Compact Crank vs Semi-Compact
Comments
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dennisn wrote:I've always thought that an 11 tooth was made because the manufacturers have the philosophy of "If you make it, they(the idiotic public - you and I) will buy it". After all, they don't want you waiting for your 12-23 to wear out. You need to buy the new 11-23 now and pitch that old, junk 12-25 now. Think of the improvement it will make.
I'm sorry but why do you assume that so few people use the 11??
Just because you don't doesn't mean other riders (of all abilities) don't.0 -
I'd guess that only people who do weights to build up massive legs have the strength to turn an 11 cog.redvision wrote:I'm sorry but why do you assume that so few people use the 11??
Just because you don't doesn't mean other riders (of all abilities) don't.0 -
redvision wrote:dennisn wrote:I've always thought that an 11 tooth was made because the manufacturers have the philosophy of "If you make it, they(the idiotic public - you and I) will buy it". After all, they don't want you waiting for your 12-23 to wear out. You need to buy the new 11-23 now and pitch that old, junk 12-25 now. Think of the improvement it will make.
I'm sorry but why do you assume that so few people use the 11??
Just because you don't doesn't mean other riders (of all abilities) don't.
I would just prefer some more flexibility in the cassettes offered. Is there any inherit problem with offering custom cassettes for example? Choose your own range.
I'm never going to be pushing a 51/11 any time soon but don't necessarily want to go up to a 32t at the back either.0 -
dennisn wrote:I've always thought that an 11 tooth was made because the manufacturers have the philosophy of "If you make it, they(the idiotic public - you and I) will buy it". After all, they don't want you waiting for your 12-23 to wear out. You need to buy the new 11-23 now and pitch that old, junk 12-25 now. Think of the improvement it will make.
The other part of that is, just think how quick an 11T sprocket (and your chain) would wear out if it ever really got much real use. People talking about the theoretical speed it is good for on the flat is pretty much an irrelevance once you realise the power needed to achieve such speed on the flat. A 12T would be a few mph slower at the same cadence or a few revs faster cadence at a given speed, but in reality so few folk (read amateur/hobby cyclists-ie most of us) would have the power to turn either on the flat at anywhere near spin out revs it's pretty much a hypothetical argument to suggest that an 11 offers any advantage over a 12, with 50T or above fronts. I know one guy who can, Walter Mitty is his name I believe.
As said earlier, this is a BEGINNERS forum so an 11T in that context truly is useless and totally irrelevant. Perhaps a forum entitled "Willy Wavers R Us" would be a better platform to fully discuss just how useful you find huge rings and tiny sprockets.0 -
briantrumpet wrote:
I'd guess that only people who do weights to build up massive legs have the strength to turn an 11 cog.redvision wrote:I'm sorry but why do you assume that so few people use the 11??
Just because you don't doesn't mean other riders (of all abilities) don't.
Get on a few chaingang rides or even races. You would be glad of an 11 cog then.
You might not use it frequently but it's there when you need it.0 -
Ah whatevs guys.
Merckx never used a 11, Tony Martin pushes a 58 in TTs and Riss famously put on a smaller big ring in his infamous Hautacam stage to deal a psychological blow to his rivals when they saw him steam up an HC climb in the big ring.
Basically if you're slow/like spinning/both, you'll prefer some smaller gears. Some of us need a bit of MTFU and/or ride faster so will want to push bigger gears.
As long as it gets you where you want to go.
Though obviously if you're pushing around a standard with a 11-25 you do look more of a player, but that's only if you can ride that fast
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I simply don't believe that the vast majority of riders can push a gear that big at 80 or 90 RPM's (30 mph)for any significant length of time. Except downhills.redvision wrote:dennisn wrote:I've always thought that an 11 tooth was made because the manufacturers have the philosophy of "If you make it, they(the idiotic public - you and I) will buy it". After all, they don't want you waiting for your 12-23 to wear out. You need to buy the new 11-23 now and pitch that old, junk 12-25 now. Think of the improvement it will make.
I'm sorry but why do you assume that so few people use the 11??
Just because you don't doesn't mean other riders (of all abilities) don't.0 -
Nothing wrong with the original 7 speed 52/42 teamed with 12-21 that the Rusty Raleigh had. It appealed to my sense of ridiculousness that I could, if I went for it, do 20mph in the granny gear.
now I've got a bike that weighs much less, with a compact and 11-32. But my willy's still bigger than yours.
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The advice should be about cadence: Find a range of gears that allows you to readily achieve 80-90 rpm over all terrain taking front chainrings and rear sprocket combinations into consideration.
I used to ride with track riders who could whizz by me in 52 x 14/15 and I would have to get off the saddle to keep up. They had developed such good leg speed that they could sit and spin keeping the bike as steady as you like.
Achieving a good, steady cadence is often about technique, saddle position, crank arm length (dare I say it), type of training and not always gear ratio's.
However, seems like newcycle has got a bit stronger and needs a step up to a slightly bigger set of gears. Not a lot else to say really.seanoconn - gruagach craic!0 -
My 25 mile , admittedly pretty flat, evening loop gave up my best ever time when I rode it on my 48/16 single speed. This despite many previous runs with 20 gears, some of them bigger than 48/16. A salutary lesson in the difference between useful gears and gears that just happen to be there hanging around on your bike.
There were sections where a bigger gear might have yielded an extra MPH or two, but the bottom line was that spinning that gear resulted in a lowered average heart rate and faster overall time. It ain't always as simple as "look at the kahunas on me turning this gert big, I'm ard gear", as a minority of people might have you believe...0 -
MikeBrew wrote:My 25 mile , admittedly pretty flat, evening loop gave up my best ever time when I rode it on my 48/16 single speed. This despite many previous runs with 20 gears, some of them bigger than 48/16. A salutary lesson in the difference between useful gears and gears that just happen to be there hanging around on your bike.
There were sections where a bigger gear might have yielded an extra MPH or two, but the bottom line was that spinning that gear resulted in a lowered average heart rate and faster overall time. It ain't always as simple as "look at the kahunas on me turning this gert big, I'm ard gear", as a minority of people might have you believe...
I am sorry but I reckon that anecdote is about as relevant as the price of fish!0 -
Eddy Merckx set the hour record in 1972 on a track in Mexico on a gear of 52x14. He said pushing that 100 inch gear for more than five or six kilometres was the hardest thing he had done in his life. He was lucky not to have been competing against our fearless forumites with their 11-tooth cogs.0
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For quite a few of my earlier years of road riding, I only ever had single speeds, where 44/16 was my preference. After 15 or so years of that, I decided that derailleur geared bikes seemed like an option. I've had quite a few different chain ring / cassette combinations over the years, but my favoured choices are a 12/27 cassette and a triple up front, for my 9 speed Aluminium bike( which quite successfully got me round the full PRLS course last year) including Leith hill ( I got there about half an hour before the unfortunate incident). I also have a 10 speed Carbon fibre bike, which has an 11/28 cassette, and a Compact up front, and I do spend a lot of time, on anything less than about a 6% climb, using 50/11. I guess the grounding in single speed set ups has got me into that routine. I do agree that the 11/28 looks neater than the 12/27, but that's purely aesthetic, and probably holds no water, from a mechanical perspective . Anyway, this is definitely one of those topics which is subject to the 'underpants test'. 0
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Bobbinogs wrote:MikeBrew wrote:My 25 mile , admittedly pretty flat, evening loop gave up my best ever time when I rode it on my 48/16 single speed. This despite many previous runs with 20 gears, some of them bigger than 48/16. A salutary lesson in the difference between useful gears and gears that just happen to be there hanging around on your bike.
There were sections where a bigger gear might have yielded an extra MPH or two, but the bottom line was that spinning that gear resulted in a lowered average heart rate and faster overall time. It ain't always as simple as "look at the kahunas on me turning this gert big, I'm ard gear", as a minority of people might have you believe...
I am sorry but I reckon that anecdote is about as relevant as the price of fish!
And who do you think you are COD almighty?
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Come on guys this isn't the time or plaice.0
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It's OK, I'm not in the Halibut of biting at such meager bait ... I think his attempt to hook anything is destined to Flounder...0
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People on here sit on their lofty perch and carp on about being a dab hand at spinning, angling for praise.0
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They discus their ability to climb the steepest pike.0
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Are you saying they lack Sole ? Maybe they're just too uptight and Tench, perhaps smoking a big fat Roach and listening to some laid back Tunas might help them Skate over their hang-ups and realise that life can be a Bream.
Mind you, many people derive great pleasure from talking Pollocks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vtZx-_p4Jo0 -
Surely that's enough fish-based puns....?0
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Mercia Man wrote:Eddy Merckx set the hour record in 1972 on a track in Mexico on a gear of 52x14. He said pushing that 100 inch gear for more than five or six kilometres was the hardest thing he had done in his life. He was lucky not to have been competing against our fearless forumites with their 11-tooth cogs.
He was using 52" wheels though to be fair."You really think you can burn off sugar with exercise?" downhill paul0 -
Pinno wrote:The advice should be about cadence: Find a range of gears that allows you to readily achieve 80-90 rpm over all terrain taking front chainrings and rear sprocket combinations into consideration.
I used to ride with track riders who could whizz by me in 52 x 14/15 and I would have to get off the saddle to keep up. They had developed such good leg speed that they could sit and spin keeping the bike as steady as you like.
Achieving a good, steady cadence is often about technique, saddle position, crank arm length (dare I say it), type of training and not always gear ratio's.
However, seems like newcycle has got a bit stronger and needs a step up to a slightly bigger set of gears. Not a lot else to say really.
This. If you think you need a different range, just try it. But a 50 isn't a world of difference from a 52 for most. A change of cassette may be the easiest way to try a new range.0 -
OK, OK I shall cease and desist for my own Sake, but to the man who first brought fish to the table in this thread can I just point out "what a wonderful fish are Sole"... 0
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Imposter wrote:Surely that's enough fish-based puns....?
Do you begudgeon us a bit of fun?
Having a bit of fun like the good old dace.0 -
You're absolutely right, after all a good laugh can Conger a multitude of mans Eels.. OK I have my coat in my hand........0
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6 pages about gears, what about brhakes?0
