# Do I carry on like this, or go back to what I know?



## iateyoubutler (26 Apr 2017)

I`m not sure whether this belongs here, in Commuting, or in Training, so I`ll start here

I`ve got a steel framed Genesis Flyer, which really lives up to it`s name and is a real pocket rocket. I love riding it, and I can almost hear it whispering "go on, give it some more, you know you want to!!" I just love it.

Anyhoo, I was in the market for a new commuter, so I thought I`d go for a Spesh Langster which would do that job nicely as I love the Genesis (but don`t want to kill it by riding 30 miles/day, 5 days/week), so the best of both worlds.

I really, really can`t get on with it. It`s geared higher than my Genesis which makes it bloody hard work, and Devon certainly isn`t flat! I really am finding it a slog, and after 2 weeks of owning it I just look at it with pure hatred

My main question is do I carry on in the hope that my legs will get used to this torture, or should I give up now and use one of my geared bikes? If it`s just a case of adapting then I`ll stick with it, but I don`t know anybody else with one who I can ask. My commute doesn`t have any really nasty hills which was why I went for it, but any slight incline is just hell on wheels. I`m also concerned that this could screw my knees up.

Btw, riding home tonight, against a bitter cold headwind, at a cadence of about 30, I nearly threw it in the hedge....seriously...............


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## fossyant (26 Apr 2017)

Change the gearing slightly to make it easier, and possibly go fixed rather than single speed freewheel.


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## Tim Hall (26 Apr 2017)

Wot fossy said. Buy a new sprocket to get the gearing down to match what you have on the Genesis. But keep it fixed.


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## iateyoubutler (26 Apr 2017)

Is fixed easier?

I tried it at the shop and the first thing I did was fall off!

As for gearing, my Genesis is 46/18 and that is perfect, to the letter. I "think" the Langster is 50/16, not a massive difference but enough to ruin the whole ride.

Surely a bigger sprocket means a new chain, or would the tensioning system allow for that?


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## tribanjules (26 Apr 2017)

Langster spec says 48/17 so a little taller than yr genesis


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## Tim Hall (26 Apr 2017)

The Specialized website suggests the 2017 Langster (either the vanilla one or the "Street") have 48/17 gearing. That's a 74 inch gear, compared to 67 inch on the Genesis. Quite a step. And if it's 50/16 that's 82 inches. A massive step. No wonder you're feeling it.

If the Langster has a 48 tooth chain ring, you'll need a 19 tooth sprocket/freewheel. If it really is 50 teeth, you'll need a 20 tooth sprocket (this gives you an almost 66 inch gear)

The change from 17 tooth to 19 tooth is an extra inch of chain, so you'll probably need a new chain. I wasn't aware the Langster even had a tensioner. If it has, you might be alright. Suck it and see.

Finally, fixed is way cooler. Fact.


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## iateyoubutler (26 Apr 2017)

Ah ok I stand corrected on the sizing

It`s still bloody hard work - I really can`t get the revs up

When I said tensioner, I meant the repositioning of the wheel to allow for chain stretch etc. I think I need to go back to the shop for some different cog sizes, can`t carry on like this - it`s hell!!


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## Fab Foodie (26 Apr 2017)

Alternatively, move out of Devon....


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## keithmac (26 Apr 2017)

As everyone says make it the same gearing as your other bike and enjoy it!.


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## iateyoubutler (26 Apr 2017)

keithmac said:


> As everyone says make it the same gearing as your other bike and enjoy it!.


That`s the logical way to go, I just wondered whether I`d get used to it/get faster as it is, or whether I should change things


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## keithmac (26 Apr 2017)

'after 2 weeks of owning it I just look at it with pure hatred".

You won't use it as is and it'll gather dust at the back of the garage.

You've got a tried and tested sweet spot for gearing so go with what you're comfortable with imho.


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## RedRider (26 Apr 2017)

50:16 is a big gear for hilly terrain. I went from 48:18 to 48:17 earlier this spring and for the first couple of weeks it felt like i was always riding into a headwind but then my legs got used to it. As for fixed or free, my own experience was i found fixed a little easier particularly once i was confident spinning fast downhill (when of course the slightly bigger gear made sense).


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## Dave Davenport (26 Apr 2017)

I run 48x17 on my Eastway (which is very similar to the Langster), it came with 48x16 which I found just a bit too high, just adding one tooth was enough to make it feel 'right'.


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## Welsh wheels (26 Apr 2017)

iateyoubutler said:


> I`m not sure whether this belongs here, in Commuting, or in Training, so I`ll start here
> 
> I`ve got a steel framed Genesis Flyer, which really lives up to it`s name and is a real pocket rocket. I love riding it, and I can almost hear it whispering "go on, give it some more, you know you want to!!" I just love it.
> 
> ...


I sympathise. One of my bikes has a 53-42 front ring. I have got used to it though, I think it has made me stronger. It's not going to be a long term option though. I can manage on it most of the time, just on the really steep bits all hell breaks loose!


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## 3narf (29 Apr 2017)

There's something wrong if you hate it. The gear defines the bike and it's addictive once you find your sweet spot, as you know from your Genesis.

Change to 46x17; that was my favourite ratio when I lived in High Peak. I use 48x17 now because Gloucestershire is much flatter (on the whole) but it still doesn't feel as good.

And seeing this is the 21st century, stick to the freewheel! Fixed isn't 'cooler,' it's just a fashion statement for bearded pricks in London!


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## rogerzilla (20 May 2017)

48 x 18 is a fairly standard fixed gear - about 70" on narrow 700c tyres. Anything lower makes downhills difficult and anything higher gets miserable into a headwind. You can get uphill on most gears, though - I used to ride to the start of a TT on a 91" fixed and it was ok, even with steep bridge approaches.


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## dave r (20 May 2017)

My favourite for fixed is 44x18, about 65 inch, suites my legs and Warwickshire's rolling countryside.


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## rogerzilla (22 May 2017)

Something else to bear in mind is the different feel of larger or smaller sprockets that give the same gear inches. 48 x 18 is pretty smooth but I used to run 39 x 14 on an MTB conversion (1 inch MTB slicks have a rolling diameter of about 25", so it's still a 70" gear) and it wasn't as nice. Smaller sprockets also accentuate any out-of-roundness in the system and wear is more rapid.

I run 52 x 20 on the Fuji Track now and it's very smooth indeed - an ideal rouleur's gear. There's a small trade-off for weight, but nothing significant. :Larger sprockets are a bit less "snappy" when accelerating, but one man's snappiness is another man's harshness.


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## Sharky (23 May 2017)

Think you just need to experiment with gear sizes. Try taking out the gear bike up the steeper hills on your regular route, but don't change down until it becomes really unbearable. Make a note of the ring/sprocket sizes. Similarly, find the descents, but keep to the lowest gear you can manage and still be adding a bit of "umph" into the downstroke. Likewise make a note of the sizes and then refer to the gear tables in "inches".

Then you need to have your SS/fixed gearing somewhere within the min/max range you worked out from the geared bike. However there is something magic or mystical about both a SS and a Fixed that increases your cadence ability and you find yourself capable of riding a slightly bigger gear up the hills than you would on the geared bike and similarly a lower gear on the flat and descents.

After a while you will have a toolbox with every combination of sprocket sizes from a 13 to 22, to cover leisure/time trials and hill climbing and you will become a master of sprocket changing and chain splitting.

Enjoy.


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## rogerzilla (23 May 2017)

Make your own massive chainwhip. It's not that hard and you will never fear changing a sprocket again. The optimum length is a hand's width longer than the radius of a 700c wheel.


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## steveindenmark (24 May 2017)

Has Devon grown more hills since you bought it. Or were they there beforehand ? 

Like everyone has said. Change the gearing.


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