double or triple ring?
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One thing to consider is that whilst your muscles may handle the steep hills in a higher gear, your joints and tendons may not. I have an excess of power for hill climbing, and I love it, I feel I can climb anything, but on two occasions now I have caused myself to have Achilles tendinitis, this is painful and requires rest (a few weeks) which is very annoying, but also could easily result in a tendon rupture, which would probably require surgery and/or a long period in plaster. Tendon rupture is more likely the older you are, and is also more likely if you have had tendinitis. Also my knee joints have complained a bit. I am not saying you will get this, but do bear in mind that there is more to managing the hills safely than just power, your leg muscles can be stronger than the structures supporting them! If climbing hills safely requires an extra ring and a 200g more, it may be a worthwhile compromise.0
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what would you say it would be better? a 52/39 with 12-27 or a 50/34 with 12-25 . I now use a 13-26 with 50/34 but the 26 it's too low for me(it's good for the winter). The best climbing times I got with a 39 ring with a 13-26 casette but at the advices of more experienced friends I switched to a compact. I have a high cadence style going up with over 80 rpm.
I also don't know what should I do with the lenght of the cranks . I now use 170mm. I am 1,76 m.(5ft 9" I believe :oops: )0 -
If you want to climb quickly then keeping cadence up is keyand that's why I prefer to use a triple. I cant match the 100rpm of Armstrong but do aim to get above 80rpm if I am aiming to climb fast (as opposed to just survive).
This may mean that I am in a "granny" 30x25 or 30x27 ring but it hurts more than turning over a 39x23 and is a lot faster.
Out of interest just taken a look at Adam Hansen's (Garmin domestique) stats from the tour this year He climbed Ares 97rpm, Peyresourde 83rpm, Aspin 79rpm, Tourmalet 87rpm, Hautacam 79rpm, Agnel 89rpm, Nevoso 77rpm, Lombarde 87rpm, Bonnette 79rpm, Galibier 90rpm, Croix de Fer 80 rpm and finally Alpe 67rpm.
The Alpe is interesting because it was the last climb of the tour and Hansen was taking it easy along with most of the other riders.Martin S. Newbury RC0 -
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I see that the cadence is slower on the steepest climbs and becomes closer to 90 and 100 on the 4-5 or 6% climbs. I have a climb at 100 km from home, something like Ares. There I don't go under 90 . But I also have I climb that has 22 km and reaches 2000 metres(Transfagarasan). It has a 7,5% gradient and I think that there my average cadence is around 80. I think I will keep my 26 (back there for mental support
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redddraggon wrote:
Sorry..Columbia....
But back to "granny gears"..interesting comment from sprinter Wouter Weylandt in this months Cyclesport article on climbing El Angliru this year. Asked the question "do you use a compact?" he said no, just had bigger than normal sprockets.
But then added "Very low gears are for if you are racing on a climb like El Angliru. Climbers need flexibility to attack and accelerate."Martin S. Newbury RC0 -
octav wrote:I see that the cadence is slower on the steepest climbs and becomes closer to 90 and 100 on the 4-5 or 6% climbs. I have a climb at 100 km from home, something like Ares. There I don't go under 90 . But I also have I climb that has 22 km and reaches 2000 metres(Transfagarasan). It has a 7,5% gradient and I think that there my average cadence is around 80. I think I will keep my 26 (back there for mental support ).
Its also a question that cadence gets less as the day progresses, for couple of reasons I guess, riders get tired and domestiques like Hansen can move from racing mode to survival mode once they know team will get home under the time limit.Martin S. Newbury RC0 -
These riders are much stronger than most of us. If we tried to use the same gears that they are spinning we would just be grinding at low cadence. Weylandt probably used a 39/28 or 29. The norm is a 23 with a 25 for hilly days.
When I was watching TV coverage of the last Ventoux stage that was used for the Etape I could see that the USP riding on the front were on about the same cogs as me on the early climbs. The difference is they were on the big ring while I was on the 39 and did not look anything like as comfortable. We should ignore what the pros use unless we are near that level.0 -
yes, they are very strong. I climbed a 23 km climb with a 7% average with a local pro(he is a mtb rider-he was in 2003 on the 16th place uci).We climbed all the climb together minus the last 3 km which have I believe 9% average. We climbed all the way with 17-18 km/h and the last 3 km he stormed with a 22-24 :shock:
And I was very trained..peak form0 -
If you do go for a triple make it Shimano. The front changer operates perfectly and is properly indexed. I found the Campag triple very hard to set up and use (stopping chain dropping off, getting the derailleur in the right place on a click, changing gear and having to trim it - changing too far etc). If it is double then both will do the job well.0
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normanp wrote:If you do go for a triple make it Shimano. The front changer operates perfectly and is properly indexed. I found the Campag triple very hard to set up and use (stopping chain dropping off, getting the derailleur in the right place on a click, changing gear and having to trim it - changing too far etc). If it is double then both will do the job well.
I think the difference is Shimano only has bottom , middle and large possisions on the shifter where as Campag have about 7 to alow for trim. There fore Shimano takes more care setting up but once done works well.0 -
John C. wrote:normanp wrote:If you do go for a triple make it Shimano. The front changer operates perfectly and is properly indexed. I found the Campag triple very hard to set up and use (stopping chain dropping off, getting the derailleur in the right place on a click, changing gear and having to trim it - changing too far etc). If it is double then both will do the job well.
I think the difference is Shimano only has bottom , middle and large possisions on the shifter where as Campag have about 7 to alow for trim. There fore Shimano takes more care setting up but once done works well.
Shimano Ultegra has trim option as well.Martin S. Newbury RC0 -
One thought Shimano triples have a larger Q-factor than their double, which is annoying to say the least.
NB: comparing long low gradient continental climbs to stupid short steep UK ones when talking about gearing makes no sense.0 -
eh wrote:One thought Shimano triples have a larger Q-factor than their double, which is annoying to say the least.
NB: comparing long low gradient continental climbs to stupid short steep UK ones when talking about gearing makes no sense.
I have both a double and a triple equipped bike and haven't realy notice the q factor, but everyone is different.
I agree about comparing continental and local gradients. Also, it behoves me to say, as yet another person who lives round Huddersfield, that I much prefer the triple here. I can climb exactly the same hills in the same time but feel fresher for longer than on my double equipped bike.
I think for anyone who doesn't want to race and who lives in a hilly area then triples are a good option. Possibly riding doubles gets you stronger, however when on the only sportive I have ridden (Northern Rock Cyclone 2008) most of the riders with doubles who were near me when we got to the bottom of the Ryals promptly got off and walked up the hill!
105 shifters also have a trim function. I have adjusted my triple front derailleur twice in 2 years and the shifting is perfect.0 -
It is true if you keep getting bigger gears you'll never maintain strength, but if you blow your knees up on the Tourmalet, you'll have little fun for the rest of the trip. 13% of 0 is still 0. Just my 10p0
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It’s actually lower gears not bigger gears.gillo-1970 said:It is true if you keep getting bigger gears you'll never maintain strength, but if you blow your knees up on the Tourmalet, you'll have little fun for the rest of the trip. 13% of 0 is still 0. Just my 10p
That’s my twopenneth.0 -
It's a 14 year old thread. Can you even still buy triple road cranks!?Open One+ BMC TE29 Seven 622SL On One Scandal Cervelo RS1
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Digging up a thread from 2008 could be a new BR record. We're all driving about in flying cars now....Wheelspinner said:It's a 14 year old thread. Can you even still buy triple road cranks!?
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Chainrings go at the back nowadays, cassettes at the front. Or at least that what it looks like.
So you should get something to work, @oxoman !Ben
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