What gear to select?

[Willow]

I'm on a mongoose 450 crossway hybrid

 

[Willow]

Mobi and willow, what are the teeth numbers on the front and rear?

Sheldon has a great page

http://sheldonbrown.com/gears/ unfortunately it doesn't cover 5s which is why I asked.

am I supposed to understand that

 

[snorri]

I agree with earlier threads - do what is right for you. But I am not sure you are getting it from your last line.

I think I'm ok really. I drop down a gear on the slightest incline and am certainly not straining myself.
I did manage to hit a cadence of 90 by dropping a few gears when going downhill, but it was all so energetic

 

[4F]

Cadence of 60 or 70...noooooooo

Grinders !!!!

You calling me a grinder !

 

[punkypossum]

Find steeper hills!

If you have a mountain bike then you will run out of gears on the road as they are often set with a fairly low range for - well mountains and off road stuff. Sort of like a tractor.
If you are on the road then get a bike for the road! You should then find you will not run out of gears until you are doing 40mph!
I run out of gears on my fold up and mountain bike on the road but hardly go into top gear on my racer.

That's weird tho, I'm on a mountain bike with 42/34/24 and an 11-32 8spd cassette, and even on the flat I have never run out of gears, at least not if I want to keep up a half decent cadence... I would have thought the gears on a hybrid would be even more road friendly, or am I getting something wrong here?

 

[PaulSB]

.. I would have thought the gears on a hybrid would be even more road friendly, or am I getting something wrong here?

I rode a hybrid for a number of years - great bike - but as I got better ran out of gears. This was the specific reason I changed to a road bie, though I didn't understand it at the time. Went to my LBS and basically said to them "I know I can go faster but the bike won't let me!" To which they said "You need one of these" and I've been the happy owner of a road bike for just on four years..

 

[summerdays]

I used to do this. I think you can get away with big gears if you live somewhere flat such as York, Guildford, Bristol, Cambridge where ever. As soon as you get somewhere slightly hilly it punishes your knees.

Please reconsider ... Bristol isn't flat in my mind at all.... and at least I've had the excuse of it being hilly, as to why I can't go as fast as some people state on here. But if you say its flat that's my excuse gone. And I use all 3 rings as a result.

 

[DJ]

If I am GRINDING on the peddles then I either change down as most have said, or if I am feeling energetic I stand up un the peddles for a short burst to pick up my speed.
After a while it can even work going up hill, well it did when I was a kid!