Gear Ratio Question

loukest

Hi,

I have a trip planned to do a couple of the tour climbs in May this year. I'm not a great climber, I'm a big guy so have always struggled, particularly on the steeper sections. I have noticed that some of the guys that I ride with who are also big lads seem to find the going a little easier. This has prompted me to look at my gearing.

I have a 53, 39 chainset and a 25 as my largest on the back. Is that highly geared (I mean easy to pedal) or not. If it is not highly geared (I have no idea what standard is) what do I need to be looking at to give me the right ratio?

Thanks in advance.

Tom

ADIHEAD

Hi there

You've standard race bike gearing, not really suitable for your needs to be honest. What you need is a 34/50 compact chainset, with a 12/27 or 11/28 cassette. Unless you're into DIY mechanics then just take it to your LBS and get them to advise you on your options.

Best of luck

RonB

Prev post is spot on. If you want to compare options, this website is a good source of info

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears/

along with http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12583566

Apologies if I am stating the obvious!

tri-sexual

ADIHEAD wrote:

Hi there

You've standard race bike gearing, not really suitable for your needs to be honest. What you need is a 34/50 compact chainset, with a 12/27 or 11/28 cassette. Unless you're into DIY mechanics then just take it to your LBS and get them to advise you on your options.

Best of luck

+1

bikeboff

I think you'll notice a massive difference if you switch to a compact gearset. You may not feel you want to go to the expense or hassle of the change, but if you want to be able to climb comfortably then it is essential in my opinion. You run the risk of damaging your knees as well if you try to climb with 39/25. That's very different to, say, 34/27.

You might ask to borrow a mate's bike to try out their gearing ...

markos1963

bikeboff wrote:

I think you'll notice a massive difference if you switch to a compact gearset. You may not feel you want to go to the expense or hassle of the change, but if you want to be able to climb comfortably then it is essential in my opinion. You run the risk of damaging your knees as well if you try to climb with 39/25. That's very different to, say, 34/27.

You might ask to borrow a mate's bike to try out their gearing ...

Sorry but climbing with a 39/25 will NOT damage your knees. Riding a badly fitted bike will cause injury. The OP might get tired, out of breath, or dispirited using too big a gear but not injured.
Try a different cassette first to keep costs down, a 12/28 should fit ok if its adjusted right. This will have an immediate improvement for you for around £40. If you are still finding the hills too tough then a compact chainset 50/34 is the next point of call but it's going to cost you approx £100 even for a basic one.

Garz

Try trading it in with the LBS for the compact offering, a decent LBS will accommodate by at least knocking some price off or bartering with second hand parts. A 34/25 is all I had to start with on my first bike which could climb all the hills I encountered.

Other people also consider a triple to offer wider ranges or give them peace of mind there's more to choose if the going gets too tough.