What's the point of having lots of gears? (21, 24, 27, etc)

[steveindenmark]

Slightly off topic, but having ridden a road bike for a few years, I feel incredibly ashamed to ask this, but quite often I hear people speaking about gears and they will say something like "He rides a 21/40" and I have literally no idea what they're talking about, I know it's something to do with the gears but I do not know what, could someone explain?

I may get shot down for this.

What I believe they are talking about is the teeth on the crank rings. The number of teeth on the crank rings and also the rear cassette make a huge difference to the bike.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Not correct.
Gear inches come from the Ordinary bike and is the based on diameter of the wheel.
So a 26" gear has the same size as a 26" wheel and will cover 26 x pi = 82" or almost 7' with one turn of the pedals.
The continental system is meters development and based on is how far you will go for one turn of the pedals.

ok I was 22/7 wrong distance wise,

 

[simongt]

Some riders are easily seduced by the 'more gears, the more impressive the bike'. I don't buy into this idea although it appears to be the way some manufacturers are going. If you are using the bike in question for local riding, then you need a range, range not number, of gears to suit. If you're likely to travel and use said bike in different areas, e.g., Bath or the Peak District are very different to York or Cambridgeshire, then you'll need a wider range of gears. A lot also depends on the bike and its setup; light frame & fast tyres will obviously need fewer gears than mountain bike with 1.5" nobbies. And just to muddy the waters even further, there are some who prefer to push big ratios and others who prefer spinning smaller ratios. It's a very personal thing.

 

[screenman]

I can do the same route 5 times and use different ratios on each ride. Wind we call it, sometimes 3mph and sometimes 30mph, sometimes coming from one direction another time the other, or even somewhere else. Seldom are 2 rides the same.

 

[Andy_R]

Wind...ohhhhh...colour me hateful.....I barstwead hate the furcoupling wind...here in County Durham I've been known on several occasions to have to use my gears to pedal DOWNHILL, cos of the buttocktruffilng cherfing wind. Think yourself lucky if you've only had to use gears to go uphill.....

 

[screenman]

Wind...ohhhhh...colour me hateful.....I barstwead hate the furcoupling wind...here in County Durham I've been known on several occasions to have to use my gears to pedal DOWNHILL, cos of the buttocktruffilng cherfing wind. Think yourself lucky if you've only had to use gears to go uphill.....

Hill. Come on you are going to have to remind me what they look like, all flat around here, well part from the Wolds that is, most people forget about them though.

 

[mjr]

You probably don't want massively different gear ranges depending on terrain... what flat lands lack in hills they gain in headwinds...

 

[screenman]

You probably don't want massively different gears depending on terrain... what flat lands lack in hills they gain in headwinds...

Is that talking from 26 years experience of cycling and racing in Lincolnshire. I like the fact I have a good range of gears on all my bikes. The more gears the more efficient the engine can be, in variable conditions

 

[mjr]

Is that talking from 26 years experience of cycling and racing in Lincolnshire. I like the fact I have a good range of gears on all my bikes. The more gears the more efficient the engine can be, in variable conditions

You've misunderstood. I've edited my post to clarify. Sorry.. 15 years in Norfolk, comparing with 6 in Somerset at the foot of a 25% ifit matters.

 

[screenman]

The reason as I have said before a big selection I'd useful, is if like me you ate best at say 88rpm, but you speed varies from 8mph up to say 35mph without a good selection there will be times when you are over or under geared

Your post is clearer now, close ratio but large range, is I feel best with.

 

[ColinJ]

The reason as I have said before a big selection I'd useful, is if like me you ate best at say 88rpm, but you speed varies from 8mph up to say 35mph without a good selection there will be times when you are over or under geared

Ha - I have done nearly 60 mph downhill round here, and been reduced to sub-2 mph on a few very steep climbs! I have triples on all my bikes and use all the 27 or 30 gears, and could do with a few more ...

 

[screenman]

Ha - I have done nearly 60 mph downhill round here, and been reduced to sub-2 mph on a few very steep climbs! I have triples on all my bikes and use all the 27 or 30 gears, and could do with a few more ...

But if you read some of the posts you only need a 3 speed, you and I must have it wrong.

 

[screenman]

I suppose at then end of the day we or at least a lot of us use our bikes in different ways. If I jot poodles to the shop I would use maybe a 3 speed, but seeing as my cycling is, how do I put it, sporting style then I will use what I consider the best tool for that job.

 

[sutts]

Slightly off topic, but having ridden a road bike for a few years, I feel incredibly ashamed to ask this, but quite often I hear people speaking about gears and they will say something like "He rides a 21/40" and I have literally no idea what they're talking about, I know it's something to do with the gears but I do not know what, could someone explain?

I shouldn't worry about it! I don't have a clue about 'cadence', 'gear ratios' or any of that stuff! I get on my bike and if it's too hard, I change down a gear, too easy, I change up a gear. I don't eat the right stuff, drink the right stuff, wear the right stuff...and I certainly don't do 'Strava' or any of that bullshit...but I do ride one hell of a lot of miles and I really enjoy it!!

 

[screenman]

I shouldn't worry about it! I don't have a clue about 'cadence', 'gear ratios' or any of that stuff! I get on my bike and if it's too hard, I change down a gear, too easy, I change up a gear. I don't eat the right stuff, drink the right stuff, wear the right stuff...and I certainly don't do 'Strava' or any of that bullshit...but I do ride one hell of a lot of miles and I really enjoy it!!

I like a post like that, the only little thing that troubles me is, how do you know you would not enjoy it more with the added bits?