Struggling with compact chainset

[Pjays666]

Ha! I live right at the top...so yeah I know the hills well, I'm not far from the reservoir. I'm going back to using spinning gears.

I am near the lights on rossy/Manchester rd

 

[Old Plodder]

Compact doubles are basically turning a road bike into an audax bike, keeping the high gears whilst offering a slightly lower bottom gear.
You may get used to riding a compact double, I'd give it a few weeks at least before committing to more expenditure.

 

[Pjays666]

Thanks for all the replies I am trying to get out every other day just doing up to 10 miles with climbs to see how I get on will keep you informed. I will do my longer weekend ride on the hybrid for time being. does that make sense?

 

[Bryony]

My road bike is 11/25 and it kills me up hills! I'll probably stick with it so I get super fit!

 

[PpPete]

With the caveat that i've not owned a so called "compact" - but have owned traditional double - 10 speed back in the day -the basic problem is that out of the shop I'd say most so called "road" bikes come with gearing better suited to Mr wiggins than the rest of us - especially beginers. Some people, especially salesmen funilly enough will run some numbers claiming 34 on the front with 32 on the back is lower than having 30 on the front and 24 of whatver on the back - but this totally misses the point. I'd want something closer to 28 front 32 back so i can twiddle up anything, with luggage if needs be, my old triple was 30/28 and that was no where near low enough. The advent of mountain bike gearing (triples) on tour oriented bikes is far more sensible for many of us, but seemingly not readily availble on off the peg "road" bikes.

Fine for you fit young fellas, & racers but low gears are good, and you can't get low gears sensibly on a double.

And as for a 53/11 high gear - if the downhill's steep enough to turn that, i'm going to be worried abou the brakes rather than the gears.

With you all the way on the first para....but you are missing the point of the 53/11 .
It is there so you can catch up with your mates who are freewheeling down the other side of the hill that they dropped you on.

For me, the big problem with compacts is not so much the lowest gear but the endless double shifts. I chug along comfortably over long distances at a fairly high cadence so the 39 ring is good for most purposes - maybe 85% of my riding. As you say the pros will ride mostly in a 53 ring, only changing to a 39 on the steeper stuff.

 

[eevvee]

My road bike is 11/25 and it kills me up hills! I'll probably stick with it so I get super fit!

I started cycling last year having bought a previously cherished road bike, cassette is 12 : 25 and yes it kills me on the hills too however I will like Bryony stick with it (for a few months anyway). Not so sure I will make the super fit category though, it is a lot of fun trying.

 

[400bhp]

Standing up equates to going slower. It also equates to increasing tiredness rapidly, whereas sitting and spinning a lower gear just makes you pant, and doesn't really stress your legs.

Mike

Not necessarily.

 

[MikeG]

Not necessarily.

You don't waste words, do you? I'm honoured you spared me two.....

 

[400bhp]

do you need more to understand then?

 

[MikeG]

Nope. I understand them well enough. It isn't a fulsome exploration of the various issues raised around cadence, getting oxygen to muscles efficiently, lactic acid and so on, but I understand those two words rather well.

 

[400bhp]

Nope. I understand them well enough. It isn't a fulsome exploration of the various issues raised around cadence, getting oxygen to muscles efficiently, lactic acid and so on, but I understand those two words rather well.

Well, you're wrong to dismiss standing out of the saddle. Not that black and white I'm afraid.

There's evidence that doing so about (IIRC) 12% is worthwhile. Also, anecdotally, many top riders will ride out of the saddle, at least for a short duration. It's also using different muscles.

 

[MikeG]

Rider's choices as to whether to stand up or not are based on many things which aren't evidence-based, including ego and habit. You may have noticed that many more riders spent much more time sitting down in this years TdF. This is because the sports scientists are finally getting through to them. There are plenty of good bits of science backing this up, of course, and here is some advice from one of them (from here):

Spin and win

The big ring is not for climbing. It’s one thing to grunt and strain your way to the top of a short local climb in a massive gear for a challenge against a riding mate, but spinning is far more effective. Dr Forrester explains: “It depends on the rider and the terrain, but a pedalling cadence of around 72-82rpm is optimum – lower on steeper or longer climbs, higher on shorter climbs. You need to choose gearing that allows you to maintain this cadence.”

Selecting the smaller ring sooner saves you making the change on a steep section when you risk dropping the chain. It also enables you to use the more closely packed sprockets, letting you fine-tune your ratio to suit the gradient and maintain a good cadence.

Experiment with lower gears and a higher cadence on a familiar climb to feel the benefit, then apply that technique everywhere. Using a heart- rate monitor with a cadence sensor - or in conjunction with a manual count of your pedal strokes from one foot in a minute - will help you be more precise. A power meter is the ultimate tool for this job, since it can show your cadence and output together for any point of your ride, and you will quickly discover the speed at which your engine performs best on any particular climb.

Here's another (from here):

Technique tips for longer climbs
a) Sit down

Sitting in the saddle for as much of a long climb as possible is the most aerobically efficient way to the top. Sitting back in the saddle will recruit your glutes, giving the large muscles at the back of your thighs more leverage to pedal. Standing up on the pedals out of the saddle is more powerful but will use vital glycogen stores faster.

Even so, getting out of the saddle occasionally is essential to give your bum a rest, get circulation flowing again, and varying the muscle groups that are doing all the work. When you're out of the saddle, try to resist rocking the bike too much, as exaggerated ‘honking’ is inefficient and can waste energy.

 

[400bhp]

Bikeradar, the Oracle of cycling technique

 

[MikeG]

Bikeradar, the Oracle of cycling technique

I'll find some of the published peer-reviewed science papers for you tomorrow. I thought the simpler versions on Bike Radar might precis the situation for you, and wouldn't have posted them unless they were substantiated by research. Which they are. I'm off now. In the meantime, you might look around the internet yourself a little.......

 

[400bhp]

I'll find some of the published peer-reviewed science papers for you tomorrow. I thought the simpler versions on Bike Radar might precis the situation for you, and wouldn't have posted them unless they were substantiated by research. Which they are. I'm off now. In the meantime, you might look around the internet yourself a little.......

I don't need to thank you. There's evidence that both are correct in the right circumstances.

Of course, you can beat all your clubmates so it must mean you're right.