byegad
Legendary Member
- Location
- NE England
deleted, accidental post
Technical terms - please explain
- Thread starter caz
- Start date
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byegad
Legendary Member
- Location
- NE England
I'm not a roadie and if you aspire to be one you may well ignore what I say.
However, most bikes are sold with gearing aimed at the unfit rider or the really fit! Strangely enough for both groups you need exactly the same gears. The unfit turn the pedals slowly and do no more than 20mph in the highest gear. The really fit turn the same top gear a LOT faster! They therefore travel faster.
If like me you are reasonably fit then you may well benefit by specifying lower gears all round. This will allow you to climb more comfortably and still cruise at a reasonable speed.
I live in a hilly area, so would immediately reject any bike with a double up front. I climb some ferocious hills and so use a 20" bottom gear often. While a road bike will not go that low, an Audax bike will and will also take mudguards. For an even wider spread of gears a Touring bike is the answer. The bottom gear on some road bikes can be 40" or more, at a reasonable cadence (pedal rev's) that's 10mph!
Expect a lot of poo pooing of my post. But before you buy a high geared raod bike consider how fast you will be climbing your steepest hills!
However, most bikes are sold with gearing aimed at the unfit rider or the really fit! Strangely enough for both groups you need exactly the same gears. The unfit turn the pedals slowly and do no more than 20mph in the highest gear. The really fit turn the same top gear a LOT faster! They therefore travel faster.
If like me you are reasonably fit then you may well benefit by specifying lower gears all round. This will allow you to climb more comfortably and still cruise at a reasonable speed.
I live in a hilly area, so would immediately reject any bike with a double up front. I climb some ferocious hills and so use a 20" bottom gear often. While a road bike will not go that low, an Audax bike will and will also take mudguards. For an even wider spread of gears a Touring bike is the answer. The bottom gear on some road bikes can be 40" or more, at a reasonable cadence (pedal rev's) that's 10mph!
Expect a lot of poo pooing of my post. But before you buy a high geared raod bike consider how fast you will be climbing your steepest hills!
Fab Foodie
hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
- Location
- Kirton, Devon.
byegad said:
Not sure I agree 100% with that summation.
Many off-the-shelf race bikes still come with a 53/39T chain rings and 11-25T rear cogs. For somebody relatively new to cycling or unfit, overweight, the low end gears might only be be OK for relatively flat terrain, but not for anything mildly undulating and the top-end gears too high to be of any use.
Gearing on a touring bikes are biased towards low gears for a slight loss of top-end speed, MTB's are geared similarly and are relatively easy to spin-out on the road.
Triples are a good option for a newbie to road-riding giving a good range of gears with small gaps from very low to gears high enough for TT and high-speed club events.
As Triples are thought uncool on a road-bike, then manufacturers now are using "Compact Doubles" with 53/36T on the front and 11-25 on the rear. This gives a wide range of Low to High gears to suit all abilities and terrain and apparently looks cool enough for roadies. The drawback is the big jump between 50 and 36T which can lead to a lot of double-shifting (a pain IMO).
So gearing set-up matters on a road bike. Changing gearing can be very expensive, better to get-it-right first time.
Consider your fitness, what you want to use the bike for, the terrain you'll be riding, whether you'll carry nothing more than a waterbottle and repair kit or wish to carry a laden saddle-bag for credit-card touring or Audax events...
Alternatively...go for a fixed-wheeler, then you only have to choose one gear...but it has to be a really good one!
OP
OP
caz
Well-Known Member
- Location
- West Midlands
Thanks Byegad and FF for your help. I'm not into MTBing nor TT. As for a fixie.... errr ... I don't think so. I've heard a few too many stories about them for my liking!! Unfortunately I won't be able to go touring (due to family circumstances) although I do fancy doing an Audax one day and perhaps the B'ham to Oxford ride in July. I currently have a triple on my hybrid, which I am quite happy with, so having one on a road bike won't phase me at all, no matter what anyone else thinks!!
Caz if you say what gearing you have now, we can advise on what you might need. Like FF says best to get it right up front.
If you count the teeth on your cogs that will tell you what you have or on the front chainrings it might be printed on the inside i.e. you might have a 42 teeth/32 teeth/22 teeth on the front and the back might be a spread of say 13-27.
If you know which combinations you use for going along the flat and for climbing I could certainly have a good stab at advising a decent range for you. It's also useful to know what cadence you ride at. You can do a rough approximation by counting how many times your left (or right) knee comes up in a 15 sec period and then multiplying by 4. This info together gives a pretty comprehensive picture of what might suit.
If you count the teeth on your cogs that will tell you what you have or on the front chainrings it might be printed on the inside i.e. you might have a 42 teeth/32 teeth/22 teeth on the front and the back might be a spread of say 13-27.
If you know which combinations you use for going along the flat and for climbing I could certainly have a good stab at advising a decent range for you. It's also useful to know what cadence you ride at. You can do a rough approximation by counting how many times your left (or right) knee comes up in a 15 sec period and then multiplying by 4. This info together gives a pretty comprehensive picture of what might suit.
Fab Foodie
hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
- Location
- Kirton, Devon.
byegad said:
Sorry bygad...that's the one I quoted...
byegad
Legendary Member
- Location
- NE England
Don't think so Fab Foodie, I deleted that as I posted the longer one. One of my 10 thumbs must have pressed the wrong button! Doh!
Ashtrayhead
Über Member
- Location
- Belvedere, Kent.
caz said:
May I suggest you try a Felt? I've got a Z80 and it's a very comfy relaxed position. And it's a triple. I still go up the hills slowly but in an easier gear
I think your choice of bike shop will be as important as your choice of bike. At that price you're into decent quality but not a lot of difference in materials/wheels/components. Try and find a shop with a good reputation in fitting bikes, even if you have to pay for it. Don't rely too much on a test ride, it's a radical change from your hybrid and I'd expect it to feel different, even uncomfortable, untill you've adapted.
byegad
Legendary Member
- Location
- NE England
If you can find a Specialized dealer their Dolce models are designed for women but have a stronger (man's style frame. Their web site should tell you what they've done to make it fit you. Evans Cyles (the CTC shop people have some 2007 models starting at £450. The one person I've met who owns one is a Sustrans employee and loves it.
Keith Oates
Janner
- Location
- Penarth, Wales
I've had a few Giants in the past and currently have two with me here in China. I've never had anything to really complain about with any of them, so that would be my choice!!
