Double or triple?
- Thread starter ShinSplint
- Start date
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Chris James
Über Member
- Location
- Huddersfield
bonj said:
Yeah, I meant everyone but racers. But by racers I mean people who are racing competitively and who can put out a lot more power, and turn much bigger gears than me.
The only sportive I ever entered had quite a number of people riding standard doubles. At the the steep climb at the end of the course the majority of them got off and walked.
My comment about compacts dates back, as the bike in question had a five speed freewheel! It would be less of an issue with a closer spaced cassette. I throw it in as it is important to consider not just the range of the gears but also where they are located and their ease of use. I think Paul Smith wrote a good post about his gearing on a similar thread that will be in the archive.
Triple every time unless you're racing or something.
I started on an old school double 42/52 with 12-25 cassette, realised after my first long ride that I seriously needed lower gears. Then fitted a compact - annoyed the hell out of my flitting between large/small ring at the front and having a crappy chainline to get a reasonable 60-70" cruising gear. Now have a 30/40/50 triple with 12-27 cassette and love it. Although I'm going to fit a 26/36/46 for touring with a trailer.
I started on an old school double 42/52 with 12-25 cassette, realised after my first long ride that I seriously needed lower gears. Then fitted a compact - annoyed the hell out of my flitting between large/small ring at the front and having a crappy chainline to get a reasonable 60-70" cruising gear. Now have a 30/40/50 triple with 12-27 cassette and love it. Although I'm going to fit a 26/36/46 for touring with a trailer.
Paul_Smith SRCC
www.plsmith.co.uk
- Location
- Surrey UK
I have posted this before but may be of interest here so I have repeated it for you:
What you need to do is work out what gear ratios you like to use and then try and achieve them, making sure they are correctly positioned, no point if mathematically you can only get your most common used gear in largest ring largest sprocket.
By way of an example that is all I have done on my current tour bike, I use a 13t-29t Campagnolo 10 speed cassette set up with a chainset that 26-36-46t chainrings to give the the gear ratios I am after
I like gears of around 60”, you will see that I have got those on both middle and outer ring. I have done this essentially because this is a bike I use for two roles, solo rides of 15-20mph and touring rides of 12-15mph, to save repeated chain ring changes I can essentially use the big ring mainly for solo rides and the middle ring for more sociable rides. Even though it only has a 96" top gear I find that easily high enough for a mid 20-25 mph work out, for 15-20mph cruising I have ratios that I like available mid cassette on the 46 ring, this I find is the perfect set up for me. Of course everyone is different, some prefer a lower low gear and a higher high gear, horses for courses as they say
It does take a bit of thought as to what you need both in terms of ratios and then equipment choices to achieve them, but it can nearly always be done. In my case for example I did invest in a high quality chainset to get the ring combinations I wanted, as for me personally I find many road specific triples have ring choices too large yet the ATB chainsets too small for what I wanted.
Note I said 'wanted' not 'needed', my tour bike is used for tours, often I want to climb a long mountain pass with little effort to take in the scenery, so I chose lower gear ratios on that bike. Sportive bikes by comparison are normally ridden with no luggage, plus set up generally for riding at a higher speed than a touring bike, you can see from that gear chart above that a 34t inner chain ring with a 27t largest sprocket, a common combination on a sportive bike with compact transmission, will give a lowest gear ratio of approx' 34", on that style of bike that is low enough for most riders, even on a mountain pass.
To try and explain what a 34" gear ratio equates to you will see a red Audax bike in my tour write ups under my signature below, the 'Lejog' write up had a higher gear than that and I rode up every climb, in that specification I also toured the High Alps with two full panniers and again rode every climb.
However, I realised when I was riding in a group I had to keep the gear turning on the climbs and ride quicker than many of my new friends, who were using lower gear ratios than me and able to ride at a slower more socialble pace, that along with wanting to take in the scenery is why you will now see that bike had a triple in some of the later tour articles. As I said gear ratio choices can take some thought, the decision may not always be down to ability.
Note my bike is an Audax bike, I have mentioned it purely to illustrate the thought process that can go into deciding what gear ratios to go for.
Hope this helps
Paul_Smith
www.corridori.co.uk
What you need to do is work out what gear ratios you like to use and then try and achieve them, making sure they are correctly positioned, no point if mathematically you can only get your most common used gear in largest ring largest sprocket.
By way of an example that is all I have done on my current tour bike, I use a 13t-29t Campagnolo 10 speed cassette set up with a chainset that 26-36-46t chainrings to give the the gear ratios I am after
I like gears of around 60”, you will see that I have got those on both middle and outer ring. I have done this essentially because this is a bike I use for two roles, solo rides of 15-20mph and touring rides of 12-15mph, to save repeated chain ring changes I can essentially use the big ring mainly for solo rides and the middle ring for more sociable rides. Even though it only has a 96" top gear I find that easily high enough for a mid 20-25 mph work out, for 15-20mph cruising I have ratios that I like available mid cassette on the 46 ring, this I find is the perfect set up for me. Of course everyone is different, some prefer a lower low gear and a higher high gear, horses for courses as they say
It does take a bit of thought as to what you need both in terms of ratios and then equipment choices to achieve them, but it can nearly always be done. In my case for example I did invest in a high quality chainset to get the ring combinations I wanted, as for me personally I find many road specific triples have ring choices too large yet the ATB chainsets too small for what I wanted.
Note I said 'wanted' not 'needed', my tour bike is used for tours, often I want to climb a long mountain pass with little effort to take in the scenery, so I chose lower gear ratios on that bike. Sportive bikes by comparison are normally ridden with no luggage, plus set up generally for riding at a higher speed than a touring bike, you can see from that gear chart above that a 34t inner chain ring with a 27t largest sprocket, a common combination on a sportive bike with compact transmission, will give a lowest gear ratio of approx' 34", on that style of bike that is low enough for most riders, even on a mountain pass.
To try and explain what a 34" gear ratio equates to you will see a red Audax bike in my tour write ups under my signature below, the 'Lejog' write up had a higher gear than that and I rode up every climb, in that specification I also toured the High Alps with two full panniers and again rode every climb.
However, I realised when I was riding in a group I had to keep the gear turning on the climbs and ride quicker than many of my new friends, who were using lower gear ratios than me and able to ride at a slower more socialble pace, that along with wanting to take in the scenery is why you will now see that bike had a triple in some of the later tour articles. As I said gear ratio choices can take some thought, the decision may not always be down to ability.
Note my bike is an Audax bike, I have mentioned it purely to illustrate the thought process that can go into deciding what gear ratios to go for.
Hope this helps
Paul_Smith
www.corridori.co.uk
whilst this subject is raised is there much differace in gear ratio.
the 1st is the bike i am planning to buy, the 2nd figures are my currect bike
CASSETTE Shimano HG50 12-25
CHAIN Shimano HG73
CRANK SShimano Tiagra 34/50
and
CASSETTE Shimano HG40 11-32
CHAINK MC Z7
CRANKSTruVativ ISOFlow 3.0 22/32/42
edit: i dont really understand the diagrams which is why i ask.
the 1st is the bike i am planning to buy, the 2nd figures are my currect bike
CASSETTE Shimano HG50 12-25
CHAIN Shimano HG73
CRANK SShimano Tiagra 34/50
and
CASSETTE Shimano HG40 11-32
CHAINK MC Z7
CRANKSTruVativ ISOFlow 3.0 22/32/42
edit: i dont really understand the diagrams which is why i ask.
no expert here but it;s the factor of the two gears that produces the erm, gearing
so for each big ring you have, number of teeth, you can then see what you get for each ring on the cassette, the table is handy to see what sort of overlap you get, so you can find your way form gearing to gearing on the various front rings
that muddled enough?
so for each big ring you have, number of teeth, you can then see what you get for each ring on the cassette, the table is handy to see what sort of overlap you get, so you can find your way form gearing to gearing on the various front rings
that muddled enough?
MacB
Lover of things that come in 3's
- Location
- Farnborough, Hampshire
J4F, the first gives you this range in inches:-
[SIZE=-1]75.8[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]111.5[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]70.0[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]102.9[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]65.0[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]95.6[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]60.7[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]89.2[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]53.5[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]78.7[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]47.9[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]70.4[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]43.3[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]63.7[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]39.6[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]58.2[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]36.4[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]53.5[/SIZE]
the second:-
[SIZE=-1]53.5[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]77.8[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]102.2[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]49.1[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]71.4[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]93.7[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]42.1[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]61.2[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]80.3[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]36.8[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]53.5[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]70.2[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]32.7[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]47.6[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]62.4[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]28.0[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]40.8[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]53.5[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]24.5[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]35.7[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]46.8[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]21.0[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]30.6[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]40.1[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]18.4[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]26.8[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]35.1[/SIZE]
lower the No of inches the easier to pedal, this is from Sheldons calculator, great fun to play with
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears/
sorry about that doesn't seem to paste too well
[SIZE=-1]75.8[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]111.5[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]70.0[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]102.9[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]65.0[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]95.6[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]60.7[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]89.2[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]53.5[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]78.7[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]47.9[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]70.4[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]43.3[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]63.7[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]39.6[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]58.2[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]36.4[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]53.5[/SIZE]
the second:-
[SIZE=-1]53.5[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]77.8[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]102.2[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]49.1[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]71.4[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]93.7[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]42.1[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]61.2[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]80.3[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]36.8[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]53.5[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]70.2[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]32.7[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]47.6[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]62.4[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]28.0[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]40.8[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]53.5[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]24.5[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]35.7[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]46.8[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]21.0[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]30.6[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]40.1[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]18.4[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]26.8[/SIZE][SIZE=-1]35.1[/SIZE]
lower the No of inches the easier to pedal, this is from Sheldons calculator, great fun to play with
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears/
sorry about that doesn't seem to paste too well
just4fun said:
in order to construct a gear chart of the two bikes to compare it is necessary to know whether your bike is a 7 speed 8 speed 9 or 10 speed ?
go to Sheldon brown's site here
http://sheldonbrown.com/gears/
enter your bikes cassette sprockets and the chain rings and it will produce a gear chart. Repeat for your new bike and you will be able to compare.
mac got there first ....must type faster
MacB
Lover of things that come in 3's
- Location
- Farnborough, Hampshire
just4fun said:thanks. for that link... time to get counting
edit: im too stupid to figure this out but cheers for the info. if i grow a brain in the meantime i will know where to look
J4F, all you're doing is attributing a vlue to each gear No on your bike, the lower the No of inches the easier to pedal. You can then play with the calculator by changing the input values to see what happens.
Bear in mind that as you get fitter your gearing requirements may change, mine are constantly at the moment.
col
Legendary Member
Having a triple on my bikes, and because Im not going for speed mainly, I find the third a great help on hills when Im taking it easy. Now I havnt worked anything out with the numbers like on here, but it feels good and makes hills easier. Now my racer is another thing, a double does it as Im trying to go as fast as I can going up hills. But I havnt spent enough time on this to decide about the gearing, but I tend to just get used to whats on already.
hello boys, first post here,
my tuppence worth on gearing: I may as well say it now, I just got my Z top from Prendas and it fits perfectly, it's a 6xl. So with that in mind you'll gather I don't use a big ring in the 50's any more.
Anyhow, I don't like triples, on a mountain bike or a road bike. I dislike changing front rings and don't like poor chain line. I pick the lowest gear I think I'll need and the highest and go from there. I have 36/24 rings on my mountain bike and 46/30 on my road bike, both have a 11/32 9spd cassette.
Most of the time I'm on the 46 ring with the good chain line giving me the use of the whole cassette, most normal hills are manageable on 46x32. If it gets a bit steep, like asylum brae (as it's known on old os maps) near where I live, I pootle up in the 30.
I don't know if the 30x32 will get me over the String next week, we'll see, but my last road bike (44/29 Cannondale c'set) got me over the Clisham fully laden ok.
The lowest gear I've used on the road was 22x32 and the front wheel would lift with each pedal stroke, going up really steep hills like out of loch Striven. I don't think I need a bigger gear than 46/11, I freewheel downhill, in fact the 11 tooth sprocket is a bit of an ornament for me. The last tour bike I built the wheel with a 7spd cassette, to reduce the dishing for strength, but that's another story.
my tuppence worth on gearing: I may as well say it now, I just got my Z top from Prendas and it fits perfectly, it's a 6xl. So with that in mind you'll gather I don't use a big ring in the 50's any more.
Anyhow, I don't like triples, on a mountain bike or a road bike. I dislike changing front rings and don't like poor chain line. I pick the lowest gear I think I'll need and the highest and go from there. I have 36/24 rings on my mountain bike and 46/30 on my road bike, both have a 11/32 9spd cassette.
Most of the time I'm on the 46 ring with the good chain line giving me the use of the whole cassette, most normal hills are manageable on 46x32. If it gets a bit steep, like asylum brae (as it's known on old os maps) near where I live, I pootle up in the 30.
I don't know if the 30x32 will get me over the String next week, we'll see, but my last road bike (44/29 Cannondale c'set) got me over the Clisham fully laden ok.
The lowest gear I've used on the road was 22x32 and the front wheel would lift with each pedal stroke, going up really steep hills like out of loch Striven. I don't think I need a bigger gear than 46/11, I freewheel downhill, in fact the 11 tooth sprocket is a bit of an ornament for me. The last tour bike I built the wheel with a 7spd cassette, to reduce the dishing for strength, but that's another story.