Smokin Joe
Squire
- Location
- Bare headed cyclist, Smoker
Nobody rode single speeds back then, unless they were just utility cyclists. It was either gears or a fixed wheel.
How many gears do we really need on a bike
- Thread starter rydabent
- Start date
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Nobody rode single speeds back then, unless they were just utility cyclists. It was either gears or a fixed wheel.
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
Slackers
Punkawallah
Über Member
In the most recent copy of 'Cycle' there is a photo of three cyclists touring Wales in 1977. All of them were riding fixed, had one large saddlebag each and the ubiquitous yellow capes strapped to the top of said saddlebags. Oh and each had a 35mm. camera slung over their shoulder - !
How things have changed, or are we generally going soft - ?
There was, and is, always the option to get off and push. Just saying :-)
matticus
Guru
In the most recent copy of 'Cycle' there is a photo of three cyclists touring Wales in 1977. All of them were riding fixed, had one large saddlebag each and the ubiquitous yellow capes strapped to the top of said saddlebags. Oh and each had a 35mm. camera slung over their shoulder - !
How things have changed, or are we generally going soft - ?
(I don't believe multiple gear bikes were still shunned by most cyclo-tourists in 1977. Perhaps this was a photo-shoot by some long-forgotten predecessor of Rapha? )
I guess you like that 10 pound 12 speed cluster in the back. They must weigh as much as some frames.
classic33
Leg End Member
Nowhere near as much as a recumbent tricycle frame though.
Alex321
Guru
- Location
- South Wales
Huh?
The Shimano 105 12 speed cassette weighs 361 grams. Considerably less than a pound, and that will be the heaviest of their 12 speed road cassettes, being the cheapest.
Ajax Bay
Guru
- Location
- East Devon
Yes indeedy, Alex, but the bent bloke is referring to a Classified cassette which, bargain, costs 118 pounds, reduced from £169!
https://www.sprocketscycles.com/collections/brands-classified/products/classified-cassette-12-speed
And for @matticus - used in an ITT, I think: no peloton was involved. Good luck with a spare wheel from neutral service, though I guess it'd be OK if there were no more hills.
A triple in front and fewer gears in the rear keep all the sprockets smaller.
Of course there are not too many really steep hill where I live, but I have never had to get off and walk up hill. Especially after when I went to a triple in front.
Conrad_K
unindicted co-conspirator
- Location
- Little Rock, Arkansas
My riding area has a lot of steep hills and humpback bridges, intersperse with miles of absolutely flat paved bike paths.
I have a long wheelbase recumbent and a trike. Both have 20" rear wheels. The gearing on both seems to be the same as what normally comes on 26" bikes. But even then, I could use at least one, preferably two, lower and higher gears.
The recumbent is a 7-speed. The trike is a 16-speed. If the gear spacing on the recumbent was spread out more, it would probably be okay. The gear spacing on the trike is so close I can barely tell the difference when I shift. So in my opinion (*) the problem isn't "how many gears" but "how wide is the range."
(*) newbie cyclist, still getting used to how things are done, and in so-so physical condition
I have a long wheelbase recumbent and a trike. Both have 20" rear wheels. The gearing on both seems to be the same as what normally comes on 26" bikes. But even then, I could use at least one, preferably two, lower and higher gears.
The recumbent is a 7-speed. The trike is a 16-speed. If the gear spacing on the recumbent was spread out more, it would probably be okay. The gear spacing on the trike is so close I can barely tell the difference when I shift. So in my opinion (*) the problem isn't "how many gears" but "how wide is the range."
(*) newbie cyclist, still getting used to how things are done, and in so-so physical condition
Ajax Bay
Guru
- Location
- East Devon
What cassette or block have you got on the recumbent?
When you say "16-speed" this is 2x8, right? Again what cassette?
The 20" wheels really shorten the gear length.
Ian H
Ancient randonneur
Not entirely true. Fixed for club rides and racing, but often a freewheel for holidays and touring.
Ian H
Ancient randonneur
Isn't your 'trike' also a recumbent?
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
My first "racer" that I bought for a fiver in the mid 70s was, looking back on it, probably a decent club rider's bike from the 60s with Suntour gears. Not that I knew anything about bikes, and nor did anyone I knew. As there was no internet I had to rely in Richard Ballantyne's Bike Book for everything. Underneath the layers of paint was a square label that I now realise probably had Reynolds tubing written on it.
Anyway, the reason I mention it was it had a flip flop wheel, with a 5 speed freewheel (with pitiful range) on one side and fixed on the other. I can now imagine Mr Clubman swapping it over in the winter.
Out of curiosity I set it up as fixed and rode it to school. The damn thing tried to kill me. I was absolutely baffled as to why anyone would ride like this but I refused to let it beat me and sort of mastered it. Eventually I think I got a freewheel block with an absolutely massive 28 tooth (!) big sprocket and said goodbye to fixed wheel riding.
Anyway, the reason I mention it was it had a flip flop wheel, with a 5 speed freewheel (with pitiful range) on one side and fixed on the other. I can now imagine Mr Clubman swapping it over in the winter.
Out of curiosity I set it up as fixed and rode it to school. The damn thing tried to kill me. I was absolutely baffled as to why anyone would ride like this but I refused to let it beat me and sort of mastered it. Eventually I think I got a freewheel block with an absolutely massive 28 tooth (!) big sprocket and said goodbye to fixed wheel riding.
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