Help...not enough gears ???

[MattHB]

A 39-26 is going to hurt if your not fit fit fit, at least it would around here! I'd thoroughly recommend a compact crankset if you can afford it. Loads of good deals about.

 

[MattHB]

I cycle a 38/52 with a 11-26 cassette mostly, so you will get use to it but its not ideal to start.
As probably said above the cheapest way will be to put a larger cassette on but you might be limited to 28t unless you change the deraileur.
The other option is to change to smaller chainrings (perhaps a 50/34) but you'll lose top end speed if thats an issue to you. Its cheaper for me as I've got a compact 38/52 but if you have a full size double it'll be more costly.

Hlab you weigh about the same as my arse

 

[mcshroom]

Hlab you weigh about the same as my arse

And live in a place with no hills

 

[Grayduff]

Brilliant advice ..thank you guys ..much appreciated.

 

[Peteaud]

Woops, you're right, I missed that out!

Add in another £10 to £15 and you're still only looking at £45 to £50 - You might get a new chainset for that if you're lucky (not including BB), but the gearing still won't be as low.

Alternatively there's always the £4 chain from Asda.

as above

Merlin cycles do the lot for about £55 (Deore rear mech, cassette and chain)

Its what is on my bike right now.

Only thing you might need to faff with is the gear cable. I just got away with it but will be fitted new jagwire cables over the winter so i didnt worry to much.

 

[HLaB]

Hlab you weigh about the same as my arse

And live in a place with no hills

Now I do but I did over 6300 miles this year on a more hillier terrain; I've not come across anything down here that can't be tackled on the 52t There are some hills mounds in Northamptonshire but nothing to prolonged, go east into Lincolnshire (Edit a reasonable distance from Peterborough) or Cambridgeshire its pancake flat (speaking about pancakes I'm hungry again ).

 

[Nigelnaturist]

A 39-26 is going to hurt if your not fit fit fit, at least it would around here! I'd thoroughly recommend a compact crankset if you can afford it. Loads of good deals about.

I usually have a 38 front and either 24/28 rear, though the bike being a triple I have the option of a 26/28 inner (depends if I want to change it), but the way its geared at the mo the 26 is great for those hills I cant yet tackle in the 38th front, the outer by the way is 48 and 13 rear, though I have plans to change that when i get a new shifter, but I might keep the 26/28 and add an 11th to the rear to give me a range from 25.1" to 117.8", when I got the bike it ranged from 31.2" to 103.8". To do the change all I need is the shifter (got the spacers from a cassette I converted in to a 7 sp), if I go upto a 9 it will mean another new cassette an a new chain and 9 sp shifters.

 

[Boon 51]

I had the same problem a few weeks back when I got my 1st road bike. I've never felt so knackered. But what I would say is keep riding your bike as it is and practise riding up and down hills. It worked for me, it will also save you a few bob which you can wisely invest in some other cycling gear that you don't really need . that's what I did.

I agree it does get easier with more training...

 

[MattHB]

I agree it does get easier with more training...

It doesn't get easier.. You just get faster

 

[Grayduff]

It doesn't get easier.. You just get faster

Cant it be both

 

[MattHB]

Cant it be both

Almost never

 

[Nigelnaturist]

It doesn't get easier.. You just get faster

Yea it does. I ain't fast yet (never will be) but I broke my p.b. two days in a row on the last 1/km climb to my house Fri and Sat, ok Saturdays ride wasn't as far, its a 1km stretch with an avg incline of 2.7% the first section peaks at about 8.6% and you start from usually a standing start as its a junction off the main road, but in a week or so I have gone from an avg 9.1 mph to yesterday at 11.4 mph my first record time on this stretch was 31/8/12 at 8.5mph I had 2 slower rides and probably more slower ones than b4 I started record trips. anyway here are my times that I have recorded. and on strava

It's got easier and quicker, my next target for it is sub 3 mins.

 

[TheCyclingRooster]

Just taken delivery of a second hand Claud Butler Milano ( as mentioned in a previous thread ), my problem is the gear ratios compared to my hybrid bike are a lot different, it has 39/52 on the front and 11/26 on the back i think ( very new to this )..and i really struggled to get up the hill near to me that i could easily get up before.

Can i get a new ( subject to money) cassette for the back and a new smaller sprocket for the front OR ????

Any ideas or help would be much appreciated.....

They are sora 9 speed gears with STI changers if that helps..means very little to me..

Hi Grayduff. I have recently bought a second Bianchi,this time a pre-owned Bianchi Via Nirone 7 Alu Carbon on Campagnolo Mirage that came with a compact chain-set and a regular 13-26 9spd cassette.
My original one was on a triple 52:42:30 and a regular 13-26 9spd Xenon with 170mm cranks. That is now a 52:40:28 on 140mm cranks (Thorn) with Stronglight rings. Replacement left knee and a very short stature meant a need for shorter crank arms.
Back to the Via Nirone 7, I realised that the double front shifter was capable of comfortably handling a triple,the bike now has a 50:40:30 and the same std 13-26 rear cassette.
The downside of the 30mm shorter crank length is that it effectively make the 50:40:30 into a 52:42:32 but I have a stock of Stronglight rings that I can gear down with if needed.
A similar shorter crank arm exercise is about to take place with my recently acquired Scott Speedster FB S50. That will most likely end up with a 48:36:26 and the std 11:12:14:16:18:21:24:28 cassette.
The Scott was built as standard with a 52:42;30 on the 11-28 on 170mm cranks. That puts the highest ratio at a monster 126 inch gear,that gives a rolling distance per crank revolution 398 inches or 159 turns of the cranks per mile.
I have come to the conclusion over the last several years that many a bargain has been grabbed because of totally inappropriate gearing and lack of knowledge/know-how and or finances to DIY into a better steed.

 

[screenman]

Hlab, not all of Lincolnshire is pancake flat, you obviously have not been into the Wolds. Not big hill I agree also I did not see many pro's riding the cobbles in Lincoln this year on the 52 ring.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Hlab, not all of Lincolnshire is pancake flat, you obviously have not been into the Wolds. Not big hill I agree also I did not see many pro's riding the cobbles in Lincoln this year on the 52 ring.

There isa tough flipping hill south of Lincoln.