Hi there, what do people on this forum think of touring on a bike with 8 gears only? I would initially tour across Western Europe but then move on to travel further afield if I take a liking to it.
I get slightly cross with myself when I think of people who have cycled the world on fixed gear bikes, and here I am over-analysing frames and gear types.
On the other hand... the technical stuff is getting better all the time, so why not take advantage of modern bicycle technology?
So my question is - would you consider touring on a bike with 8 gears or not? Will I end up pushing the bike over most hills?!
The number of gears and the range they cover are not directly linked. By varying the size of chainwheels and sprockets you can have just about any gears you want, be it on a single speed or 30 speed set up. All you really get with more gears is the possibility of smaller steps beteween gears over any given range.
On the whole does it matter, as has already been said if the range is adequate, ie lowest low enough and highest high enough.
However the bigger the range the bigger the jumps with fewer sprockets.
More sprockets gives smaller increments and might mean the difference between not quite having that right gear and finding the right one for that slight incline into a headwind, rather than twiddling or pushing.
eileithyia wrote:On the whole does it matter, as has already been said if the range is adequate, ie lowest low enough and highest high enough.
However the bigger the range the bigger the jumps with fewer sprockets. More sprockets gives smaller increments and might mean the difference between not quite having that right gear and finding the right one for that slight incline into a headwind, rather than twiddling or pushing.
Utterly agree.
Not wishing to get lost in yet another argument, gear range and steps is a purely personal thing. 14sp Rohloffs don't cut it for me - far too wide and too big steps. Derailleurs OTOH can be custom built to suit. I'll stay with my 30sp.
...I have toured with a 3 geared Brompton folder and taylor the route and daily milage accordingly.. Its no big deal if you cant conquer everything in your path....
PT, I've toured with the usual touring bike gear set-up (3x5,6,7 etc), a Nexus 7 hub gear,fixed gear and lately a Moulton FX8.
Personally I like to tour light' and hostel overnight.
The way I look at touring now is that the simpler the bike is,the better. It's too easy to get bogged down with having the lataest groupset, luggage, frame material or whatever. Cycles are ostensibly simple machines. It's best to keep it that way if we can.
Touring for me is about the scenery and people I meet. As long as the bike is well maintained it'll do the job.
I'll bet if you ever tour on a bike with "few" gears,you'll find that you enjoy it just as much as on a multi-geared dream machine.
Very helpful replies, and of course I completely disregarded the fact that I need to consider gear range, rather than the amount of gears. Still learning!
Pioneer - I think I share your sentiments on touring, and am currently looking for a used Moulton for my travels. I am not looking to go fast, but to be able to have time to see things as I cycle.
eileithyia wrote:On the whole does it matter, as has already been said if the range is adequate, ie lowest low enough and highest high enough.
However the bigger the range the bigger the jumps with fewer sprockets. More sprockets gives smaller increments and might mean the difference between not quite having that right gear and finding the right one for that slight incline into a headwind, rather than twiddling or pushing.
Utterly agree.
Not wishing to get lost in yet another argument, gear range and steps is a purely personal thing. 14sp Rohloffs don't cut it for me - far too wide and too big steps. Derailleurs OTOH can be custom built to suit. I'll stay with my 30sp.
Cunobelin wrote:A rohloff is as customizable as a derailleur!
May I be the first to ask, are you saying that you can get the equivalent of a straight up block and something like a megarange in Rohloff, and even that you can switch from one to the other?
PT, there are at least two other Moulton's (one an FX8 and the the other an 18 speed), in the Suffolk D.A. which may be coming up for sale in the near future. It might be worth contacting the D.A. and posting a wanted ad'.
My thought is this. Work out your bottom gear - the one you want on a long climb, fully laden, in the rain, hungover, with the wind in your face. Work out your top gear - I'd have thought a 53/12 would be good enough for most of us. Stuff the interval between the two with as many ratios as you can muster.
