32 tooth cog on road bike rear cassette

[zigzag]

Ten miles of 10%..

I think your mixing up hills with mountains and european terrain. I live just on the edge of the West Pennines and occasionally dabble in the rides around the Dales or the Lakes so to me a 'proper hill' is anything that makes you sweat hard and gets you out of the saddle or forces you to struggle with whether to sit/stand or fall sideways.

when does small hill becomes a big hill and a big hill becomes a mountain? yes, 10 miles of 10% is more like a mountain, but still it's an incline that can be conquered in different ways. GrasB would be climbing in 54/28, i'd probably spin most of the way up. i like having a choice between spinning/grinding, that's all..

 

[Garz]

I was never referring to your gearing, just highlighting that for different people it will vary whether it's hard or not. By only categorising your 'hills' the way you do is pretty severe. A moderate hill to the average paunchy male is obviously a hump in the road to you. That's all..

 

[GrasB]

when does small hill becomes a big hill and a big hill becomes a mountain? yes, 10 miles of 10% is more like a mountain, but still it's an incline that can be conquered in different ways. GrasB would be climbing in 54/28, i'd probably spin most of the way up. i like having a choice between spinning/grinding, that's all..

My personal climbing style is mix it up as much as possible; riding in & out of the saddle, spinning up & grinding out the gears. Last year I did 5 longish days of hard competitive climbing rides in the Alps, 85 miles/day for 3 straight days then towards the end of the 10 days another 2 days doing 85 miles/day. What I quickly found was that swapping my technique over every 4-5 min allowed me to produce more power for longer, further more it allows me to have enough in reserve to turn it on over the back 1km or so of a long climb in preparation for the descent (an example of where having a topographical trace of your route on your trip comp comes in really handy).

The example of 54/28 or 38/19 was to demonstrate how 'being macho' & riding on the big ring can actually have a benefit over riding on gears that some people feel are more appropriate, especially when riding in a competitive manner. To quote one of the riders on that particular climb when I asked why he didn't break away with us "It started to get steeper, then saw you & Sal' transition to the big ring & though 'dear god, I'm f**ked!'". That rider was a stronger climber than me & shouldn't have had any problems keeping up with us. The advantage I had wasn't a physical one I'd actually changed down a gear or so (58.5" to 49.5"), but psychological advantage of hitting the big ring had cracked the rider & he was left in the pack.

 

[PhotographerW2]

I've been thinking about his today, and was going to post a question, but might get it answered here. I've got a Chorus groupset with 12/29, bought for cycling over the Alps last year.

I got up all the climbs, but often my cadence was only 60, i.e. having even more sprockets would have been welcome and I might not have felt so knackered at the end of the day.

I'm hoping to cross the Alps again this year and the word 'Ventoux' has been mentioned. Spinning at a higher cadence - even if my speed is low! - would be preferable.

I've got a Shimano 105 groupset on a second bike and have been wondering if I should upgrade (or rather cross-grade) to the SRAM Apex with 12/32. The frames of both bikes are a similar weight, so my question is whether a 32 really gives you three extra gears, or whether the ratios are different, i.e. perhaps only giving the equivalent of one more gear, which wouldn't be worth the expense.

Also, I haven't found the total weight of the Chorus groupset vs the Apex. It's 'lower end' so perhaps the added weight would be counterproductive?

Presumably I'd have to replace the entire 105 groupset or would brakes be compatible with SRAM?

Thanks

R

 

[zigzag]

Presumably I'd have to replace the entire 105 groupset or would brakes be compatible with SRAM?

hello Photographer and welcome to the forum. as a cheapest solution i would put shimano mtb cassette and mtb rear mech (medium cage if double chaiset, long cage if triple) to go with 105 groupset you've already got.

 

[Garz]

..or as you put it yourself:

perhaps only giving the equivalent of one more gear, which wouldn't be worth the expense.

You could alternatively focus on getting fitter for this type of event. I agree that some of these minor tweaks are costing you some money for not much benefit. The 29T on the rear should be adequate enough for the job so maybe practice a few training repeats until you decide to fork out and use your money on lower gearing.

I got up all the climbs , but often my cadence was only 60, i.e. having even more sprockets would have been welcome and I might not have felt so knackered at the end of the day.

With enough preparation then you will be fine.

 

[PhotographerW2]

..or as you put it yourself:



You could alternatively focus on getting fitter for this type of event. I agree that some of these minor tweaks are costing you some money for not much benefit. The 29T on the rear should be adequate enough for the job so maybe practice a few training repeats until you decide to fork out and use your money on lower gearing.



With enough preparation then you will be fine.

Thanks for the advice.

You're probably right, but I'm 46 and last year we climbed the equivalent of 1.5 time the height of Everest in 8 days! I'm doing a week's training camp in Lanzerote in March; I'll bring the 29T and see how the climbs go. In the meantime, I'll also investigate the MTB option...

 

[Fab Foodie]

Thanks for the advice.

You're probably right, but I'm 46 and last year we climbed the equivalent of 1.5 time the height of Everest in 8 days! I'm doing a week's training camp in Lanzerote in March; I'll bring the 29T and see how the climbs go. In the meantime, I'll also investigate the MTB option...

Another option would be to have a different chainring/chainset for crossing the alps and leave the rear-end of the bike alone.

 

[GrasB]

Another option would be to have a different chainring/chainset for crossing the alps and leave the rear-end of the bike alone.

A possible option.

PhotographerW2, what have you currently chainring wise? compact or classical double

 

[JCoop]

I converted my Litespeed Vortex into a "cafe" tourer after surviving Lymphoma and losing much of my muscle mass and fitness. I got Harris' Cyclery's Cyclotouriste cogset 13-34. My Vortex has Dura Ace components with a 53-39 Crankset. The combination seems to work well, except I have to be conscious not to shift to the 30 or 32 when I'm on the large chainring. I can maintain my normal 80-90 cadence when going up the 6-8% grade hills we have around here. When I get my muscles and fitness back, I'll switch back to my favorite 12-27 set. I'm still on my 9th week of base building.