Group set advice

jimbo0023

Hey all.
It's time to upgrade from my trusty Carrera tdf to something a bit more sexy

I'll be honest I'm no parts snob,just want something looks sexy, light, quick worthy of keeping for a couple of years.

Where im completely baffled is gearing/group sets..
All I know is ikeep running out of gears when climbing hills on the Carrera and would like to resolve this on my new ride.

I've been looking at moda stretto and Dolan ares sl but flummoxed by all the options :roll:
Any help appreciated!!

simon_masterson

If you're running out of gears, it's probably you, not the bike.

But childish internet denigration aside, I'm assuming that your Carrera is an 8 or 9 speed, and therefore you aren't going to be gaining that much by going for a 10 speed. I use a 5 speed.

That's not to say it's not worth doing, though. 10 speed is moreorless the standard, and therefore if you have a 10 speed transmission you have more options available to you. I'd be inclined to opt for Tiagra or 105, but I'd be reluctant to spend more than about £700 on an 'upgrade bike' (as opposed to a 'bike to upgrade', which generally costs a bit more). Still, you should end up with a flashier ride.

jimbo0023

Thanks Simon,
I'm sure a lighter frame will also help... I'm finding my personal preference is always for a higher cadence as I don't have the brut leg strength for high gear monster climbs. Rather spin like mad and go slow than grind to a halt. With this in mind would I be better suited to a triple ring?? Might not use it often but will be grateful for it when I do!

Gizmodo

I had a TDF and I struggled because it's a 9 speed rear and a "standard" front.

I now run a Shimano Compact crank and an 11-28 rear cassette and I find it a lot easier, but then I am also now fitter as well. Whether you choose Shimano, SRAM or Campag, I would recommend a compact crank and a wide range rear cassette - others will disagree with the cassette and say go for a 12/25 because the ratios are closer.

I wouldn't go with a triple, unless you're going to put a rack and panniers on or tow a trailer/child along.

simon_masterson

jimbo0023 wrote:

Thanks Simon,
I'm sure a lighter frame will also help... I'm finding my personal preference is always for a higher cadence as I don't have the brut leg strength for high gear monster climbs. Rather spin like mad and go slow than grind to a halt. With this in mind would I be better suited to a triple ring?? Might not use it often but will be grateful for it when I do!

My pleasure.

A lighter frame probably won't make a great deal of difference (weight is hugely overrated as a factor in cycling), but it's obviously not a bad thing.

And higher cadence is exactly what you should be doing. If you want to push yourself it's good to train yourself to climb at higher resistance than is comfortable, but big gears are there for hills, and grinding up them isn't good for your knees; spinning fast will maintain blood flow, keep your leg muscles supple and flexible, and help you to maintain the momentum that will get you up the hill.

As for triples, this is a divisive issue. I don't feel able to declare that you shouldn't get one (as some people will), as if you live up a mountain there's no harm in making things easy for yourself. If you feel that it would be useful to you, get one; it's as simple as that.

jimbo0023

Gizmodo wrote:

I had a TDF and I struggled because it's a 9 speed rear and a "standard" front.

I now run a Shimano Compact crank and an 11-28 rear cassette and I find it a lot easier, but then I am also now fitter as well. Whether you choose Shimano, SRAM or Campag, I would recommend a compact crank and a wide range rear cassette - others will disagree with the cassette and say go for a 12/25 because the ratios are closer.

I wouldn't go with a triple, unless you're going to put a rack and panniers on or tow a trailer/child along.

Cheers for the info.
The Dolan ares Is 11-25, am I right in thinking the difference is 3 teeth less on the largest cog? And is 3 lots in terms of hill climbing?. Oh and it's 50/34 compact on the front but they will alter to whatever..

jimbo0023

Gizmodo wrote:

I had a TDF and I struggled because it's a 9 speed rear and a "standard" front.

I now run a Shimano Compact crank and an 11-28 rear cassette and I find it a lot easier, but then I am also now fitter as well. Whether you choose Shimano, SRAM or Campag, I would recommend a compact crank and a wide range rear cassette - others will disagree with the cassette and say go for a 12/25 because the ratios are closer.

I wouldn't go with a triple, unless you're going to put a rack and panniers on or tow a trailer/child along.

P.s,. What difference does "compact" make?? I wish I wasn't bamboozled by all this techie stuff!!

Gizmodo

Try putting the different options into http://home.earthlink.net/~mike.sherman/shift.html

It shows you speed for a set range of cadence given different gear ratios. I hope it helps.

EarlyGo

Hi jimbo,

A 'Compact' refers to the front chainset or front rings. A compact has a 50 tooth big ring and a 34 tooth small ring.

If your Carrera is a 2011/12 one then you have 52 / 39 front rings and 12-26 rear cassette. Therefore your easiest hillclimbing gear is 39 front and 26 rear. If you live anywhere hilly then that is quite a hardcore gear ratio to climb in, especially if you are fairly inexperienced.

If you opt for a triple then you will have 50, 39 and 30 front rings. If you still had a 12-26 rear cassette then 30 teeth on the front and 26 teeth on the rear will get you up just about any hill!

Alternatively a lot of compacts these days come matched with rear cassettes that have 11-28, 12-30 or even 11-32 teeth. This means you could have a 34 tooth front ring and up to a 32 tooth rear gear. That would get you up Everest!

I also like to spin up hills and run a triple which works fine for me. However you pay a small weight penalty (300g) for carrying the extra ring around everywhere. Compacts make a lot of sense though, it's just that you dont have all the intermediate gears that a triple does.

Hope that is of some use.

jimbo0023

EarlyGo wrote:

Hi jimbo,

A 'Compact' refers to the front chainset or front rings. A compact has a 50 tooth big ring and a 34 tooth small ring.

If your Carrera is a 2011/12 one then you have 52 / 39 front rings and 12-26 rear cassette. Therefore your easiest hillclimbing gear is 39 front and 26 rear. If you live anywhere hilly then that is quite a hardcore gear ratio to climb in, especially if you are fairly inexperienced.

If you opt for a triple then you will have 50, 39 and 30 front rings. If you still had a 12-26 rear cassette then 30 teeth on the front and 26 teeth on the rear will get you up just about any hill!

Alternatively a lot of compacts these days come matched with rear cassettes that have 11-28, 12-30 or even 11-32 teeth. This means you could have a 34 tooth front ring and up to a 32 tooth rear gear. That would get you up Everest!

I also like to spin up hills and run a triple which works fine for me. However you pay a small weight penalty (300g) for carrying the extra ring around everywhere. Compacts make a lot of sense though, it's just that you dont have all the intermediate gears that a triple does.

Hope that is of some use.

Thanks for the clear explanation!
I think I can cope with a couple of hundred extra grams as my next bike will probably be around 3kg lighter than the Carrera!

Done the benjamingautrey challenge this morning and Parbold hill was nearly the death of me on the Carrera..