How did I ever tour on this....
chewa
Posts: 164
I've been commuting on my Flying Scot for the last few days, as I need to change the cassette, chain and middle ring(now a throwing star!) on my usual steed, which is a 531c "Fast tourer".
The Scot has old school D/T levers (fabby Campag ones I've used since the late 70s) and is a 52/40 with a 6 speed block (I think 13 -26). All Campag, all works as smooth as silk. And I don't find the change from Ergos at all difficult.
However, it just occurred to me that our first European tours were on "10 speeds" including my everyday bike, fully loaded, with much the same gearing as I'm running on the Scot.
I don't know how I managed, as on hills I'm finding the gaps between ratios very noticeable when climbing. Either I'm pushing too hard or drop a cog and spinning more than I'd like.
Fine on the flat because the gaps at the higher end don't seem to matter so much, it's when you get to the lower end of the gearing that the gaps become noticeable.
It's a wonder I ever got off the 40 when touring.
I compare this to what I now run on my usual bike, which for the past 15 years or so has had a Shimergo set up (Campag levers and mechs with a Shimano cassette), a 46-36-28 with a 13-26 8 Speed cassette (on which, other than fully loaded with panniers, I've never sullied the "granny ring")
Have I just become soft? Or am I too conditioned by the 8, 9 and 10 speed rear ends on my other bikes, meaning that I have much finer tuning of gearing available to keep my cadence in preferable range?
It certainly explains why I now have to take more care of my knees
Does anyone tour on "old skool" 10 speed gearing?
The Scot has old school D/T levers (fabby Campag ones I've used since the late 70s) and is a 52/40 with a 6 speed block (I think 13 -26). All Campag, all works as smooth as silk. And I don't find the change from Ergos at all difficult.
However, it just occurred to me that our first European tours were on "10 speeds" including my everyday bike, fully loaded, with much the same gearing as I'm running on the Scot.
I don't know how I managed, as on hills I'm finding the gaps between ratios very noticeable when climbing. Either I'm pushing too hard or drop a cog and spinning more than I'd like.
Fine on the flat because the gaps at the higher end don't seem to matter so much, it's when you get to the lower end of the gearing that the gaps become noticeable.
It's a wonder I ever got off the 40 when touring.
I compare this to what I now run on my usual bike, which for the past 15 years or so has had a Shimergo set up (Campag levers and mechs with a Shimano cassette), a 46-36-28 with a 13-26 8 Speed cassette (on which, other than fully loaded with panniers, I've never sullied the "granny ring")
Have I just become soft? Or am I too conditioned by the 8, 9 and 10 speed rear ends on my other bikes, meaning that I have much finer tuning of gearing available to keep my cadence in preferable range?
It certainly explains why I now have to take more care of my knees
Does anyone tour on "old skool" 10 speed gearing?
plus je vois les hommes, plus j'admire les chiens
Black 531c tourer
FCN 7
While dahn saff Dahon Speed 6 FCN 11!!!
Also 1964 Flying Scot Continental
1995 Cinelli Supercorsa (columbus slx)
BTwin Rockrider 8.1
Unicycle
Couple of others!
Black 531c tourer
FCN 7
While dahn saff Dahon Speed 6 FCN 11!!!
Also 1964 Flying Scot Continental
1995 Cinelli Supercorsa (columbus slx)
BTwin Rockrider 8.1
Unicycle
Couple of others!
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Comments
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Getting old ? ;-)0
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plus je vois les hommes, plus j'admire les chiens
Black 531c tourer
FCN 7
While dahn saff Dahon Speed 6 FCN 11!!!
Also 1964 Flying Scot Continental
1995 Cinelli Supercorsa (columbus slx)
BTwin Rockrider 8.1
Unicycle
Couple of others!0 -
Nothing to do with age, its a matter of topography, I've noticed recently that the same hills I used to ride up in the 80's have clearly got steeper lately......0
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You too Solis, mine seem to change weekly though - but there again I am ready for the grave and I'll never climb out of that no matter what gearing I use.
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Are you sure it's a 40? Normally it was a 42...
I've done some big climbing days on a 42 x 26 over the past week
https://www.strava.com/activities/936154430
https://www.strava.com/activities/930441717left the forum March 20230 -
It's anno domini. Climbs that thirty years ago I could get up in 42-22, and fifteen years ago in 39-25, I'm now climbing in 34-32...0
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people have realised that 99% of cyclists cope better by spinning. My fist lightweight tourer in 1986 was 48-36 (no idea on the back but possibly a 25). I had to persuade the shop to fit a 34 which was the smallest I could go. Those were considered easy gears!
I now do triathlons on a road bike with 52-36 and 11-28. On the small ring I can exceed 34kmh and never run out of gears on the big ring....
my trip round Corsica: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/corsica0
