changing cassette to help climbing

ianbar

i currently run a 12-28 cassette, now i am a big chap and know i will never be great at hills but i have just been considering changing the cassette to give me even lower gears for the steep stuff. has anyone else done this and what was the result. ta

hypster

What chainset have you got? What sort of hills are you climbing i.e. what area do you live in?

ianbar

105 10sp compact. i am east yorkshire , today for example i went up climb that hit 15% roughly mile long

Sprool

I've ended up with 2 wheel sets, one with 11-28 and the other with 11-32 (which the bike came with). Its a compact 50-34 on the front. Most will see this as overkill, even for a 50-yr old touring cyclist. Now the 32 got so little use I bought the 11-28 as a replacement. But there are some sustained climbs around here with short sections just over 20% gradient. You can power up them with a lower gear but if you are really tired after a long hard ride its still nice to have the 32 to spin up the hill with and save your heart exploding. It won't get much use but its nice to have, though of course the downside for cruising is the bigger gap between the other gears. Holme moss on my doorstep - riding up that the other day we had a really strong headwind as well as the steep incline, and again I was glad I had the 32 to fall back on for the worst sections. My more macho mates with doubles and 11-25 blocks did not fare so well.

hypster

Well I'm 58 years old, 6' 4" and 83kg. I ride a triple chainset bike on hilly sportives like Phil & Friends (now the Phil Liggett Challenge Ride I think) in the Peak District. I get up Winnats Pass (25% at it's steepest) using a 30-27 (ratio 1.11).

15% is quite a grind and I would say you need something a bit lower than 34-28 (ratio 1.21) but it depends how fit and how heavy you are. Reading between the lines of your post it sounds like you think you need lower gears too. As far as I am concerned there are no prizes for getting up climbs in the biggest gears possible. You want something that allows you to climb comfortably in the saddle at a minimum cadence of 60 rpm I would say, possibly higher if you are more a spinner than a grinder.

You could probably get away with a 12-30 cassette with your existing rear mech but if you wanted to go even lower you might need a to get a longer cage rear mech.

dj58

Have you read the post in Road Beginners, (Help I need smaller gears - what can I do. A Guide).
Lots of information on this subject.

rnarito

I just started cycling and hills are still very new to me. My Cannondale came stock with an 11-28 cassette and a compact 50/34 crank set. Even with that gearing, 10% hills were a challenge. Admittedly, being new to the sport, I still have a long way to go with my weight (currently at about 85kg) and fitness, but if you're in the same camp I'm in, go with an 11-32 cassette until you get better at hills...you can always go back to the 11-28 when you get your lungs (and legs) in order

littledove44

I have a compact with 50/34, and 105 shifters.

My rear cassette is an 11-34. I don't need the 34 very often, but last week I climbed a shortish hill around 30%. I was on the 34 and didn't need to stand up until half way up!

All depends how strong you are. Nothing to do with pride. Better to spin up a hill until your strength builds than to risk injury or falling off.

The downside of an 11-34 is the gaps in the ratios. You can find yourself hunting for one that suits your preferred cadence.

StillGoing

ianbar wrote:

i currently run a 12-28 cassette, now i am a big chap and know i will never be great at hills but i have just been considering changing the cassette to give me even lower gears for the steep stuff. has anyone else done this and what was the result. ta

I did. I initially went to a 12-32 but seriously, I found I was spinning my legs around for not a lot of momentum forwards and binned it. I then went to a 12-28 which was better, but in all honesty, I went on a diet, lost weight and excess body fat and have gone back to my 12-26 and get up hills much quicker and easier than I ever did before and without any riding over winter. I used to fear hills and yes they can still hurt, but I don't avoid them anymore.

mercia_man

I'm 61, 5ft 10in and 67kg. I'm a good climber and really love cycling in big mountains like the Alps and Pyrenees. I discovered years ago that the secret of enjoying climbing is to spin quickly in low gears. I make full use of my bottom gear of 34-29 on my road bike and 24-28 on my triple equipped tourer. They are not bail out gears. They are gears that I use frequently.

Most of us on this forum are not pro riders and it's misguided machismo to think we can grind up hills on the sort of gears that they use. Although even some pros are now using big cog cassettes for the steepest climbs.

The heavier you are, the heavier your bike and the heavier your load, the more that lower gears are of benefit.

The beauty of modern 10 and 11 speed cassettes is that you can get the low gears that make climbing enjoyable without having big gaps between cogs.

I reckon the OP should consider at least 12-30 or even changing rear mech and going for 11 or 12-32.

slowbike

Mercia Man wrote:

I discovered years ago that the secret of enjoying climbing is to spin quickly in low gears.

I discovered that I'm a lazy git and (up a steep hill) if I've got a lower gear I'll use it ...

I started on a 39/52 and 26-13 cassette - before I knew about different chainsets - and yes, I struggled up a few hills. Only one has "beaten" me - a longish 9% that I had to stop 1/2way up - I've since conquered that one though.

Around where I live and ride there aren't too many "steep" climbs (plenty in the 8-12% range) and I'm happy to limit my lowest gear to 39/27 - I had a short time on 34-28, but found I'd just switch into that and still drop the cadence down to ~50-60rpm.

I'm not macho - there are still hills around here that are a challenge to me, but I know that for me I'm not going to get better at them by going up in a lower gear. However, I am considering getting a compact chainset for a couple of rides I'm doing where there is plenty of climbing and I'll be riding with someone who is usually slower than me - the lower gears then will help me carry on pedalling at their pace.

drlodge

ianbar wrote:

i currently run a 12-28 cassette, now i am a big chap and know i will never be great at hills but i have just been considering changing the cassette to give me even lower gears for the steep stuff. has anyone else done this and what was the result. ta

Lower gears to make it easier to get up either steep or long hills will be beneficial. To give you a couple of examples:
- Long Hills like I rode up in Gran Canaria, were a struggle on 34-28. I managed but was grinding for about 90 minutes. The steepest climb was about 17%, mostly though around the 8%-10% mark which is not that steep but when you're grinding for so long, the legs only have so much energy. It would have been nice to have had a 32 cog to drop into on occasions to give some relief.
- Steep Hills: I've just changed my rear cassette from 12-27 to 12-29. Not that big a difference. Went out on a hilly ride last Sunday including Barhatch which is quite long and rises to 21% at the end. Took it deliberately steady as its early season and I'm not at my peak. I found it easier to pace myself on the steepest climbs out of the saddle and found out I got my 2nd best time up that segment. So lower gear = faster times

I would also add, if you're doing very long rides (circa 100 miles) then your legs will be shattered towards the end, and even moderate hills become a challenge. Its really nice to have a really low gear you can drop into as your legs will have very little left in them.

>> Better to have the low gear and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

slowbike

drlodge wrote:

I found it easier to pace myself on the steepest climbs out of the saddle and found out I got my 2nd best time up that segment. So lower gear = faster times

and I got my 2nd best time on a 13% climb that I unexpectedly tackled last night (met up with a colleague who happened to be going out that way so joined him - although he didn't do the climb - he carried on a different loop) - but I was on harder gears than when I last tackled it.

drlodge wrote:

>> Better to have the low gear and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

Indeed - but it's worth considering what it is you "need" - otherwise it's just a race to the bottom and you'll ride everywhere in 30-32 because "it's easier" ...
Likewise, it's no good heading off for a big climb with a 39-21 if you're no good at fast climbing - you'll just blow up - there will be a happy medium and it will be largely down to personal preference.

markhewitt1978

Or even sooner than 100 miles if you're less fit. At the weekend there was a 6% climb 60 miles in which I would have normally taken in my stride in the big ring, but I was shattered so I was grinding up in bottom gear. A few others must have been even more tired as they were walking up!

mercia_man

It's pretty simple, really. There are two things that will make you give up and stop on a hill - you can't keep on top of your breathing and/or your legs have no strength left.

Using a lower gear and learning the technique of spinning quickly rather than grinding will extend the period before you have to stop.

Trying to storm up anything other than a short hill in high gears will wear you out much more quickly and your speed will be slower.

It's the same in fell racing. I find the best technique is to set a steady pace with a relatively high cadence so that I can keep on top of my breathing and keep running for longer. The muscle men who attack a fell race climb like a bull at a gate end up walking and puffed out within a short time.

I came into road cycling as an early mountain biker in the mid-80s and have never bought into the "low gears are for wimps" mindset.