How grim will climbing with this bike?

8arrymcguigan

So I’m a returner (circa 15 years out of the saddle) and I’ve been on a hybrid the last few months. I was looking at getting a proper road bike and saw a felt AR3 (2015). Beautiful bike, well specced and at a good price.
My worry is climbing, I live somewhere that is relatively flat but there are some hills I’d like to conquer nearby. Would this spec be grim for climbing?

Frame: Felt Aero Road UHC Performance carbon fiber, MMC w/ InsideOut construction, BB30, carbon fiber dropouts, replaceable rear derailleur hanger, internal cable routing (electronic compatible)

Fork: Felt Aero Road UHC Advanced carbon fiber monocoque construction, AeroTaper 1.125"" - 1.25"" carbon fiber steer tube w/ integrated crown race, crown, blades & dropouts

Headset: FSA No. 38 integrated, 1.125"" - 1.25"" sealed cartridge bearing w/ Felt VariableHeight Cone Spacers (20mm PC, 4.5mm aluminum), 1x 10mm + 2 x 5mm PC headset spacers, Felt compression device, top cap & aluminum bolt

Bars: 3T Tornova, 83mm reach, 139mm drop, Ø31.8mm

Stem: 3T ARX II +/-5° rise, Ø31.8mm

Speed: 22

Front Mech: Shimano Ultegra braze-on

Rear Mech: Shimano Ultegra short cage

Shifters Shimano Ultegra STI

Chain set: Shimano Ultegra 52/36T

Bottom Bracket: FSA BB30 w/ 24mm spindle reducers

Cassette: Shimano 11-speed, 12-25T

Chain: Shimano 11-speed

Front Brake: Shimano Ultegra dual pivot caliper

Rear Brake: Shimano Ultegra dual pivot caliper

Rims: Shimano RS31

Front Hub: Shimano RS31

Rear Hub: Shimano RS31

Spokes: Shimano RS31

Tyres: Vittoria Rubino Pro Slick, 700 x 23c Front Vittoria Rubino Pro Slick, 700 x 23c Rear

Seatpost: Felt Vibration Reducing Aero Road flip position UHC carbon fiber w/ 3T DiffLock Comfort Module internals

8arrymcguigan

It’s probably worth pointing out the other bike I looked at is a BMC team machine which weighs about the same but has a Shimano 11-32t cassette

imposter2.0

The bike's ability to climb will depend almost exclusively on the ability of the rider. Lower gearing might help on some climbs, but it will obviously depend on the severity of them, and your ability to get up them.

8arrymcguigan

imposter2.0 said:

The bike's ability to climb will depend almost exclusively on the ability of the rider. Lower gearing might help on some climbs, but it will obviously depend on the severity of them, and your ability to get up them.

After 15 years of climbing only stairs let’s say the ability is nonexistent

orraloon

If you don't have a lot of climbing in your legs then perhaps an 11-32 would be easier place to start. Could always refit the 25 if you find you don't need the lower gears.

kevin_stephens

The bike will be grim for climbing with the lowest gear of 36 to 25. The bike has a short cage rear mech which may limit the max cassette to 28, this may be ok with a 34 chainring but less so with a 36. It looks like the aero frame and gears are optimised for riding fast on the flat rather than hill climbing. A “good price “ is only value if it meets your requirements. I would look elsewhere, what budget did you have in mind?

8arrymcguigan

Budget is around £1000 can go higher for the right bike, lower means I get to buy a power meter as well

Darius_Jedburgh

Forget the power meter. You need to get some basic riding fitness first.

Get some miles in before getting too technical.

kevin_stephens

I think a really good climbing and all round bike is the Dolan Tuono with 105 groupset at £1,500. Mail order and highly customisable. Ultegra is nice to have but marginal gains over 105. Your options may be more limited at £1,000 with second hand or old stock, but as you are finding, likely to be with non optimum sizes and gears

kingstongraham

If you're already worried about climbing, get something with 50-34 on the front and up to 32 on the back. You can always switch back to 28 on the back, but it's rare to hear people say they wish they'd had fewer low gears!

How do you find the hills on your hybrid, and what's the lowest gearing you got on that?

8arrymcguigan

kingstongraham said:

If you're already worried about climbing, get something with 50-34 on the front and up to 32 on the back. You can always switch back to 28 on the back, but it's rare to hear people say they wish they'd had fewer low gears!

How do you find the hills on your hybrid, and what's the lowest gearing you got on that?

At the moment I have a Carrera Gryphon which has a 12-32t cassette but the bike weight about 13 kilos and I can manage the hills in the granny gear. I was hoping the saving of around 5 kilos on the bike would offset the more difficult gearing.

webboo

36x25 is probably a lower gear than you had on your bike 15 years ago, you might have something like 39 x 23.

fiverears

For me I would'nt touch a BB30, too many horror stories.
I am a climber and think the 46/30t is the perfecto for climbing and good cadence.
Goodluck.

Dorset_Boy

Just buy an 11-28 or 11-30 cassette and put that on the back instead of the 11-25.

8arrymcguigan

Dorset_Boy said:

Just buy an 11-28 or 11-30 cassette and put that on the back instead of the 11-25.

Would this be difficult? In spite of my father being a car mechanic none of his technical skill passed on in the bloodline.

mrfpb

8arrymcguigan said:

kingstongraham said:

If you're already worried about climbing, get something with 50-34 on the front and up to 32 on the back. You can always switch back to 28 on the back, but it's rare to hear people say they wish they'd had fewer low gears!

How do you find the hills on your hybrid, and what's the lowest gearing you got on that?

At the moment I have a Carrera Gryphon which has a 12-32t cassette but the bike weight about 13 kilos and I can manage the hills in the granny gear. I was hoping the saving of around 5 kilos on the bike would offset the more difficult gearing.

So you currently have 34/32 as your low gear and are looking at 36/25. That's a lot bigger. As others have said, look at the max cassette you can put on. Try Planet X or Ribble as they allow you to choose gearing, among other options on their own makes - Merlin do on a few of their models.

webboo

5 minute job to change a cassette. However you will need the right tools, chain whip, cassette tool and a large spanner.

bobmcstuff

webboo said:

5 minute job to change a cassette. However you will need the right tools, chain whip, cassette tool and a large spanner.

That one probably has a short cage mech so probably limited to a 28.

I'd look at a 50/34 upfront for general use, 52/36 is pretty unnecessary especially for a "new" rider. This can also be retrofitted easily and quite cheaply.

I prefer having a wide range of gears then not needing them rather than the reverse!

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Medium cage rear mech and an 11-34 cassette would definitely help up hills, before lockdown inflation that would cost you ~£70 for Shimano 105 tier.

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-105-r7000-11-speed-cassette-1/
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-105-r7000-11-speed-rear-derailleur/

Plus tools to do the changeover.

ibr17xvii

36/25 would be a grim bottom gear for a half fit cyclist never mind a returner.

28,30, 32 cassette required.

Charlie_Croker

8arrymcguigan Just out of interest, how steep and how long are these hills that frighten you so 1in12, 1in8, 1in4, ½ mile, more - less?
You could show us on Google Maps

Darius_Jedburgh

Old man speaking...but in the last century chainrings were commonly 52/42 and 7 or new fangled 8 speed blocks were 12-25 for hilly terrain. No STI just down tube shifters. No Di2.

Nobody complained. We just got on with it. Buttertubs, Nick of Pendle, Honister. Rode them all on those gears.

lesfirth

FrankYates said:

Old man speaking...but in the last century chainrings were commonly 52/42 and 7 or new fangled 8 speed blocks were 12-25 for hilly terrain. No STI just down tube shifters. No Di2.

Nobody complained. We just got on with it. Buttertubs, Nick of Pendle, Honister. Rode them all on those gears.

By ek you had it easy. When a were a lad we had 52/48 and a 5 speed block 14-25.
Most rides were east from Manchester into the Peak District.

Darius_Jedburgh

I used to ride a 52.48 with a straight through 12.18 seven speed block on my TT bike. I set several club records, some of which still stand. Think that's more to do with lack of commitment from the present membership and loss of decent courses than any great prowess on my part!

kingstongraham

FrankYates said:

Old man speaking...but in the last century chainrings were commonly 52/42 and 7 or new fangled 8 speed blocks were 12-25 for hilly terrain. No STI just down tube shifters. No Di2.

Nobody complained. We just got on with it. Buttertubs, Nick of Pendle, Honister. Rode them all on those gears.

What do you ride now you have the choice though?

Darius_Jedburgh

Not altogether sure what it is. It's what came on the bike. I think it's fairly standard 50.34(?) with 11.34 on the back.
We all used to build our own bikes back then, and with the old blocks changing rear ratios was a common thing.

But we were racing, somewhat successfully, in those days, and it mattered. Now it's purely for pleasure so I'll take what I'm given.

pblakeney

That's as maybe, but maybe you'd change it if you were given a 53/48 x 11/23. 😉

bobmcstuff

FrankYates said:

Old man speaking...but in the last century chainrings were commonly 52/42 and 7 or new fangled 8 speed blocks were 12-25 for hilly terrain. No STI just down tube shifters. No Di2.

Nobody complained. We just got on with it. Buttertubs, Nick of Pendle, Honister. Rode them all on those gears.

Yeah but back in t'day everyone was happy to grind round at 50rpm. These days the trend is to spin a higher cadence, which is certainly easier on the knees. And people thought at the top end that using the biggest gear possible made you stronger so that was the fashion for everyone else.

On a 50:11, speed at 90rpm is ~52km/h. On a 52:11 it is ~54km/h. If you're comfortable going up to 100rpm for bursts that goes up to nearly 58 km/h on the 50:11. But realistically, at those kind of speeds on a descent you'll be better off tucking anyway.

At the other end, a 34:32 means you can continue at 90rpm down to 12km/h.

On a 36:25 90 rpm is 16.4km/h - at 12km/h you'll need to be doing about 65rpm.

For perspective, 250 watts from a 70kg rider + 9kg bike on a 10% gradient is 10.3km/h according to http://bikecalculator.com/ . We have quite a lot of 10%+ gradients about.

To keep up your 90rpm on the 36:25 you'll need to be putting out close to 400 watts - a tough ask I suspect for most amateurs unless the hill is very short.

kingstongraham

FrankYates said:

Not altogether sure what it is. It's what came on the bike. I think it's fairly standard 50.34(?) with 11.34 on the back.
We all used to build our own bikes back then, and with the old blocks changing rear ratios was a common thing.

But we were racing, somewhat successfully, in those days, and it mattered. Now it's purely for pleasure so I'll take what I'm given.

Changing a cassette isn't complicated, if you really wanted to go back to the old days, you could put an 11-23 on there..... wouldn't quite get you there, but I think you'd notice it.

Darius_Jedburgh

Changing a cassette is a doddle, but several of the rings come prebolted together. You are stuck with what you are given. Long gone are the days of individual rings being swapped around.

P.S. I'm not saying it was better back then, but we had no choice so made the best of what we had.

kingstongraham

FrankYates said:

Changing a cassette is a doddle, but several of the rings come prebolted together. You are stuck with what you are given. Long gone are the days of individual rings being swapped around.

P.S. I'm not saying it was better back then, but we had no choice so made the best of what we had.

11-23 is one of the standard Ultegra cassettes.