Etape Du Tour - Cassette Choice

Heesh123

I'm doing the Etape Du Tour this year and I'm in two minds whether to change the cassette I'm using in order to cope with all the climbing involved. I currently have a 28t compact which many will say is adequate but the fear of how hard its going to be is making me consider going for a 30+. Is this wise? Am I right in thinking any bigger than a 28t will require a new rear mech? Any thoughts appreciated.

sheffsimon

Heesh123 wrote:

I'm doing the Etape Du Tour this year and I'm in two minds whether to change the cassette I'm using in order to cope with all the climbing involved. I currently have a 28t compact which many will say is adequate but the fear of how hard its going to be is making me consider going for a 30+. Is this wise? Am I right in thinking any bigger than a 28t will require a new rear mech? Any thoughts appreciated.

I would be more than happy with 34/28 on those climbs. I used 39/29 in the Alps, only on the 29 at the top of the Galibier. I'm not a spinner on the climbs though, more of a brute force rider

None of the above is relevant to you, of course, but you will never regret having a lower gear to drop into, even if you don't use it.

Are you using Campag or Shimano?

special11

i attempted it last year but ultimately got timed out......you know how strong a rider you are on the hills, so you decide....my experience i had an 11/32 cassette and i was crawling up at snails pace as a result. ultimately i got timed out.
as a noob you get stuck in a back pen so the time clock on the broom wagon has already been running an hour at least by the time you roll across the start.
i found i could spin up with ease on that cassette, but ultimately it meant it took me too long......generally when you are getting timed out the time car pulls along side and tells you that you have been timed out and its up to you if you wish to carry on or wait for the wagon.

ultimately they are public roads so you are free to do what you want, however it means you effectively ride unsupported mechanically or medically.....last years conditions were so bad i didn't want to risk it for a biscuit so took the kind ofefr of a warm seat on a comfy coach

Heesh123

I'm using Shimano 105 groupset with a FSA Gossamer BBright compact 50/34 chain set. The thought of grinding it out for 2+ hours worries the hell out of me so having an even lower gear sounds appealing. Or I might just be being over cautious.

bobmcstuff

Depending on exactly what 105 derailleur you have you might be able to stick a 30t cassette on the back - from what I understand it should be OK on a 105 5700 (?)

If it's just the price of a cassette then surely it's worth having the extra gear and not needing it than vice versa. If you start having to change the derailleur etc then it might be different.

t4tomo

bobmcstuff wrote:

Depending on exactly what 105 derailleur you have you might be able to stick a 30t cassette on the back - from what I understand it should be OK on a 105 5700 (?)

If it's just the price of a cassette then surely it's worth having the extra gear and not needing it than vice versa. If you start having to change the derailleur etc then it might be different.

+1 - test and see if a 12-30 fits easily (it should do) then take it, but if not 34-28 is quite low anyway.

I use a 12-28 for general use now (near Chilterns so quite hilly regular routes) and whilst a 12-25 was OK, there are times when you appreciate the extra teeth. When your legs are tired towards the end it could be a nice option. whilst nothing is hugely steep on the Etape, its the unrelenting length of the climbs that wears you out.

paul2718

I rode last year's on a 36x28 lowest, planning to repeat this year.

Last year in the Pyrenees was surprisingly steep, particularly sections of the Hautacam. I'm hoping this year's route is a bit milder on that front.

Paul

bernithebiker

This question gets asked so often, but it's a bit like asking 'Will these trousers fit me?'

Without knowing more about you and your style of riding it's impossible to say, but my tendency would be to suggest a 34-28 unless you're a strong, grindy rider, and if you're below average on hills, then go for the 30.

No doubt someone will be along shortly to say how they do all the Alps on a 39-23 no problem, but probably best to ignore them....!

paul2718

You could apply reasoning. When the broom wagon times are issued you will be able to work out the minimum climbing speed to avoid getting timed out. Figure out what gear this represents at (say) 50rpm. There's then no point putting a lower gear on, because if you're going that slowly you will get timed out and obviously that's not going to happen.

I reckon 34x28 is likely fine. Looking at the profiles there are a couple of sectors on the Glandon at 10%, but mostly it's less. It won't be the gradient that does the damage.

Paul

meanredspider

special11 wrote:

i had an 11/32 cassette and i was crawling up at snails pace as a result.

To be fair, if you were crawling up at snail's pace, it's unlikely to be because of the 11/32 cassette - it's because you weren't fit enough or too heavy or both. You could have selected a higher gear.

To the OP - another option is to fit a 33 ring up front - good compromise. They aren't expensive and you won't need a different RD.

Barbarossa

Remember you need to have the gearing for the last climb of the day - after you have been pedaling for 5 hours - not the first. Buy a new medium cage RD and put an 11-32 cassette on. If you don't use the 32T sprocket, you won't notice, if you don't have it, you might.

ForumNewbie

I've just changed my Ultegra 11-28 to a 12-30. I have a short cage rear derailleur and the documentation says it only takes up to a 28t sprocket, and there were a lot of differing opinions about whether it would be okay or whether I would need a new short cage or a medium cage. It depends what drivetrain you have as it's not the same for all. If you are doing something as big as the Etape De Tour I would suggest researching fully as to whether you need a new rear derailleur as well, as I'm advised you could have real problems if they are not compatible - like the RD breaking as it tries to change under pressure.

I would say it's definitely worth having the 30t sprocket if you think you might need it, but get a new RD and new chain as well if necessary.

paul2718

The question though, is how to answer 'do you think you'll need a lower gear than 34x28?'

Looking at last year, the last rider left at 08.45 and the cut off was at 18.45, for a distance of 148km. The broom wagon appears to have been scheduled to drive up the climbs at 8kmh, I think this is faster than you need to go because it will go down and along rather slower than most riders. But if you were to start in the last batch and have a puncture, then 8kmh might be necessary.

50rpm on a 34x28 gives 7.7kmh (I hope...)

So I think you should go out, find an 8% slope and ride slowly up it in 34x28 and see what it feels like.

Paul

Rodrego Hernandez

If you can't get round on a 28 you should't be contemplating riding it really. A 30 will just make you ride slower - you'll ride the same cadence but will go slower.

elbowloh

Did last year with a 12-30 with a compact chainset.

This year I'll be using an 11-28.

fatdaz

I did it last year with 34-30 lowest gear. I did all my training on 34-28 including a lot of stuff in the Cotswolds, the Surrey Hills and Wiggle's "Tour of the Peaks". I knew from this that I could get up stuff that was far steeper than I was going to face but at the last minute I panicked and installed a 12-30. On the day I didn't regret it for a minute - I'd installed it to give me a bailout gear but in the end I spent far more time in 34-30 than I expected. By the time we hit the last climb (Tourmalet) I had way more left in my legs than my mate who's been much stronger than me in training, I put nearly 20 minutes on him up Tourmalet. From my experience is say it's better to have the gear and not need it than the other way around

fatdaz

Sorry - Hautacam was the last climb but the rest still stands

Dorset_Boy

I'm planning on 36x32 as my bailout.
If you have the easier gear and don't need it it's no loss, but if you don't have it and discover you needed it then that's a different story all together.

stueys

There's no easy answer as it depends on your fitness. Personally I ride a semincompact, 11-28 which I drop to a full compact when I hit the mountain weekends. Did the etape a couple of years ago on 34/28 and found that to be fine, same on the Marmott. My mate rides a 34-32 and just sits and spins, but he tends to get left behind a lot in that gearing as it costs a chunk of speed. For all but the very steepest sections 34-28 is low enough in my opinion, but it does depend on how you ride.

Rodrego Hernandez

Can't help but wonder why some of you are fitting an 11 sprocket. In reality you're losing a gear as you won't be strong enough to ride the 11. A 12 or 13 up block would benefit most.

Bear in mind that a 50x11 is larger than a 53x12 which is the gear most decent amateur racing cyclists will use.

petegraaf

I'm an ok climber (in a club context) and I rode a compact with a 28 on the back at last year's Marmotte. Managed to get a gold time but was riding a much lower cadence than I normally prefer (60-65ish I think) which was becoming a bit of a strain on the knees by the top of the Galibier and the Alpe (as it was my first time cycling in the mountains). I was riding to a power target of around 220-250 watts per climb.
This year I've stuck an 11-32 on for the Maratona. I'll be riding to a similar power target but hopefully will be able to spin a bit more.
I tested the new cassette out on the Fred Whitton a couple of weeks ago and it made Hardknott etc. a bit less horrible than normal so if you can fit something similar I would.

Lastly I got away with using my standard short cage ultegra di2 derailleur with the 32 and compact, not sure if that will work for everyone however.

markwb79

bernithebiker wrote:

This question gets asked so often, but it's a bit like asking 'Will these trousers fit me?'

Without knowing more about you and your style of riding it's impossible to say, but my tendency would be to suggest a 34-28 unless you're a strong, grindy rider, and if you're below average on hills, then go for the 30.

No doubt someone will be along shortly to say how they do all the Alps on a 39-23 no problem, but probably best to ignore them....!

Thats a little harsh!

bernithebiker

Markwb79 wrote:

bernithebiker wrote:

This question gets asked so often, but it's a bit like asking 'Will these trousers fit me?'

Without knowing more about you and your style of riding it's impossible to say, but my tendency would be to suggest a 34-28 unless you're a strong, grindy rider, and if you're below average on hills, then go for the 30.

No doubt someone will be along shortly to say how they do all the Alps on a 39-23 no problem, but probably best to ignore them....!

Thats a little harsh!

I know, not renowned for my social graces....!

But probably true, as those gears are for either a) Cat 1 or neo-pros (in the mountains) or b) died in the wool, old school grinders.

So unlikely to be a good choice for the vast majority of people on here.

markwb79

Rodrego Hernandez wrote:

If you can't get round on a 28 you should't be contemplating riding it really. A 30 will just make you ride slower - you'll ride the same cadence but will go slower.

Wow - This is actually the best reply yet.

Completely right I think. I suspect no one didnt get round in the past because they had a 28 instead of a 30. They didnt get round because they were too slow. The gearing doesnt make you slower.

This morning I looked at all the fastest times on Alp d'huez. Have a search who is 35th and then look into what gearing they were using. I suspect if they had a 30 on the back they wouldnt have gone any faster.

markwb79

bernithebiker wrote:

Markwb79 wrote:

bernithebiker wrote:

This question gets asked so often, but it's a bit like asking 'Will these trousers fit me?'

Without knowing more about you and your style of riding it's impossible to say, but my tendency would be to suggest a 34-28 unless you're a strong, grindy rider, and if you're below average on hills, then go for the 30.

No doubt someone will be along shortly to say how they do all the Alps on a 39-23 no problem, but probably best to ignore them....!

Thats a little harsh!

I know, not renowned for my social graces....!

But probably true, as those gears are for either a) Cat 1 or neo-pros (in the mountains) or b) died in the wool, old school grinders.

So unlikely to be a good choice for the vast majority of people on here.

Doesnt mean they couldnt provide some useful ideas and insights into riding in the mountains? They are maybe more experienced than many others on here.

drlodge

Its not just about the gradient, its also about the temperature. I had 34x32 in Gran Canaria and needed it - not because the slopes are massively steep but at 28 degrees plus, I can't sustain a heart rate above 160.

If in doubt, fit a lower gear. You can never have a gear that is too low, but you can have a low gear that isn't low enough.