Unfit - Gears - Advice

[Dusty66]

Hi, I'm new here and finding the forum very useful. Basically, I used to do a lot of short trip cycling about 15 years ago but haven't been on my bike since then. The bike I still have is an old second-hand Raleigh Mustang (ATB with 26" wheels) from approx 1985 and has been described online as a farmer's gate on wheels! It's all steel including the wheels. It's also slightly too big for me. When I used to cycle 15 years ago, my fitness up hills never seemed to improve. Unfortunately, I live in a very hilly area and everywhere I go involves long steep hills of at least a mile or two.

Recently I got the old bike out but I'm finding it very tough (again). The gearing is average with the lowest being 28 front and 28 back (48, 38, 28 front and 14 - 28 back). However, what with the weight of the bike as well, I'm sure a new bike would help. I've always had non-knobbly tyres on it, so I can't improve this area.

What annoys me is that it's very rare to find the gearing details listed when looking for bikes, unless they are very expensive. I've just been to Decathlon and ended up counting teeth. Surely, the gearing is one of the most important things to consider on a bike, so why don't they list this?! I've seen a few mountain bikes (usually out of my price range) as low geared as 24 front and 32 back, but they all seem to come with front suspension and I've heard this increases weight. I would be using it mainly on roads and good tracks, so this seems a hinderance. I don't want to consider a hybrid because the bigger wheels make the gears higher (so I've read).

Another problem I have, is that I have a very low budget of around £150 but would consider second-hand. My perfect bike would be a lowest gear of 24 front and 32 back (or close to) no suspension and 26" wheels. I've looked on ebay, but nobody lists the gearing and very few even mention the frame size. Can anyone direct me towards the names of older bikes that would fit my needs, as I don't think I can afford a new one? Also, would all this actually help me or am I just born a non cyclist! I'm not overweight but it seems I don't suit bikes, even though I enjoy the thought. Perhaps I should move to Lincolnshire!

 

[tyred]

Slick tyres would make an enormous difference to your current bike without spending very much money. Also, make sure the wheels spin smoothly and silently, if not, re-grease the bearings.

The problem you're going to have is that older steel framed road bikes, even some of the cheaper ones like Peugeot HLEs which can be picked up quite cheaply and ride really well will almost certainly have 42/24 as a low gear which will be even higher by a long way than your current bottom gear. The bike will be lighter and the wheels will roll better but this gearing can be hard work to anyone who is not a strong rider in a hilly area.

Older MTBs will have low gearing but will likely be just as heavy as your current bike.

It's why, if your intention is mostly short trips of less than maybe 25-30 miles, and with your budget, I would consider upgrading your existing bike. The tyres are a good place to start, about a tenner each for City Jets which are very decent tyre. Buy some basic tools and give your hubs a service, it isn't difficult, see Sheldon Brown's webpage. In time, look to replace the steel wheels with alloy - lighter, much nicer to ride and better stopping ability in the wet. I wouldn't buy expensive wheels for a bike like this. Loads of perfectly functional alloy wheels in MTB size around Ebay and Amazon. If you still find the gearing too high (and you shouldn't tbh, that is a 26" bottom gear, certainly low enough for most people on tarmac without a full touring load), there is such a thing as a Megarange freewheel which will give you a much lower gear, although you may also need new gear shifters. Mudguards, rack and some sort of basic lighting set is also recommended for a utility bike.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

It is a very good question as to why everyone doesn't offer comparisons of the gears. I suspect it's because with the very cheap bikes the dealers don't expect their customers to be that discerning. They're not doing themselves any favours really.

For your budget it may be difficult to find something off the shelf that meets your spec. If I was buying new, to keep within that budget my solution would be to get a Rockrider 5.0 from Decathlon then fit it with either a 13-34 or a 14-34 freewheel. A new longer chain would be needed and a freewheel removal tool.

Edit: Tyred's suggestion would also be good and would be cheaper overall. Decathlon have a good selection of wheels.

 

[sidevalve]

As an ex pat yorkshireman I know what you mean about the hills ! However I don't think very low gears will solve your problem. I run 40 front 28 rear and 700c wheels and find anything much lower a waste on road, [and I am NOT fit and County Durham is NOT flat]. Look for a road bike of a good make with steel frame, Dawes comes to mind but there a many others and if you are happy to do a little "fettling" [it aint rocket science] your budget will get you a fair bike if you 1 - don't need "the latest" and 2 - don't need to "pose".
My Dawes plus a new rear cassette, chain and handlebar tape [and a good clean and lube] has cost under £100 [including the tools needed to do the jobs].
Just be carefull about sourcing parts [easy for us yorkshire types].
As a matter of interest try weighing your bike and see if you can find the weights for some of the bike you are looking at, I suspect you may be surprised, some of the modern MTBs and hybrids can be quite "porky".
As a comparison mine weighs in at around 10kg which I don't think is too bad for a15 year old mid range bike.
Good luck !

 

[Dusty66]

Thanks everyone for your very helpful replies - it's certainly got me thinking. "Tyred" don't tell anyone, but my tyres are already slick (especially the front one) because they have no tread left - the top black rubber has gone and is showing the creamy colour underneath! I'm in a positon where there are so many niggles with my current bike, I'm thinking it would be easier to just get a new one.

Phil, I am really liking your idea. I've never got beyond replacing cables but I did replace the chain years ago - I presume changing a cassette is do-able for a novice? Would this affect the gear shifter settings? (Sorry if this is a daft question).

"Sidevalve" I know I should be able to climb these hills with 28/28 but I struggle. I'm ok on short sharp hills but the long never ending ones beat me everytime. About 12 years ago I hired a bike in the Lake District and was amazed how easy it was to ride compared to my own. It was a Marin, thats all I remember, but I was actually able to ride up hills - even if slower than walking pace!

I've just weighed my bike and it's 16kg, this does include full mudguards but it still seems a bit heavy - another problem is that some weight is wasted because it's always been a couple of inches too big frame wise. Anyway, thanks guys for your input.

 

[sidevalve]

Just a thought, that is heavy, I have a cheapo Halfords special full sus MTB to play around on the farm tracks and it's only 15 kg [ish]. Instructions for "how to " are on U tube etc now so that's no prob really. Check out sheldon browns web site for lots of info on just about everything including swapping cassettes front chain rings etc. One word of caution, the rear shifter may not be adequate for a very large rear bottom gear [32 up, although others may need to confirm this].
It may seem odd but frames play a real part in ease of riding as do narrow road tyres. I did set up a road bike with 38 front 30 rear but found it was really never used.
You have 2 choices 1 - update existing [limited benefits] 2 - search out a bargain and "fettle" to suit. Also if you buy a second hand machine you may well [at your budget] have to replace the cassette/chain anyway.
PS I borrowed a marin and yes it was a good machine but I suspect the frame was [for me] the best part as I never really used the lower gears on road.
In conclusion - go for it, it's a bicycle not a saturn 5 rocket.

 

[tyred]

If you are looking for a bike to fettle, try finding a 1980s steel framed Peugeot. They often can be had very cheaply and are a great frame and by that stage, Peugeot had joined the rest of the world and stopped using odd ball threading on their headsets and bottom brackets.

Viscount Aerospace can be excellent value for money but ensure the front fork is steel before you buy as the alloys ones have a reputation for breaking.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

If you did decide to go along the route I suggested the freewheel (it'll be a screw on freewheel on this bike rather than a cassette) is fairly easy to replace; you need the special tool I linked to and a large enough spanner to turn it and it just unscrews the normal way. It will be very tight but on a brand new bike won't be as tight as one that has been ridden a lot.
The rear derailleur on that bike has the large jockey wheels which show they are mega-range compatible (it should also say this on the mechanism). Slight adjustment to the gears will probably be needed but it is easy and worth learning anyway as it is part of routine maintenance.

Something I must mention is that my suggested modifications will give you quite an extreme low gear of approximately 17 gear inches. Since these bikes are pretty low geared to start with (24f - 28r lowest gear, approx 22 gear inches) it might be worth riding it a bit to see how you get on before committing to the modifications.

Finally, as an alternative, if you were to improve your existing bike by fitting a mega-range gear (you will probably need to get a compatible derailleur too) the 28f - 34r low gear would be very low at approx 20 gear inches but you wouldn't lose anything from your highest gear for those nice fast down hill bits. Worth considering?

I hope this helps.