Need to rejig the gearing on my new bike
Good morning folks
I need a bit of advice on the gearing of my new bike. After 20 years of mountain biking I've just brought a road bike (Boardman Comp) for laps here in Northern Snowdonia.
After being used to picking a low gear (as low as 22 -34) then sitting down and spinning my way up the steepest hills) I'm struggling with the darkside gearing of 36/50 chainrings and 12-25 cassette
Will I be fine dropping down to a 34 chainring, will the tiagra front mech cope with 34/50, will the 105 rear mech cope with the smaller front chainring?
What chainrings will fit the Truvativ cranks and where will be the best place to get them, ideally online as getting to a lbs isn't easy. CRC and wiggle don't seem to have anything compatible under their road chainrings listing
Any help greatly appriciated
As I get stronger and my technique improves it will obviously become less of a problem but until then I need to make life easier for myself
I need a bit of advice on the gearing of my new bike. After 20 years of mountain biking I've just brought a road bike (Boardman Comp) for laps here in Northern Snowdonia.
After being used to picking a low gear (as low as 22 -34) then sitting down and spinning my way up the steepest hills) I'm struggling with the darkside gearing of 36/50 chainrings and 12-25 cassette
Will I be fine dropping down to a 34 chainring, will the tiagra front mech cope with 34/50, will the 105 rear mech cope with the smaller front chainring?
What chainrings will fit the Truvativ cranks and where will be the best place to get them, ideally online as getting to a lbs isn't easy. CRC and wiggle don't seem to have anything compatible under their road chainrings listing
Any help greatly appriciated
As I get stronger and my technique improves it will obviously become less of a problem but until then I need to make life easier for myself
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Comments
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Your gear mechs would be fine with a 34 ring rather than a 36. However, swapping a 36 ring to a 34 would only give you a 5.5% reduction in your bottom gear which you might find hardly noticeable.
I'd say you'd be better swapping the cassette for a 12-27. This would give a 7.5% reduction in your bottom gear that you might find more useful. The cassette should cost about £25 if you shop around. Any bike shop would be able to change it for you. Keep the 12-25 for when you're a stronger climber.
The 105 rear mech has the capacity to handle the set up you'd have, so should work perfectly, and you'd not be touching the front setup.0 -
cool, thanks for the response
I'm going to get one of the ultegra 12-27 cassettes and see how I get on with that, looks like the same ratio's except the 2 top/bigger gears, probably be a lighter block than the tiagra block it will replace
I'll keep the 12-23 for when I MTFU!!0 -
A new 12-27 Ultegra cassette arrived yesterday from CRC (£25) and its transformed the gearing, brilliant. On the ride last night we took in plenty of hills ending up on the Migneint above Blaenau and it was ideal for my level of fitness and incompetance
Thanks
Ian0 -
Unless you've given up mountain biking completely, it wouldn't hurt to have to get out of the saddle and/or have to go into the red a bit in the saddle on the climbs. With the gearing you have, this is only going to be for short bursts and will be the only opportunity on a road bike to use the upper body and hamstrings anything like you do on the trails.
(Bear in mind that I'm a very occasional and dreadful mountain biker)0 -
AT - I'm very much a mountain biker playing with the darkside :P
Some of the hills round these parts are pretty fiesty and I'm finding myself out of the saddle quite a bit, its just I can't sustain it for any length of time after years of sitting and spinning. Already I'm learning though and I can feel benefits for my mountain biking from riding the road bike0
