cassette advice

rhurbarb
rhurbarb Posts: 75
edited June 2011 in Road beginners
Hi guys,After buying my roadbike i decided to take it for a test ride on the dartmoor challenge ...It was the.first time i have used a roadbike and the also the first time ive used clipon shoes....

Had the shock of my life when i come up to a steep hill and my leg muscles felt like they had water balloons attached too them
I ride a mountain bike and i normal thrive on hills....

The bike i purchased was acube gtc race with the compact setup,went for that because i was told less gear changes,.so heres my question ...Whats the best setup for the cassette to help me up the hills,i do understand the bike has to be ridden to get used to the setup .

currently has the Shimano Ultegra CS-6700 11-28T, 10-speed fitted....
Thanks ...Rhurbarb :D

Comments

  • Bozman
    Bozman Posts: 2,518
    What you have is spot on, it'll just take a little practice.
  • pilot_pete
    pilot_pete Posts: 2,120
    Whats the best setup for the cassette to help me up the hills
    Sorry to shock you Rhu old boy, but you already have the best set-up with a compact and a 28 tooth lowest cog! You just need to practice a bit more...

    I started out with a compact and 12-25 and felt similarly in the Peak District. I thought about changing cassette, but didn't and now I have no problems getting up even 1:4...losing a stone helped considerably!

    Good luck.

    PP
  • rhurbarb
    rhurbarb Posts: 75
    Thanks for very quick replies.....Nice to know i dont have to spend out more money afterall lol.

    i will get the practice for sure one thing though the shoes, is it best to put the clip as far forward as possible ..seemed a bit towards the middle of the pedal to me ..

    Had lots of cramps this year and i was only 1 mile an hour overall faster then me old knacker of a mountain bike ....

    Cheers guys ...Rhurbarb :D
  • Rule74Please
    Rule74Please Posts: 307
    Gearing you have is too low. Try to stay off the 28 as much as possible as this is too low for most gradients. You will only go slower not find it easier.

    Most people I see climb on too low a gear. A group i ride with regularly sees a 11% gradient and those on 34/28 find 34/23 easier after we explain to them why it is so.
  • rhurbarb
    rhurbarb Posts: 75
    I know what you mean.I do tend to ride up hills in a stiffer gear ,only used 27 on the last cry for help .Cheers :D
  • Slack
    Slack Posts: 326
    Rhu

    I know the Dartmoor area very well. I also know some experienced guys who ride a with a 34x28, as it helps them 'spin up' some of the longer and steeper gradients. So i wouldn't worry about it being too low.

    I get away with using a 39x27 as my lowest, but have toughened up and got a bit fitter now. I started off for several months with a lowest gear of 39X25 (even went up Holne Chase hill on that!)

    So it's down to the old chestnut of fitness.
    Plymouthsteve for councillor!!
  • rhurbarb
    rhurbarb Posts: 75
    Thanks slack..Holne defintely one of those hills most of us dread and that nasty hill upto princetown from tavy :wink:

    Got plenty of time to work on my fitness and get to get the right advice on food and drink ..Cheers m8...Rhu :D
  • rhurbarb wrote:
    i will get the practice for sure one thing though the shoes, is it best to put the clip as far forward as possible ..seemed a bit towards the middle of the pedal to me
    A good starting point is to have the cleat under the ball of your foot.
  • oldwelshman
    oldwelshman Posts: 4,733
    Gearing you have is too low. Try to stay off the 28 as much as possible as this is too low for most gradients. You will only go slower not find it easier.

    Most people I see climb on too low a gear. A group i ride with regularly sees a 11% gradient and those on 34/28 find 34/23 easier after we explain to them why it is so.

    Great advice :D
    So the op says he struggled on a climb on his lowest gear and you advise him to use higher gears? Hmmm wonder how he will turn the pedals.
    You say he will only go slower and not find it easier? Hmm how do you work that one out, if the gear is lower it is bound to be easier as the ratio is different. It is not necessarily slower either as allhe has to do is pedal faster !!
    I would be interested to hear who the riders you see are that use too low a gear ? :D Contador? Cancellara? Wiggins? Dare I say it Armstrong? They seem, to go quiet fast with low gears and high cadence.
    How can you advise him of that as you do not know his physique, his fitness level.
    I can climb using a 34 x 27 or with 39 x 21. I have done a gradient of 30% with a 42 x 21 but I would not adives everyone to crunch up a hilll like that. Some riders prefer to ride with a gigher cadence in low gear specially on longer climbs. In fact if you watch the TDF you will see most riders using higher cadence on longer climbs.
    These days I generally use 39 12 x 23 set up or compact 34 12 x 21. With the compact this allows me to race and use just the big ring, then if I do foreign sportive can use the small front ring for long climbs.
    Maybe the op shuld have gone for a tripple if doing more events, or just get fitter :D
  • wheelygood
    wheelygood Posts: 101
    If this was your first ride on clipless then it could have been incorrect positinioning of the cleat that cuased your leg cramps - bike setup is really important for the longer distances - even tiny adjustments make a heck of a difference. I did a 60 mile event a few days after getting my new bike and I didn't have the saddle position right - I was creased by half-way and felt like I'd have to drop out. Adjusted the saddle and the improvement was immediate!
  • Alibran
    Alibran Posts: 370
    So the op says he struggled on a climb on his lowest gear and you advise him to use higher gears? Hmmm wonder how he will turn the pedals.

    I was wondering that. I managed to find a hill the other day that I barely managed in my lowest gear. It was one of those where legs say "can't" and head says, "Yes, you can, because grinding to a halt and getting a foot on the floor here is going to be an embarrassing scramble, and those people walking past will find it hilarious." I managed it, but the legs certainly didn't thank me for the rest of the day. There's no way I could have done it in a higher gear.
  • Paul E
    Paul E Posts: 2,052
    I get away on my triple although I almost never use the 30 ring, the lowest in the middle 39 ring is 39-27 and I get up most things in that or even the next gear down, just takes climbing miles to get used to it, I cam from MTB too and it takes time to adapt.
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    I rode up Blakey Bank on the North Yorks moors at the weekend. I was on my heavy old Dawes tourer with a triple. My friend was on a Giant Defy. To my chagrin, he was rather quicker up the hill than me despite his much tougher gearing (though the bike was probably 10lbs lighter).

    I'm not sure that I was really on form on that climb but, although he was quicker (despite me being, at the moment, the stronger cyclist), I don't think that necessarily makes Rule74nothankyou's argument any more logical than it sounds.

    Ultimately, ignoring weight, I was still able to maintain a more sustainable cadence. Mark was going as slowly as he could and so was I - the higher gearing was what made him quicker. Perhaps it was Blakey that meant that I was in better condition for the remainder of the ride. Who knows? However, unless you can maintain optimum cadence on a climb, the argument that a lower gear isn't a good idea makes little sense.
    Faster than a tent.......
  • Stoo48
    Stoo48 Posts: 54
    Interestingly, I have gone the other way from road to MB, I find I can climb like a mountain goat on the MB, traction is the only issue when I stand a la Roadie and get wheel spin.....

    I struggled on the hills when I first bought the road bike, but it just takes effort and try not to be a hero pulling too big a gear..... Much easier and more efficient when you use the right one.
  • rhurbarb
    rhurbarb Posts: 75
    Do appreciate it guys...When i was riding my mountain bike on the road i was riding it in the highest gear on the flat and my legs became really strong so hills become fun ,i did experiment with my toes pulling them back in the pedals and riding with just my toes on the edge and defintely increased the speed uphill on the mb

    So im going to play with the cleats and put them far forward as poss...then if they hurt me toes they will go back a little

    As for the bike position i was pleasantly surprised i didnt get back ache or sore wrists
    ,it felt comfy ,but today i walked like i had wooden legs ...steps were a real problem ..
    no pain no gain ,hope there is a gain out of it lol.

    Might get clipless on my mountain bike and just see how the 2 bikes compare as my mb is only 4 kilos heavier then my roadbike ,maybe its good to train on 2 different bikes i dont know..

    im Joining my local bike club next week so expect things to change .big time...
    Thanks to each individual who has posted in here ...Thanks guys :D