Show us your.......newbie progress! [4 Sep 2012 - 4 Oct 2014]

[BrianEvesham]

No riding here this morning, fettling is the order of the day. New Tryes fitted, well the back one anyway I'll finish off tomorrow.
This is what my OH calls the conservatory

I think it makes a great bike workshop.

 

[welsh dragon]

Hi. I may have a really stupid question but here goes. My bike is sick at the moment. However, I do have access to my sons giant mountain bike. My hybrid has 18 gears altogether. My sons mtb has 24. Does this mean that his hears are lower than mine or higher?

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Hi. I may have a really stupid question but here goes. My bike is sick at the moment. However, I do have access to my sons giant mountain bike. My hybrid has 18 gears altogether. My sons mtb has 24. Does this mean that his hears are lower than mine or higher?

depends on the teeth combinations of both the cassette (rear) and the chainrings (front). It may have, but then it may not have... my OH's old mtb above strangely has a 12-28 combination on it which explains his 'issues' going up very steep hills on it.

The larger the number of teeth at the rear means lower gears, but this has to be taken into consideration with the smallest number of teeth at the front (chainring)... so something with a largest 28 at rear but smallest front chainring of 22 will have a lower gear than 32 teeth rear, smallest 32 at the front for example...

what has yours got and what has his got?

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Hi. I may have a really stupid question but here goes. My bike is sick at the moment. However, I do have access to my sons giant mountain bike. My hybrid has 18 gears altogether. My sons mtb has 24. Does this mean that his hears are lower than mine or higher?

Not necessarily, what you need to do is count the teeth on the large rear and small front divide the teeth on the front by teeth on the rear i.e 26/26 gives a 1:1 ratio the lower the ration the lower the gearing, just because it has more gears doesn't mean it has lower gear (or higher), the stepping between each gear may be closer for i.e instead of say 15-18-21 somewhere in the middle it might go 15-17-19-21 with the extra gear just an example, my current cassette is 13-15-17-19-21-23-25-28 nice close grouping on an 8sp road bike with a low gear for anything thats a little more than I normally ride,
A typical M.T.B 8sp cassette would be 11-13-15-17-20-23-26-34 you can see the stepping between each is greater but say a 26 front and the 34 rear would be 1:0.76 and say the for example the 48th out (on a M.T.B. might be less) and the 11th rear would give 1:4.36 ratio ( in other words the bike wheel will turn 4.36 times for each rotation of the crank, oppose to only 3/4 of turn on the 26x34 combination, you can now see why lower gears are easier to use, these as just examples, but it will hold true what ever the combination, wheel size will also have an effect on overall gearing, smaller wheels will have a lower gearing than larger ones.
Hope this helps

 

[Nigelnaturist]

depends on the teeth combinations of both the cassette (rear) and the chainrings (front). It may have, but then it may not have... my OH's old mtb above strangely has a 12-28 combination on it which explains his 'issues' going up very steep hills on it.

The larger the number of teeth at the rear means lower gears, but this has to be taken into consideration with the smallest number of teeth at the front (chainring)... so something with a largest 28 at rear but smallest front chainring of 22 will have a lower gear than 32 teeth rear, smallest 32 at the front for example...

what has yours got and what has his got?

Dang you beat me

 

[welsh dragon]

To be honest I have no idea. I was just hoping that that would be the case as I find it hard going uphill. I know it has a lot do with fitness, but I was hoping to have a helping hand so to speak.

I just generally thought that mtb would have lower gearing due to the different terrains that they have to cope with.

 

[welsh dragon]

Thanks for that. As I said above I was hoping his gears would be lower than mine. If they are then it would make it a bit easier for me to get uphill.. my tyres are bigger than his. Mine are 700c? When the bikes are side by side I can see the difference in size. Thanks for your help. Much appreciated.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

It may well have lower gearing, but then the mtb that I am reconditioning for my BIL does not have particularly low gearing on it and if the mtb has been 'converted' for road use, it is possible that it has had the original cassette changed - something I did on one of my previous mtbs for commuting on roads before my bad wrist improved enough for me to use drops.

The cassette and chainrings will have their teeth numbers stamped on them - whether they are clean enough to see this stamp is another matter entirely.

 

[welsh dragon]

It may well have lower gearing, but then the mtb that I am reconditioning for my BIL does not have particularly low gearing on it and if the mtb has been 'converted' for road use, it is possible that it has had the original cassette changed - something I did on one of my previous mtbs for commuting on roads before my bad wrist improved enough for me to use drops.

The cassette and chainrings will have their teeth numbers stamped on them - whether they are clean enough to see this stamp is another matter entirely.

Thanks.

 

[Goonerobes]

Sundays fettling session of new wheels, cassette, chain & tyres appears to have been a success as nothing (including me!) fell off on todays test ride. I'm quite pleased with myself as 6 months ago I wouldn't have dreamed of trying any of that but thanks to this forum & Zinn & the art of Roadbike Maintenance just proves that you can teach an old dog new tricks!

Now I've got to service & clean the bits I took off in case the weather changes back.

http://www.strava.com/activities/119688867

 

[Triban5riderGD]

No riding here this morning, fettling is the order of the day. New Tryes fitted, well the back one anyway I'll finish off tomorrow.
This is what my OH calls the conservatory

I think it makes a great bike workshop.

For one moment I thought I was looking at my own back room. What tyres did you put on Brian.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

The cassette and chainrings will have their teeth numbers stamped on them - whether they are clean enough to see this stamp is another matter entirely.

Not always, the prowheel chainset on my Viking doesn't.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

I know I haven't been out much this year, but nearly two weeks is beginning to stretch my patience a little.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Not always, the prowheel chainset on my Viking doesn't.

how many fingers and toes do you have? counting them is always the other option... and potentially easier if it anywhere near as dirty as my OH's bikes are!

 

[Nigelnaturist]

how many fingers and toes do you have? counting them is always the other option... and potentially easier if it anywhere near as dirty as my OH's bikes are!

Not enough I do know what they are though, 52-40-30 but it could be 42