Ride London 100 gear selection

Deanocanary

Hi all i am after a little advice I have been lucky to get a place in the Ride London sportive and was wondering if my current gear set up would be ok . Most of my cycling to date has been around where i live in East Anglia so my bike is set up with campag 10 speed centaur 53/39 and 12/25 rear sprokett which is ideal for this area. What i was thinking of doing is getting one of the campags new 12/27 rear sprokets for this ride which might make life a bit easier.

What do you think ?

Thanks

Dean

Stedman

Dean,

I am currently looking at using a 52/38 chainset with a 12/23 cassette as I have already used this on the Etape Caledonia and I have also been up some long climbs in the Peaked District, but I may also be wrong.

thegreatdivide

It's going to be a pretty flat ride apart from the two bumps in the middle. If you've got the fitness you should be fine on a double and a 12/25.

Philinmerthyr

Are the only 2 hills leith hill and box hill?


Can you point me at a profile for these.

moscowflyer

Leith Hill is harder than Box Hill. A double and a 12-25 will be hard work but if you climb well then you'll get away with it. I'll be riding a 12-25 but on a compact, and I think I'll just about be ok, although you have to bear in mind you'll have the best part of 100km in your legs before hitting these hills... A 12-27 may well be the better option.

Leith Hill

http://app.strava.com/segments/645416

Box Hill

http://app.strava.com/segments/934721

bikergirl17

this is not a hilly ride -- if you have basic hill climbing in your legs you'll do fine on a standard 12-25. If winterfold or white down were on this I would say go for the 12-27. But based on the profile I saw there's nothing onerous on this. the route favours strong, sprinters who can pound these short climbs out, not spin up.

random man

Dean - you may not be used to hills in E.Anglia but I bet you're used to riding into a wind! Riding into wind is good hill training, so if you can do one, you should be able to do the other.
This is hardly the Alps, Leith Hill isn't a severe climb and Box Hill certainly isn't, so your current setup should be fine.

thegreatdivide

random man wrote:

Dean - you may not be used to hills in E.Anglia but I bet you're used to riding into a wind! Riding into wind is good hill training, so if you can do one, you should be able to do the other.
This is hardly the Alps, Leith Hill isn't a severe climb and Box Hill certainly isn't, so your current setup should be fine.

Good point.

Gabbo

I've tackled some of (not all) the hardest hills in Surrey with an 11-23 so I'm sure you'll be more than capable with 11-25

Though to be perfectly honest, I would have probably performed a lot better had I used an 11-28. The 11-23 I found was a little too difficult and sometimes found myself in the easiest gear out the saddle as I couldn't generate the force required from the saddle.

a 12-27 IMO would be perfect (for me anyway)

drlodge

I went up the Leith Hill route recently and used my 34-27, stood on the pedals for a very short stretch so could just about get by on 34-25 I reckon. But of course it depends on fitness, weight etc. I'm hardly a light weight (11 stone and 45 years old) so need lower gears.

http://app.strava.com/activities/41219314

Stedman

Which Strava route are we likely to be taking up to Leith Hill as DR Lodge appears to be sending us up Etherley Hill and Abinger Road off the B2126, whereas Moscow Flyer appears to favour Anstie Lane? I don’t want to make a trip from the Midlands only to find that I have climbed the wrong one!

drlodge

Stedman wrote:

Which Strava route are we likely to be taking up to Leith Hill as DR Lodge appears to be sending us up Etherley Hill and Abinger Road off the B2126, whereas Moscow Flyer appears to favour Anstie Lane? I don’t want to make a trip from the Midlands only to find that I have climbed the wrong one!

As far as I can tell, I'm right...I plotted the entire course here http://www.bikeroutetoaster.com/Course. ... rse=501546

Stedman

drlodge wrote:

Stedman wrote:

Which Strava route are we likely to be taking up to Leith Hill as DR Lodge appears to be sending us up Etherley Hill and Abinger Road off the B2126, whereas Moscow Flyer appears to favour Anstie Lane? I don’t want to make a trip from the Midlands only to find that I have climbed the wrong one!

As far as I can tell, I'm right...I plotted the entire course here http://www.bikeroutetoaster.com/Course. ... rse=501546

I have been in touch with the organisers and your route up Leith Hill is the correct one. Thanks for more detailed route.

moscowflyer

My mistake, I didn't realise there were different 'versions' of Leith Hill. I assume it's this one then.

http://app.strava.com/segments/615597

drlodge

Yes that's it.

Stedman

MoscowFlyer wrote:

My mistake, I didn't realise there were different 'versions' of Leith Hill. I assume it's this one then.

http://app.strava.com/segments/615597

drlodge wrote:

Yes that's it.

....and it is also the one listed with a 6/10 rating on page 40 of Simon Warren's 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs!

bikergirl17

that rating makes absolutely no sense. i think the gospel pass in wales, which is about 15 miles long and has a nasty 10%+ section, got a 6 as well. i have a standard 12-27 and can sit leith hill, whatever the direction -- and i am not particularly strong (for context, i usually spin up box hill in the 39/24 or even 27; 21 if there is a tail wind ... i think most guys big ring it).

i will iterate my earlier comment that this is a *not* a steep climb nor is the sportive route too challenging.

the challenge will be navigating 20000+ cyclists on what can be narrow roads. i did about 2/3 of the route yesterday, and the ground is really really pitted in spots, particularly the descent off box hill.

as a total aside, looking at the route someone kindly plotted, it LITERALLY passes my flat. ironic that will have to cycle about 20 miles at 3:30 am to get to the start ... and then end up retracing that entire section!

Stedman

bikergirl17 wrote:

that rating makes absolutely no sense. i think the gospel pass in wales, which is about 15 miles long and has a nasty 10%+ section, got a 6 as well. i have a standard 12-27 and can sit leith hill, whatever the direction -- and i am not particularly strong (for context, i usually spin up box hill in the 39/24 or even 27; 21 if there is a tail wind ... i think most guys big ring it).

i will iterate my earlier comment that this is a *not* a steep climb nor is the sportive route too challenging.

the challenge will be navigating 20000+ cyclists on what can be narrow roads. i did about 2/3 of the route yesterday, and the ground is really really pitted in spots, particularly the descent off box hill.

as a total aside, looking at the route someone kindly plotted, it LITERALLY passes my flat. ironic that will have to cycle about 20 miles at 3:30 am to get to the start ... and then end up retracing that entire section!

As I now have a project meeting down in Surrey in a fortnights time, I am now planning to combine this and do a recce on both Leith and Box Hill.

I shall let you know how I get on.

Stedman

Stedman wrote:

bikergirl17 wrote:

that rating makes absolutely no sense. i think the gospel pass in wales, which is about 15 miles long and has a nasty 10%+ section, got a 6 as well. i have a standard 12-27 and can sit leith hill, whatever the direction -- and i am not particularly strong (for context, i usually spin up box hill in the 39/24 or even 27; 21 if there is a tail wind ... i think most guys big ring it).

i will iterate my earlier comment that this is a *not* a steep climb nor is the sportive route too challenging.

the challenge will be navigating 20000+ cyclists on what can be narrow roads. i did about 2/3 of the route yesterday, and the ground is really really pitted in spots, particularly the descent off box hill.

as a total aside, looking at the route someone kindly plotted, it LITERALLY passes my flat. ironic that will have to cycle about 20 miles at 3:30 am to get to the start ... and then end up retracing that entire section!

As I now have a project meeting down in Surrey in a fortnights time, I am now planning to combine this and do a recce on both Leith and Box Hill.

I shall let you know how I get on.

Bikergirl,

You are right, Box Hill is not is not difficult as I was able this week to “big ring it” on a 50 x 23 gear and that was on my heavier winter bike, with winter clothing, with my residual winter weight and fitness!

Although I was able to climb Leith Hill on a 39 x 23 sitting down, I still regard this as a hill to be treated with some respect, especially if you have a build up of lactic acid in your legs at this stage on the RL 100.

sherer

I think it's Newlands Corner that is also meant to be a bit tough as well. I'm not the strongest of riders in the world so i'm going for my triple setup. It works for me so that's all that matters. Rather do that than try and big ring it then have no energy for anything else afterwards

moscowflyer

Newlands corner is the first of the three main hills but is very easy, once you get halfway up you can coast the rest of it pretty easily.