Junior Gearing?

skellator3

My 15 year old son is expressing an interest in entering some races (crits mainly)
at the moment he is riding a full carbon bike, ultegra wheels, pro 3 race tyres and a full ultegra groupset with a compact 50/34 chainset and a 12-25 rear cassette. i know these seem high for a junior but he is 6foot 1 and 75 kg of lean muscle plays rugby, badminton and also runs all at county level so he can push the gears no probs at all, but is there a requirment to have a max gear ratio of 14 tooth for juniors, he has ridden countless 60/70 miles with me, in fact i sruggle to keep him in check so he does not over exert himself. he is more than capable of doing full length sportives but is barred from entering because of his age.

so do i have to change his gearing to 14 at the back?

Bronzie

Road racing gear restriction for Youth A riders is 6.93 metres - which I think works out at 50 x 16 for a 2.1m diameter standard 700c wheel (=> 6.56m).

I think you can just adjust the limit screws on the rear mech to prevent the 15 or higher being used but maybe best to check with British Cycling HQ.

skellator3

ok thanks for that, will check their web site

mentalalex

46 up front and 14 at rear is what most run

its what I'm running for road racing ?.

skellator3

thats ok i have a new cross chainset here, its a fsa 46/36 and i can pick up a 14/25 rear cassette easy enough would rather do that than limit the block by using the high stop screw.

thanks for the help
any other contributions from anyone?

chris281192

juniors run a 52-14, or a 45-12. i should know, i am a junior :S

rickhotrod

skellator3 wrote:

thats ok i have a new cross chainset here, its a fsa 46/36 and i can pick up a 14/25 rear cassette easy enough would rather do that than limit the block by using the high stop screw.

thanks for the help
any other contributions from anyone?

A 14/25 cassette is a good choice for junior racing. Lots of close gears.

I would match up a 10 speed 14/25 (14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,23,25) cassette with 46/38 chainrings on a standard 130mm BCD crankset. Ideal change points for a front shift would be from 38/19 to 46/21 or 46/21 to 38/19. This only needs 2 clicks on the right shifter.

I would match up a 9 speed 14/25 (14,15,16,17,18,19,21,23,25) cassette with 46/36 chainrings on a compact 110mm BCD crankset. Ideal change points for a front shift would be from 36/18 to 46/21 or 46/21 to 36/18. This only needs 2 clicks on the right shifter.

The 9 speed setup would be my preferred setup as it's easier to see the change point on the cassette for the upshift (ie. the middle 18 sprocket).

Slimbods

I'm utterly confused now. Can someone link some examples from online stores perhaps?

mentalalex

Chris281192 if you had read his post his son his 15 years old, which means he is a u16/youth and gear restriction is 6.93.

Which is 46/14.


Slimbods, get a 46 front ring and a 14-25 casset this will sort him fine. just make sure your tyres aren't any bigger than 25mm as this will affect that ratio, they are VERY strict that you have the correct gears.

Hope this helps.


Btw I am a youth/u16

lfc_westy

i ride 53/39 12/25 and im U16 youth too, i went to my shop to disable the front mech meaning i can ride 39-12 which works out at 6.92 probably the best ratio you can get for the ratio limit, also your son sounds like a mirror image of myself!!

orientadam

Im not sure which set-up will be harder to push,

14-25 HG50 9 Speed Cassette (14-15-16-17-18-19-21-23-25) with 38-50 Chainring.
OR
12-25 Ultegra 9 Speed Cassette (12-13-14-15-17-19-21-23-25) with 39-53 Chainring

slow turner

Im 16 i race on 52 14, it really doesnt make that much difference unless im going down hill fast and at that point i tuck in and try and make up the ground... its a bummer though as i had to change gears and on ultegra it isnt cheap

Arran

Bronzie

orientadam wrote:

Im not sure which set-up will be harder to push,

14-25 HG50 9 Speed Cassette (14-15-16-17-18-19-21-23-25) with 38-50 Chainring.
OR
12-25 Ultegra 9 Speed Cassette (12-13-14-15-17-19-21-23-25) with 39-53 Chainring

53x12 is a bigger gear (harder to push) than 50x14 but you can't use either for U16 (Youth A) racing as the restriction is 6.93m per pedal revolution (unless you restrict the gears available with the limit screws on the front or rear mech as discussed already)

Pross

lfc_westy wrote:

i ride 53/39 12/25 and im U16 youth too, i went to my shop to disable the front mech meaning i can ride 39-12 which works out at 6.92 probably the best ratio you can get for the ratio limit, also your son sounds like a mirror image of myself!!

The problem there is you are cross chaining quite a bit to get your biggest gear.

Maximus prime

Haha just read this and im not joking, im 14,play badminton, play rugby, and really interested in starting racing, i guess the only difference is the carbon road bike part . ... Do you know what sort of speeds that your son rides at in the races, if it is possible the ones when he started racing around my age thanks?

Pross

Maximus prime wrote:

Haha just read this and im not joking, im 14,play badminton, play rugby, and really interested in starting racing, i guess the only difference is the carbon road bike part . ... Do you know what sort of speeds that your son rides at in the races, if it is possible the ones when he started racing around my age thanks?

The speeds are likely to average in the low 20s mph at that age range but in racing the speed tends to be up and down all the time so the average is fairly meaningless. That said, riding in a group will make it far easier to ride at higher speeds. As a young rider starting out I would say concentrating on skills can get you further at first than worrying about speed, you can lose a lot of distance and hence waste energy if your cornering is poor for example. With 4 or more corners on a circuit and possibly doing 20 laps even if you are the fastest rider you are likely to struggle.

In the first instance have a look around locally for a Go Ride accreditted club. These will have coaching sessions for younger riders where you can learn all the skills required to race. The fitness will come with riding experience and you will be racing efficiently and safely in no time.