Fred Whitton To Compact or Semi Compact with a 11-32

shortfall

Well this thread is fast becoming another popcorn fest!

milemuncher1

SurferCyclist wrote:

Well with all due respect, Ride London and Velo Birmingham are a different league to the Fred Whitton (not that I have done it and cannot ever see me doing it).

You’re not wrong. I’ve never got into the actual F.W. but I have ridden the route. It’s harsh ( for the U.K. ) much harsher than the RL or VB. As has been said, there really isn’t ‘too low a gear’. I’m just more comfortable with a compromise that makes my experience more enjoyable, I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I drink coffee, so meh.

milemuncher1

cougie wrote:

Milemuncher1 wrote:

I’d never call myself a “cyclist”, “cyclist” conjures up images of a whiny, adenoidal, deluded, self important, tw@. >shudder<

Way to win friends and influence people dude

I prefer the book ‘ how to piss people off and alienate them’

milemuncher1

benjamess wrote:

If you aren’t in a heap when reaching peak power then I suggest you aren’t hitting your peak power

I know what you mean, but screw finding out for a game of soldiers.

surfercyclist

Milemuncher1 wrote:

SurferCyclist wrote:

Well with all due respect, Ride London and Velo Birmingham are a different league to the Fred Whitton (not that I have done it and cannot ever see me doing it).

You’re not wrong. I’ve never got into the actual F.W. but I have ridden the route. It’s harsh ( for the U.K. ) much harsher than the RL or VB. As has been said, there really isn’t ‘too low a gear’. I’m just more comfortable with a compromise that makes my experience more enjoyable, I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I drink coffee, so meh.

Serious question - if you really do keep your cadence at around 40-50 then are you always pushing a high gear or just trundling along at 10mph? What is your typical average speed as a matter of interest?

webboo

SurferCyclist wrote:

Milemuncher1 wrote:

SurferCyclist wrote:

Well with all due respect, Ride London and Velo Birmingham are a different league to the Fred Whitton (not that I have done it and cannot ever see me doing it).

You’re not wrong. I’ve never got into the actual F.W. but I have ridden the route. It’s harsh ( for the U.K. ) much harsher than the RL or VB. As has been said, there really isn’t ‘too low a gear’. I’m just more comfortable with a compromise that makes my experience more enjoyable, I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I drink coffee, so meh.

Serious question - if you really do keep your cadence at around 40-50 then are you always pushing a high gear or just trundling along at 10mph? What is your typical average speed as a matter of interest?

Do you really expect an honest answer to this.

surfercyclist

Webboo wrote:

SurferCyclist wrote:

Milemuncher1 wrote:

SurferCyclist wrote:

Well with all due respect, Ride London and Velo Birmingham are a different league to the Fred Whitton (not that I have done it and cannot ever see me doing it).

You’re not wrong. I’ve never got into the actual F.W. but I have ridden the route. It’s harsh ( for the U.K. ) much harsher than the RL or VB. As has been said, there really isn’t ‘too low a gear’. I’m just more comfortable with a compromise that makes my experience more enjoyable, I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I drink coffee, so meh.

Serious question - if you really do keep your cadence at around 40-50 then are you always pushing a high gear or just trundling along at 10mph? What is your typical average speed as a matter of interest?

Do you really expect an honest answer to this.

Not really but one lives in hope!

itboffin

Milemuncher1 wrote:

Milemuncher1 wrote:

If it was me, with an 11-32 cassette, given a choice of semi or compact, I’d go for a semi compact (52-36 ) Chainset , the compact (50-34 ) would be too small for the downhill and flat bits. A Standard Chainset (53-39) would make the steep bits more of a chore, than they need to be as well.

SurferCyclist wrote:

This is from the "cyclist" who rides with a cadence of around 50(?).

I’d never call myself a “cyclist”, “cyclist” conjures up images of a whiny, adenoidal, deluded, self important, tw@. >shudder<

I rarely ride with a compact, I’ve only got one bike with a compact, and I’ve never used it for an event. A standard ( 53-39) with an 11-28 has done me for the Ride London, and the Velo Birmingham. I’ve had a look at the lumpy bits of the Ride London with a bike using a Semi compact, and an 11-30 11 speed cassette, and that nearly ended badly, when I got more ‘spin’ than I was expecting / used to, on a fast decent. I’m going to try a Standard with 11-32 on the Isle of Wight Randonee, on Sunday, to see if that’s a better compromise.

Look out for the PVCC group, we'll all be on compacts. A standard jeez that sounds like a tough day out, either way enjoy and dont forget your factor 50

Ben6899

Milemuncher1 wrote:

I’d never call myself a “cyclist”, “cyclist” conjures up images of a whiny, adenoidal, deluded, self important, tw@. >shudder<

I rarely ride with a compact, I’ve only got one bike with a compact, and I’ve never used it for an event. A standard ( 53-39) with an 11-28 has done me for the Ride London, and the Velo Birmingham. I’ve had a look at the lumpy bits of the Ride London with a bike using a Semi compact, and an 11-30 11 speed cassette, and that nearly ended badly, when I got more ‘spin’ than I was expecting / used to, on a fast decent. I’m going to try a Standard with 11-32 on the Isle of Wight Randonee, on Sunday, to see if that’s a better compromise.

Please don't compare the "lumpy bits" of RideLondon to anything you'll find in the Lakes, Peaks, Dales or Moors. There is categorically no comparison to be made.

OP, go as low as you can! There's a reason my bike that lives up north doesn't have my usual 53/39 - 11/27!

webboo

SurferCyclist wrote:

Webboo wrote:

SurferCyclist wrote:

Milemuncher1 wrote:

SurferCyclist wrote:

Well with all due respect, Ride London and Velo Birmingham are a different league to the Fred Whitton (not that I have done it and cannot ever see me doing it).

You’re not wrong. I’ve never got into the actual F.W. but I have ridden the route. It’s harsh ( for the U.K. ) much harsher than the RL or VB. As has been said, there really isn’t ‘too low a gear’. I’m just more comfortable with a compromise that makes my experience more enjoyable, I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I drink coffee, so meh.

Serious question - if you really do keep your cadence at around 40-50 then are you always pushing a high gear or just trundling along at 10mph? What is your typical average speed as a matter of interest?

Do you really expect an honest answer to this.

Not really but one lives in hope!

54x13 at 60 revs is 20mph so he’s just pootling along .

milemuncher1

SurferCyclist wrote:

Milemuncher1 wrote:

SurferCyclist wrote:

Well with all due respect, Ride London and Velo Birmingham are a different league to the Fred Whitton (not that I have done it and cannot ever see me doing it).

You’re not wrong. I’ve never got into the actual F.W. but I have ridden the route. It’s harsh ( for the U.K. ) much harsher than the RL or VB. As has been said, there really isn’t ‘too low a gear’. I’m just more comfortable with a compromise that makes my experience more enjoyable, I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I drink coffee, so meh.

Serious question - if you really do keep your cadence at around 40-50 then are you always pushing a high gear or just trundling along at 10mph? What is your typical average speed as a matter of interest?

No, I make enough power to plough past most riders I encounter ( judging by experience of events I’ve been in, by design or accident ) It’s down to the much higher than usual torque I can put through the cranks, and the length of time I can do it. I’ll average 17-20 mph, on an ‘event’ if it’s a social type ride or a B.C. type ride, I don’t push as hard, and the average is more like 14 or 15 mph. I don’t pay much attention to average speed, it’s a crap metric to work with.

milemuncher1

itboffin wrote:

Milemuncher1 wrote:

Milemuncher1 wrote:

If it was me, with an 11-32 cassette, given a choice of semi or compact, I’d go for a semi compact (52-36 ) Chainset , the compact (50-34 ) would be too small for the downhill and flat bits. A Standard Chainset (53-39) would make the steep bits more of a chore, than they need to be as well.

SurferCyclist wrote:

This is from the "cyclist" who rides with a cadence of around 50(?).

I’d never call myself a “cyclist”, “cyclist” conjures up images of a whiny, adenoidal, deluded, self important, tw@. >shudder<

I rarely ride with a compact, I’ve only got one bike with a compact, and I’ve never used it for an event. A standard ( 53-39) with an 11-28 has done me for the Ride London, and the Velo Birmingham. I’ve had a look at the lumpy bits of the Ride London with a bike using a Semi compact, and an 11-30 11 speed cassette, and that nearly ended badly, when I got more ‘spin’ than I was expecting / used to, on a fast decent. I’m going to try a Standard with 11-32 on the Isle of Wight Randonee, on Sunday, to see if that’s a better compromise.

Look out for the PVCC group, we'll all be on compacts. A standard jeez that sounds like a tough day out, either way enjoy and dont forget your factor 50

I’ve just completed it, sub 4 hours for the Isle of Wight part of the ride. I rode with a club called Hargrove Cycles Cycle club, and stayed with them, until they went the wrong way, and mycadence was noticeably lower than those.

Brakeless

Milemuncher1 wrote:

itboffin wrote:

Milemuncher1 wrote:

Milemuncher1 wrote:

If it was me, with an 11-32 cassette, given a choice of semi or compact, I’d go for a semi compact (52-36 ) Chainset , the compact (50-34 ) would be too small for the downhill and flat bits. A Standard Chainset (53-39) would make the steep bits more of a chore, than they need to be as well.

SurferCyclist wrote:

This is from the "cyclist" who rides with a cadence of around 50(?).

I’d never call myself a “cyclist”, “cyclist” conjures up images of a whiny, adenoidal, deluded, self important, tw@. >shudder<

I rarely ride with a compact, I’ve only got one bike with a compact, and I’ve never used it for an event. A standard ( 53-39) with an 11-28 has done me for the Ride London, and the Velo Birmingham. I’ve had a look at the lumpy bits of the Ride London with a bike using a Semi compact, and an 11-30 11 speed cassette, and that nearly ended badly, when I got more ‘spin’ than I was expecting / used to, on a fast decent. I’m going to try a Standard with 11-32 on the Isle of Wight Randonee, on Sunday, to see if that’s a better compromise.

Look out for the PVCC group, we'll all be on compacts. A standard jeez that sounds like a tough day out, either way enjoy and dont forget your factor 50

I’ve just completed it, sub 4 hours for the Isle of Wight part of the ride. I rode with a club called Hargrove Cycles Cycle club, and stayed with them, until they went the wrong way, and mycadence was noticeably lower than those.

Your Strava shows a lot longer than 4 hours !

https://www.strava.com/activities/1554348572/analysis

webboo

Milemuncher1 hours are different from everyone else is. He sort of exists in a parallel universe where the art of bullsh*tting is a sign of manhood, where as in the real world.

darkhairedlord

Brakeless wrote:

Milemuncher1 wrote:

itboffin wrote:

Milemuncher1 wrote:

Milemuncher1 wrote:

If it was me, with an 11-32 cassette, given a choice of semi or compact, I’d go for a semi compact (52-36 ) Chainset , the compact (50-34 ) would be too small for the downhill and flat bits. A Standard Chainset (53-39) would make the steep bits more of a chore, than they need to be as well.

SurferCyclist wrote:

This is from the "cyclist" who rides with a cadence of around 50(?).

I’d never call myself a “cyclist”, “cyclist” conjures up images of a whiny, adenoidal, deluded, self important, tw@. >shudder<

I rarely ride with a compact, I’ve only got one bike with a compact, and I’ve never used it for an event. A standard ( 53-39) with an 11-28 has done me for the Ride London, and the Velo Birmingham. I’ve had a look at the lumpy bits of the Ride London with a bike using a Semi compact, and an 11-30 11 speed cassette, and that nearly ended badly, when I got more ‘spin’ than I was expecting / used to, on a fast decent. I’m going to try a Standard with 11-32 on the Isle of Wight Randonee, on Sunday, to see if that’s a better compromise.

Look out for the PVCC group, we'll all be on compacts. A standard jeez that sounds like a tough day out, either way enjoy and dont forget your factor 50

I’ve just completed it, sub 4 hours for the Isle of Wight part of the ride. I rode with a club called Hargrove Cycles Cycle club, and stayed with them, until they went the wrong way, and mycadence was noticeably lower than those.

Your Strava shows a lot longer than 4 hours !

https://www.strava.com/activities/1554348572/analysis

He hasn't loaded the second GPS yet. That'll make it 200km for twice around the block.

milemuncher1

darkhairedlord wrote:

Your Strava shows a lot longer than 4 hours !

https://www.strava.com/activities/1554348572/analysis

I know reading is a bit beyond you, but if you could read, you’d see I said I did “the Island bit” in sub 4 hours. The ‘Strava’ includes getting to and from the ferry to the Island, and waiting around / drinking in the pub.

Brakeless

Milemuncher1 wrote:

darkhairedlord wrote:

Your Strava shows a lot longer than 4 hours !

https://www.strava.com/activities/1554348572/analysis

I know reading is a bit beyond you, but if you could read, you’d see I said I did “the Island bit” in sub 4 hours. The ‘Strava’ includes getting to and from the ferry to the Island, and waiting around / drinking in the pub.

The isle of White 'bit' starts at 2.36 and ends at 8.01. That's a lot longer than 4 hours.

milemuncher1

Brakeless wrote:

Milemuncher1 wrote:

darkhairedlord wrote:

Your Strava shows a lot longer than 4 hours !

https://www.strava.com/activities/1554348572/analysis

I know reading is a bit beyond you, but if you could read, you’d see I said I did “the Island bit” in sub 4 hours. The ‘Strava’ includes getting to and from the ferry to the Island, and waiting around / drinking in the pub.

The isle of White 'bit' starts at 2.36 and ends at 8.01. That's a lot longer than 4 hours.

No it doesn’t. I didn’t start anything when I got to the Island, nice try, but epic fail.

Brakeless

Milemuncher1 wrote:

Brakeless wrote:

Milemuncher1 wrote:

darkhairedlord wrote:

Your Strava shows a lot longer than 4 hours !

https://www.strava.com/activities/1554348572/analysis

I know reading is a bit beyond you, but if you could read, you’d see I said I did “the Island bit” in sub 4 hours. The ‘Strava’ includes getting to and from the ferry to the Island, and waiting around / drinking in the pub.

The isle of White 'bit' starts at 2.36 and ends at 8.01. That's a lot longer than 4 hours.

No it doesn’t. I didn’t start anything when I got to the Island, nice try, but epic fail.

It shows you are constantly moving from 2.36 to 8.01 other than a break between 6.23 and 6.49. As I said, that's a lot longer than 4 hours.

milemuncher1

You see.

There was a lot of stopping / pubs and faffing about involved. Take your petty jealousy elsewhere.

Brakeless

Milemuncher1 wrote:

You see.

I can see you left your Garmin on whilst on the ferry, not sure what else I'm meant to be looking at.

Brakeless

Milemuncher1 wrote:

You see.

There was a lot of stopping / pubs and faffing about involved. Take your petty jealousy elsewhere.

No there wasn't. Your strava shows exactly how much stopping there was. Why is pointing out your constant lies petty jealousy?

thefd

So does ferry miles count? I’m off to France in the summer on the ferry. I’ll make sure I start my Garmin! In fact I’m driving from Scotland down to Portsmouth for the ferry so I’ll start it when I leave home and include all those miles. If I record it twice it will nicely boost my miles for the month.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

This thread has made me so proud, two of the many segments I've created around Southampton have been quoted in a thread.

The thing with gearing for a hill is not about what gear inches you can power up it when you are relatively fresh early in a ride, it's what ratio you need to tackle that hill later on, especially if you have earlier pushed hard by your standards.

thefd

NitrousOxide wrote:

This thread has made me so proud, two of the many segments I've created around Southampton have been quoted in a thread.

Please tell me it isn't the 0.1 mile one and the 0.3 mile one?

N0bodyOfTheGoat

TheFD wrote:

NitrousOxide wrote:

This thread has made me so proud, two of the many segments I've created around Southampton have been quoted in a thread.

Please tell me it isn't the 0.1 mile one and the 0.3 mile one?

No, my ones really are the two longer ones, I don't like to create segments under 0.5 miles.

My longest creation is 15 miles, off the top of my head, "river to hilltop plus bell hill to the top combo" (or something like that, 54mins dead last Friday).

milemuncher1

Brakeless wrote:

Milemuncher1 wrote:

You see.

I can see you left your Garmin on whilst on the ferry, not sure what else I'm meant to be looking at.

You got that wrong as well ( quell surprise ). The Garmin was off, the software ‘joins the dots’. Never mind eh?

milemuncher1

NitrousOxide wrote:

This thread has made me so proud, two of the many segments I've created around Southampton have been quoted in a thread.

The thing with gearing for a hill is not about what gear inches you can power up it when you are relatively fresh early in a ride, it's what ratio you need to tackle that hill later on, especially if you have earlier pushed hard by your standards.

milemuncher1

TheFD wrote:

So does ferry miles count? I’m off to France in the summer on the ferry. I’ll make sure I start my Garmin! In fact I’m driving from Scotland down to Portsmouth for the ferry so I’ll start it when I leave home and include all those miles. If I record it twice it will nicely boost my miles for the month.

They don’t count, they aren’t counted, as long as you turn everything off ( I did ).

ugo.santalucia

NitrousOxide wrote:

This thread has made me so proud, two of the many segments I've created around Southampton have been quoted in a thread.

The thing with gearing for a hill is not about what gear inches you can power up it when you are relatively fresh early in a ride, it's what ratio you need to tackle that hill later on, especially if you have earlier pushed hard by your standards.

That is very true... at LWL after 250 km I was on the 32 sprocket on any incline, even the shallow ones :shock:

https://www.strava.com/activities/1552498498