Most common gearing on a road bike

[Dogtrousers]

When I started cycling "properly", as a teenager in the late 80's, my bike had 52/42 chainrings and a 13-23 freewheel. I later swapped to a 13-21 because it looked cooler and I thought made me better...

Those are basically 50 inch lowest gears! I rode the same hills then that I do now, struggling with a 36/32 30 inch low gear. I honestly don't know how I did it. Fitter, sure, and a bit lighter, but I guess you just manage with what you've got!

I might try limiting myself to the 19 sprocket next time I go out (51 inches), and see how far I get 😂🫠

I do remember putting a 28T freewheel on my bike and thinking "great, this will be the solution to all my uphill worries".

It wasn't.

I don't know why I never tried fitting a triple. Maybe I didn't know they existed. Maybe I thought you needed a special frame to fit one. Maybe it was the expense. I don't remember.

 

[N0bodyOfTheGoat]

I changed the cassette range on my Cube Attain GTC Disc to 11-34 (11-speed) in '20 after having the bike a few years, it was a game changer for me.

More practical sprockets for climbing as well as an easier gear when combined with the existing 34/50 chainrings, at the cost of 2-tooth jumps at the top end of the cassette that I rarely used anyway.

 

[HLaB]

Lol, we had a conversation about gears yesterday and folk thought my 11-28 was extremely small. It doesn't seem that long ago it was quite big compared to an 11-23 or 25

 

[ianrauk]

Lol, we had a conversation about gears yesterday and folk thought my 11-28 was extremely small. It doesn't seem that long ago it was quite big compared to an 11-23 or 25

I ran 11-25 for years. But as age has crept up on me, I've now gone to 11-28.

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

Lol, we had a conversation about gears yesterday and folk thought my 11-28 was extremely small. It doesn't seem that long ago it was quite big compared to an 11-23 or 25

I guess like many on here, if you started riding more than 10 years ago, compact wasn't even an option then. 53/11 with nothing larger than a 25 was absolutely standard even in the 2000's.

I ride a 52-36 with a 28 on the back, but I weigh next to nothing and am reasonably fit and wouldn't recommend it to most.

 

[mrushton]

At my age (mid 60s) it 46/36 with 13-29 but 10 speed. If I was going to eg 12 speed I'd be on eg 12-32/34 and poss GRX 46/30 with a smaller range cassette. I dont ride fast enough these days to warrant anything bigger than 48 or 46

 

[HLaB]

I guess like many on here, if you started riding more than 10 years ago, compact wasn't even an option then. 53/11 with nothing larger than a 25 was absolutely standard even in the 2000's.

I ride a 52-36 with a 28 on the back, but I weigh next to nothing and am reasonably fit and wouldn't recommend it to most.

I run a 52/34 with an 11-28. It was a 52/36 but I swapped out the 36tfor a 34t 3years or so ago for a cycling holiday to Tenerife, and I haven't bothered to switch it back. The 11ft mountains round here mean I am never in the small ring anyway.

My commuter is currently 52/38 with an 11-23. I had an 11-28 on there but it was 11sp and I ran it as 11-25 10sp but the bike shop was insistent I should change it for a 10sp block and that is all they had. I think though it shifted better and was quieter with the limited 11sp block 😂

 

[Pblakeney]

I guess like many on here, if you started riding more than 10 years ago, compact wasn't even an option then. 53/11 with nothing larger than a 25 was absolutely standard even in the 2000's.

I ride a 52-36 with a 28 on the back, but I weigh next to nothing and am reasonably fit and wouldn't recommend it to most.

Ha! I was sensible enough to get a 50/34 fitted when I bought my bike in 2008. I do live in a hilly area though.
Things would be different if I lived in the Fens.

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

I run a 52/34 with an 11-28. It was a 52/36 but I swapped out the 36tfor a 34t 3years or so ago for a cycling holiday to Tenerife, and I haven't bothered to switch it back. The 11ft mountains round here mean I am never in the small ring anyway.
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My commuter is currently 52/38 with an 11-23. I had an 11-28 on there but it was 11sp and I ran it as 11-25 10sp but the bike shop was insistent I should change it for a 10sp block and that is all they had. I think though it shifted better and was quieter with the limited 11sp block 😂

To be honest I only run a 28 as they are usually the cheapest cassettes to buy online! Similar to yourself, I barely use the 36t ring, I can get up everything around my way in a 52-25 at worst. If I think about it carefully, out of 22 gears I actually use about 5 of them regularly 😂

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

Ha! I was sensible enough to get a 50/34 fitted when I bought my bike in 2008. I do live in a hilly area though.
Things would be different if I lived in the Fens.

2008 is quite early for a compact PB, you must have been an early adopter. Always ahead of the game!

 

[Webbo2]

My 3 bikes have 52 x36. I used to use a 11 x28 which was fine for the East Yorkshire Wolds. I did get an 11x 30 cassette for trips in the the North York moors. Now having moved up there I have an 11x 34 as I’m getting older and the local group I’ve been going out with seem to hunt down every hill they can find.

 

[Regular.Cyclist]

50/34 with an 11-28 cassette is typically my setup. Even by bike with IGH is set pretty close to the range that gives.

 

[si_c]

I live in a relatively flat area, all three of my road bikes have different gearing setups, the Trek has 50/34 with an 11-30, my winter Kinesis has 48/32 with 11-32 and the summer bike has 52/36 with 11-32. Don't really notice the difference from bike to bike around here as even the gap betwee the summer and winter bikes isn't that great. Dropping to a 34 or 36t on the winter bike would make a much bigger difference than the front.

 

[T4tomo]

I ran 11-25 for years. But as age has crept up on me, I've now gone to 11-28.

Similar here, but then I discovered Miche cassettes, and specifically a 12-29 is still within the parameters of my RD.

 

[Fluided]

I ride 34 x 50 with a 11 x 34 cassette and can get up everything I've tried