MTB to Road gearing advice.

RedRyd3R

hi.
i brought a mtb hardrock sport on work cycle scheme over a year ago, ive commuted over 1600 miles and i must say ive loved every minute of it.
but the time has come for me to buy a road bike, i fancey doing longer distances in a quicker time and a lighter bike!

i fancied getting a ribble ultra light alloy, campagnolo volce 2011 10 speed double gear set.
cassette 12-23
crank compact 170 34-50

now what i was unsure about , is the gear sizes. i am used to a triple gearset on my mountain bike, but i never use the smallest chain ring. i am not amazing at taking on hills and i am not ultra fit either. but i think i have selected a good starting point with the 10 speed setup on the ribble that is not to different from my mtb setup. could anyone tell me if i have picked a good set up for the ribble bike to start with?
i have tried the gear calculator but sram ram gears are alittle hard to work out?
also do you think i could go up to a slightly larger rear cassette or would i have to start walking up hills?

any advice would be welcome
thanks

pompy

What you have chosen will be fine. As soon as you get on a road bike you will find it is so much more efficient and light on the pedal stroke. I'd only say use a triple if a) you live in a really hilly area b) you intend to carry lots of stuff with you or c) you struggle up most hills!
I think a 12-23 cassette is pretty much the best compromise between speed on the down hills to getting you back up them. Enjoy the bike!

banditvic

It all depends on the terain you are most likley to encounter, but i would personaly go for a 12-25 I run a 11-28 because I love hills, up and down only problem is there spaced out more and not as smooth shifting.

RedJohn

I've got exactly the same gearing you're looking at, and I find it ideal. I live in a moderately hilly area, with the occasional steep-but-short one. There aren't many (I'm not saying none!) hills I can't get up. (in fact I will say none locally).

The top gear's good for 45mph, once you get used to spinning - you don't need a high top gear, despite what many people seem to say. That lets you keep a nice, tightly spaced rear block for a consistent cadence.

I'm moderately fit, a little overweight 'cos of not cycling enough (and being partial to food!) and better fitness would solve any further-flung hill-related difficulties more than lower gears. Maybe I'd fit a bigger cassette for the Alps :-)

RedRyd3R

RedJohn wrote:

I've got exactly the same gearing you're looking at, and I find it ideal. I live in a moderately hilly area, with the occasional steep-but-short one. There aren't many (I'm not saying none!) hills I can't get up. (in fact I will say none locally).

The top gear's good for 45mph, once you get used to spinning - you don't need a high top gear, despite what many people seem to say. That lets you keep a nice, tightly spaced rear block for a consistent cadence.

I'm moderately fit, a little overweight 'cos of not cycling enough (and being partial to food!) and better fitness would solve any further-flung hill-related difficulties more than lower gears. Maybe I'd fit a bigger cassette for the Alps :-)

Were I live is pretty flat, but I have been finding as many hills as possible trying to challenge myself. I have only four weeks to wait for my new bike.
For the last few months I've slicked up my mtb, turned it into a hybrid front sus has gone.
I've also signed up for 50 mile sportive and ill be doing it on my mtb.

I borrowed a freinds tricross for day, it had a triple gearset and the crank felt to long.
I was slower on that bike than my mtb! I would say it was very light ,easy up hills. But I couldn't seem to get the right cadance.

I think this time when I buy a roadie I would like to pick the parts for me, instead of the off the rack stuff, I will try a few setups at local stores, just to be sure.
Thanks for you're help

mrushton

I would think about a 48/36 or 48/34 with 12-25 or 11-28. A 48-11 or 12 is still a big gear.

mowflow

You will have no problems at all with your chosen gearing. I run the same, live in a very hilly area (often with terrible headwinds thrown in) and have never had to get off and push. Like someone already said, the bigger wheels, reduced rolling resistance and weight difference between the 2 bikes will make up for the difference in gearing.

RedRyd3R

mowflow wrote:

You will have no problems at all with your chosen gearing. I run the same, live in a very hilly area (often with terrible headwinds thrown in) and have never had to get off and push. Like someone already said, the bigger wheels, reduced rolling resistance and weight difference between the 2 bikes will make up for the difference in gearing.

my new bike arrived wednesday trek 1.5 compact, it is an absolute dream to ride.
i must say going from a mtb triple to a compact it felt like i lost 5 low gears.
yes i can still make it up the most challenging hill in my area but i am alittle worried that when i am doing 50+ miles i am going to run out of energy. but still ive started using just the big ring on my daily commute to see if i can build up some muscle strenght.
hopefully my fitness will adjust to the new gears then after a few weeks i should be able to start thrashing around again.