Another question on gearing

[Paul_L]

I'm about to convert from a Triple (30 smallest ring, 25 tooth largest sprocket on casette) to a Compact (34 on smallest ring, 25 cassette).

Now i think i understand gear ratios, so basically i'm going from a lowest gear of 0.83 to 0.73.

I occasionally use the smallest gear on the Triple, but not too often and when i do it's only really on lumpy bits greater than say 13%.

Question is, how much of a noticable difference will this make?

And what's less of a stigma; spinning up a steep hill in a triple or walking up a steep hill with a compact !!

 

[twozeronine]

I'm sure others will provide more info on gear ratios etc., but just to add my 2p, I've recently switched from a triple to a compact (with a 10 speed, 12-25 cassette), and haven't had any problems. It took a bit of getting used to though, to find the gears I'm happy with.

The steepest hill near me is about 20%, and I don't have any more of a problem getting up it than I did on my triple, so you should certainly still be able to get up those hills, you just don't have the luxury of having the extra granny gears.

 

[TheDoctor]

Personally, if I ever used the lowest gear on a triple I'd not swap it for a compact.
Said he, with benefit of hindsight. I did the swap you're looking at and I wish I hadn't.
I'm forever swapping chainrings to get the right gear.

 

[raindog]

What difference will it make?! It will make it harder to ride up the same hill you ride up with 30-25.
And you'd rather push a compact up a hill than ride a triple up????? But why not get a compact with 27 on the back, which I guess will give you a similar bottom gear?

 

[Globalti]

Somebody once wrote on here that mountain bike gears have no place on a road bike; I was outraged at the time but have since come to understand what he meant. For loaded touring and off road riding, sure, use a triple but as he wrote, using a granny ring ruins the finesse and subtlety of road riding. With a 34 inner ring and an 11 - 27 cassette I can get up everything around here without the need to walk. My cycling buddy has a triple and it makes no difference to our speed up hills or ability to climb them.

 

[Paul_L]

Personally, if I ever used the lowest gear on a triple I'd not swap it for a compact.

I'm finding i'm using the lowest gear less and less often so i think the time is right to move to a compact

And you'd rather push a compact up a hill than ride a triple up?????

No, of course i wouldn't. That comment was made in gest due to the snobbery of some folk who turn their noses up at a triple.

I'm mindful to go with the 11-27 option at the rear.

 

[Panter]

I'm sure others will provide more info on gear ratios etc., but just to add my 2p, I've recently switched from a triple to a compact (with a 10 speed, 12-25 cassette), and haven't had any problems. It took a bit of getting used to though, to find the gears I'm happy with.

The steepest hill near me is about 20%, and I don't have any more of a problem getting up it than I did on my triple, so you should certainly still be able to get up those hills, you just don't have the luxury of having the extra granny gears.

+1 to this really. My new bike has a compact, and I was worried about the hills initially, but I've had no problems so far

 

[lukesdad]

Somebody once wrote on here that mountain bike gears have no place on a road bike; I was outraged at the time but have since come to understand what he meant. For loaded touring and off road riding, sure, use a triple but as he wrote, using a granny ring ruins the finesse and subtlety of road riding. With a 34 inner ring and an 11 - 27 cassette I can get up everything around here without the need to walk. My cycling buddy has a triple and it makes no difference to our speed up hills or ability to climb them.

It might on the downhills !

 

[zacklaws]

My cycling buddy has a triple and it makes no difference to our speed up hills or ability to climb them.

I have both a traditional double and a triple, and likewise it makes no difference to the speed as its always the same climbing steep hills 3- 5 mph, but what is difference is the cadence, on a steep hill, I can be down to 30rpm on the double, teethering on the point of falling off on the steeper hills, but in the 60's on the triple and when I get to the top, far fresher on the triple than on the double. And once I hit a long 20%+ hill, I can only manage it on the triple, one day I plan on getting a compact double and that should then become a good all round bike for club rides when I do not know the route before leaving home and may have some big hills to climb