont reckon I should discount the bike because it isnt twin or triple set.

Unless anyone out there thinks differently?

:?: 1

Nuggs

I reckon around 50 should do it for me...

CanterburyTailwind

My current bike has a five gear cassette at the back, and a twin at the front (it is a bit aged...). The back derailleur doesn't manage to reach the top and bottom gears (that's my own fault - lack of proper maintenance - not the bike's), so I'm effectively down to 6 gears. Still manage to get across the North Downs....it's all about mind over matter, mind over matter...or should that be stupidity over intelligence??

Smokin Joe

Well, back in the dark days we made do with five sprockets at the back, 52/42 at the front and a 23t sprocket was considered to be a dinnerplate so nine-speed isn't going to kill anyone.

(Cue lots of posts relating the myth that anything less than a triple will cause your knees to explode).

ademort

Yes i can relate to that. Going back 30 years my first racing bike, A Mercian king of Mercia frame and Campag nuovo record gears had a 52/42 Stronglight chainset and a junior block or 16-20 freewheel for those people who may not know what a junior block is. Yes we had 10 gears in those days and living at the foot of the lake district there was never a climb that i and clubmates could not manage. These days 27gears 30 gears that would have been a dream 30 years ago. I currently have 27gears on my commute and 20 gears on my road carbon and thats more than i will ever use. Greetings ademort

geoff_ss

The number of gears is irrelevant. What's important is the ratio. If you live in a hilly area (or are old like me ) then you have a low geared set up. If you live in the Netherlands where even the hilliest area only amounts to gentle slopes (I discount the sharp rises onto the dykes) or if you're a racing cyclist you have higher gears.

The big advantage of a large number of gears is being able to select just the right gear for your strength and the prevailing conditions. I found the fitter I was the less I needed either the very high or the very low. Now I find 90" more than enough and 25" occasionally necessary on long steep climbs. The ones in between are just there to make life more comfortable.

Geoff

il_principe

Depends on what you're doing and how powerful/fit you are. If you really get into cycling and decide to enter some sportives or just venture further afield then you'll probably regret going for a double. Personally I'd go for a triple 50/34 then you can just change the casette depending on requirements, so for where you are you could go for an 11-21 and just whack on a 12/27 or the like should you decide to tackle some big climbs. I run a compact 50/34 with an 11/23. Come the Etape I'll be glad of the compact and prob a 27 on the back.

ColinJ

Tallyarver wrote:

HI Everyone.
I am on the brink of purchasing a new Ridley Road Bike. All of my cycling is done in Warwick shire/Staffordshire so no major climbs on my routes really.

The gearing is a 9 speed Ultegra. My cycling mate has just bought a 9 speed Bianchi and he is having no problems with any of the climbs round here. He is no fitter than I am so i dont reckon I should discount the bike because it isnt twin or triple set.

Unless anyone out there thinks differently?

Are you seriously suggesting that the bike only has one chainring? I haven't seen one of those for years, hub-gearing excepted. Do you really mean that it doesn't have a compact chainset or a triple? If your rides are not that hilly, you should be okay without worrying about your gearing.

Where I normally ride is very hilly so I use a 52/39/30 triple and a 14-28 cassette which covers just about anything I normally do. It wouldn't be any good for racing because I spin out at just over 30 mph, but I don't race.

I happen to ride in Warwickshire quite frequently so I had a bike built up for that and that is only a singlespeed - 39/15. I've lifted this passage from another forum where I discussed how I got on with it:

I decided that I'd ... see how I got on sticking to one gear, before commiting to a particular ratio on my new singlespeed bike. The chosen gear of 39/15 felt okay on small Yorkshire hills, but I really struggled on a 15% climb. I got up it but it didn't feel good. I wouldn't want to make a habit of riding s/s or fixed round there! There aren't any really big hills where I'll be riding the s/s in the midlands, however, so I decided to stick to my chosen ratio and brought the bike down to Coventry yesterday by train. I then rode the bike up what had been my local 'killer hill' when I was a teenager. I used to have to get off halfway up that hill and walk the rest so I was pretty chuffed to whiz up it aged 51 in a 39/15 gear with a heavy rucksack on my back and into a headwind.

Since then I've done more riding in the area round Meriden, Fillongley and Old Arley (N/NW of Coventry) and I've managed to find one or two hills that I struggled on, but so far I've never had to dismount. From what I've found, for me - a bike with any sensible gear ratios would be okay for that part of the midlands. I have ridden through certain parts of Staffordshire where I'd want fairly low gears though.

Actually of course, you are not asking the right question. What you really want to know is how many gears you need, not how many we need! I know people who can ride virtually anywhere on fixedwheel, but that doesn't mean that you could or that I could, or that we'd want to! I'm sure that you will get on just fine with your new bike as it is. If you start venturing into hillier areas later, you could change your gearing when bits start wearing out.

Tallyarver

Thanks one and all for your help once again. I went back to the shop and guess what (stupid me) it IS a double ring on the front- I just got confused when the sales guy said it was 9 speed.So well spotted ColinJ!

So I am now the proud owner of my new entry level Ridley Pave!! Now watch it rain/snow/ freeze for weeks!

Thanks once again for all your help.

Alan

fossyant

Get some spare sprockets so you can alternate your rear cassette to suit your ride - i.e a cassette with 1 tooth increments for flat and/or another for bigger jumps for the hills.

Depends upon your riding - hilly long rides would be easier with a triple. I only ride up to 50 miles (time / family commitments) so my 39 x 21 bottom gear is enough for anything in that distance. If I was doing a sportive, then a larger rear cassette I'd use - who wants a great big hill after 80 miles...... :shock:

stevec205gti

ademort wrote:

Yes i can relate to that. Going back 30 years my first racing bike, A Mercian king of Mercia frame and Campag nuovo record gears had a 52/42 Stronglight chainset and a junior block or 16-20 freewheel for those people who may not know what a junior block is. Yes we had 10 gears in those days and living at the foot of the lake district there was never a climb that i and clubmates could not manage. These days 27gears 30 gears that would have been a dream 30 years ago. I currently have 27gears on my commute and 20 gears on my road carbon and thats more than i will ever use. Greetings ademort

LOL - i remember when I was a nipper i hated a junior block because it always felt too low - my dad and most of the other club members ran 52/42's with 12/17 blocks, and that was good enough for most of the climbs the Isle of Wight used to offer!!!!

heavymental

stevec205gti wrote:

ademort wrote:

Yes i can relate to that. Going back 30 years my first racing bike, A Mercian king of Mercia frame and Campag nuovo record gears had a 52/42 Stronglight chainset and a junior block or 16-20 freewheel for those people who may not know what a junior block is. Yes we had 10 gears in those days and living at the foot of the lake district there was never a climb that i and clubmates could not manage. These days 27gears 30 gears that would have been a dream 30 years ago. I currently have 27gears on my commute and 20 gears on my road carbon and thats more than i will ever use. Greetings ademort

LOL - i remember when I was a nipper i hated a junior block because it always felt too low - my dad and most of the other club members ran 52/42's with 12/17 blocks, and that was good enough for most of the climbs the Isle of Wight used to offer!!!!

Blody ell, did everyone just have huge legs or what?! And did alot of pushing up hills go on? And what about the state of those folks knees now....has the extra strain from those days had repercussions for them in later life?

Smokin Joe

Heavymental wrote:

stevec205gti wrote:

ademort wrote:

Yes i can relate to that. Going back 30 years my first racing bike, A Mercian king of Mercia frame and Campag nuovo record gears had a 52/42 Stronglight chainset and a junior block or 16-20 freewheel for those people who may not know what a junior block is. Yes we had 10 gears in those days and living at the foot of the lake district there was never a climb that i and clubmates could not manage. These days 27gears 30 gears that would have been a dream 30 years ago. I currently have 27gears on my commute and 20 gears on my road carbon and thats more than i will ever use. Greetings ademort

LOL - i remember when I was a nipper i hated a junior block because it always felt too low - my dad and most of the other club members ran 52/42's with 12/17 blocks, and that was good enough for most of the climbs the Isle of Wight used to offer!!!!

Blody ell, did everyone just have huge legs or what?! And did alot of pushing up hills go on? And what about the state of those folks knees now....has the extra strain from those days had repercussions for them in later life?

The knee thing is a myth. If you push a bigger gear than you are capable of going uphill all that will happen is you will stop and possibly topple over. That's why all the old boys from the days of fixed wheel all winter are still able to ride today.

duckiciao

Smokin Joe wrote:

Heavymental wrote:

stevec205gti wrote:

ademort wrote:

Yes i can relate to that. Going back 30 years my first racing bike, A Mercian king of Mercia frame and Campag nuovo record gears had a 52/42 Stronglight chainset and a junior block or 16-20 freewheel for those people who may not know what a junior block is. Yes we had 10 gears in those days and living at the foot of the lake district there was never a climb that i and clubmates could not manage. These days 27gears 30 gears that would have been a dream 30 years ago. I currently have 27gears on my commute and 20 gears on my road carbon and thats more than i will ever use. Greetings ademort

LOL - i remember when I was a nipper i hated a junior block because it always felt too low - my dad and most of the other club members ran 52/42's with 12/17 blocks, and that was good enough for most of the climbs the Isle of Wight used to offer!!!!

Blody ell, did everyone just have huge legs or what?! And did alot of pushing up hills go on? And what about the state of those folks knees now....has the extra strain from those days had repercussions for them in later life?

The knee thing is a myth. If you push a bigger gear than you are capable of going uphill all that will happen is you will stop and possibly topple over. That's why all the old boys from the days of fixed wheel all winter are still able to ride today.

Theres a few longish hills round here at 8-10% that I like to sprint up, and its only the same as sprinting on a flat in a lower gear. My knees are fine, probably better than before I started cycling.

meagain

TdF was on ONE. As the promoter said, no one under 40 needs variable gears (seems a sound excuse to me!).

enjoy_the_ride

A question for those of you who change the rear cassette to suit different terrain…

Do you get any trouble with the chain slipping and/or keep dedicated chains for different cassettes? I generally run a 12-25 cassette and have been thinking of having a spare 11-23 for the odd club TT.

robbie the roadie

enjoy_the_ride wrote:

A question for those of you who change the rear cassette to suit different terrain…

Do you get any trouble with the chain slipping and/or keep dedicated chains for different cassettes? I generally run a 12-25 cassette and have been thinking of having a spare 11-23 for the odd club TT.

is it worth it? How many times have you spun out in a club time trial and thought 'hmmm I could really do with an 11-23 instead of this 12-25'

Not trying to sound like a sod just curious.

enjoy_the_ride

No worries robbie the roadie... A little more background may help. My general riding terrain is hilly and I ride a compact 50-34 on the front. So I'm not pushing the mega gears up front. You make a valid point about spinning out and you are right, I don't often use the 50-12. On the longer descents I do spin out quite quickly, but that’s not a particularly bad thing and a good excuse to practice my aero position.

To be frank I am a total TT novice so can't directly answer your question, but the TT routes I have in mind are not hilly. Rather than changing the front rings, the 23-11 rear seemed a cheaper/simpler way to experiment with higher gears.

I’ve also got quite a bit fitter than when I first got the bike, not a difficult thing considering the low starting point! Again, the 23-11 may be an interesting experiment even on my usual terrain if only to give me that extra initial push down hill. Recently I have made a conscience (edit-conscious :oops: ) effort to use the 25 ring only on the few climbs where I really have to. I’ve been surprised how infrequently, but still invaluable, this is.

I’m curious to see what, if any, benefits there may be. Hence the question.

peanut

enjoy_the_ride wrote:

Recently I have made a conscience effort to use the 25 ring only on the few climbs where I really have to. I’ve been surprised how infrequently, but still invaluable, this is.

.

I'm in pretty much the same position . Just coming back from a 3 year lay off and I'm struggling on the hills with a 12-25t but I have a 53-38 on the front so I'm losing maybe 4" on your compact set-up

I have been trying not to use the 25t except in emergencies and it is improving my fitness and strength . I think its all too easy to take the line of least resistance (ie compact chainset and huge 32t sprockets ) doesn't do you any good in the long term

There are still times I wished I had a 27t though lol

Smokin Joe

peanut wrote:

enjoy_the_ride wrote:

Recently I have made a conscience effort to use the 25 ring only on the few climbs where I really have to. I’ve been surprised how infrequently, but still invaluable, this is.

.

I'm in pretty much the same position . Just coming back from a 3 year lay off and I'm struggling on the hills with a 12-25t but I have a 53-38 on the front so I'm losing maybe 4" on your compact set-up

I have been trying not to use the 25t except in emergencies and it is improving my fitness and strength . I think its all too easy to take the line of least resistance (ie compact chainset and huge 32t sprockets ) doesn't do you any good in the long term There are still times I wished I had a 27t though lol

My feelings too. We seem to have gone a bit mad on this low gear stuff in recent years, If you want to increase your hill climbing ability twiddling a sprocket the size of a dustbin lid at 150rpm will do nothing for you, you have got to practise pushing something that will make you progress at a decent speed. Hills hurt, just live with it and remember the quicker you get to the top the less time you have to endure the pain.

andrew_s

meagain wrote:

TdF was on ONE. As the promoter said, no one under 40 needs variable gears (seems a sound excuse to me!).

Beaten to it, though I was going to say that one gear was really necessary, any extra were luxury.

rdaviesb

The more I ride the more I am becoming convinced that the answer is ONE. Fixed. With the right ratio I'm able to get up pretty much anything (alright not quickly), and also get down anything (legs whirring away!).