Advice on gearing

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
PeterJ
Posts: 111
Joined: 11 Aug 2010, 10:59pm

Advice on gearing

Post by PeterJ »

I struggle to get up some steep hills, and my plans to do more cycle-camping will be limited to the flatter areas of the UK unless I can get better at this aspect of cycling.

I'm going to work on my leg strength, but it's also occurred to me that it might be worth replacing my lowest gear with something easier to push (is this called a 'granny gear'?).

My largest rear cog has 32 teeth. My smallest chain ring has 28 teeth. The rear set-up is Shimano Deore.

Is it just a matter of replacing the largest rear cog? How many teeth should I go for if I want to twirl my way up hills?

Thank you.
Mr.Benton
Posts: 182
Joined: 13 Jul 2009, 1:38pm
Location: Broadway, Worcestershire

Re: Advice on gearing

Post by Mr.Benton »

I had a similar setup on my touring bike.
I changed the rear cassette from a 11-32 to a 11-34 and changed the front chainset from a 48:38:28 to a 46:34:24
This was the best option which my current derailures would support. I could theoretically reduce the front chainring from 24 to 22.

This changed the lowest gear from 23.97 inches to 19.34 inches.https://www.bikecalc.com/gear_inches
jois
Posts: 334
Joined: 22 Sep 2022, 12:29pm

Re: Advice on gearing

Post by jois »

PeterJ wrote: 28 Sep 2022, 2:40pm I struggle to get up some steep hills, and my plans to do more cycle-camping will be limited to the flatter areas of the UK unless I can get better at this aspect of cycling.

I'm going to work on my leg strength, but it's also occurred to me that it might be worth replacing my lowest gear with something easier to push (is this called a 'granny gear'?).

My largest rear cog has 32 teeth. My smallest chain ring has 28 teeth. The rear set-up is Shimano Deore.

Is it just a matter of replacing the largest rear cog? How many teeth should I go for if I want to twirl my way up hills?

Thank you.
It may well be, but it tends to be a race to the bottom unless you also look to address the leg strength issue, eventually you reach a point where it's quicker to get off and push,

One of the most convenient ways of increasing leg strength is to struggle up hills using leg strength and then if required get off and push ( or switch to a lower gear if you have one)the last bit on the grounds that next time youl get a bit further

You don't actually need hills for this.you can just cycle on the flat in to higher gear and get much the same effect
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Vantage
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Re: Advice on gearing

Post by Vantage »

I went from an 11-32 to an 11-34 then ended up with an 11-36 using my deore rear mech. Same 28t granny ring up front.
You could, with a mech hanger extender thingybob go upward of 40t on the rear cassette.
Getting off and walking however is just easier sometimes.
Bill


“Ride as much or as little, or as long or as short as you feel. But ride.” ~ Eddy Merckx
It's a rich man whos children run to him when his pockets are empty.
jimlews
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Joined: 11 Jun 2015, 8:36pm
Location: Not the end of the world.

Re: Advice on gearing

Post by jimlews »

jois wrote: 28 Sep 2022, 2:56pm
PeterJ wrote: 28 Sep 2022, 2:40pm I struggle to get up some steep hills, and my plans to do more cycle-camping will be limited to the flatter areas of the UK unless I can get better at this aspect of cycling.

I'm going to work on my leg strength, but it's also occurred to me that it might be worth replacing my lowest gear with something easier to push (is this called a 'granny gear'?).

My largest rear cog has 32 teeth. My smallest chain ring has 28 teeth. The rear set-up is Shimano Deore.

Is it just a matter of replacing the largest rear cog? How many teeth should I go for if I want to twirl my way up hills?

Thank you.
It may well be, but it tends to be a race to the bottom unless you also look to address the leg strength issue, eventually you reach a point where it's quicker to get off and push,

One of the most convenient ways of increasing leg strength is to struggle up hills using leg strength and then if required get off and push ( or switch to a lower gear if you have one)the last bit on the grounds that next time youl get a bit further

You don't actually need hills for this.you can just cycle on the flat in to higher gear and get much the same effect
Well, that's a good way to build muscle bulk and a pretty good way to give yourself a hernia.(Ask me how I know this)

Far better to build stamina by maintaining a higher cadence.
So yes, a lower bottom gear is the way to go. It is such a pleasure to spin up the steeper hills.
As a touring cyclist high gears are largely irrelevant. Gravity and good brakes are your friend here.

So, a 24T "granny" gear (74mm bcd) on the chainset and a 34T largest sprocket on the cassette should
get you up most hills.
brianleach
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Location: Winchester, Hants

Re: Advice on gearing

Post by brianleach »

+ 1 for walking if necessary. It is not much slower anyway in my view.
Jdsk
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Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Advice on gearing

Post by Jdsk »

PeterJ:

There's some excellent advice available in this forum. Are you thinking of changing the components yourself or getting someone else to do the work?

Thanks

Jonathan
Jdsk
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Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Advice on gearing

Post by Jdsk »

jimlews wrote: 28 Sep 2022, 3:22pm
jois wrote: 28 Sep 2022, 2:56pm
PeterJ wrote: 28 Sep 2022, 2:40pm I struggle to get up some steep hills, and my plans to do more cycle-camping will be limited to the flatter areas of the UK unless I can get better at this aspect of cycling.

I'm going to work on my leg strength, but it's also occurred to me that it might be worth replacing my lowest gear with something easier to push (is this called a 'granny gear'?).

My largest rear cog has 32 teeth. My smallest chain ring has 28 teeth. The rear set-up is Shimano Deore.

Is it just a matter of replacing the largest rear cog? How many teeth should I go for if I want to twirl my way up hills?
It may well be, but it tends to be a race to the bottom unless you also look to address the leg strength issue, eventually you reach a point where it's quicker to get off and push,

One of the most convenient ways of increasing leg strength is to struggle up hills using leg strength and then if required get off and push ( or switch to a lower gear if you have one)the last bit on the grounds that next time youl get a bit further

You don't actually need hills for this.you can just cycle on the flat in to higher gear and get much the same effect
Well, that's a good way to build muscle bulk and a pretty good way to give yourself a hernia.(Ask me how I know this)

Far better to build stamina by maintaining a higher cadence
From the injury point of view I agree.

Using higher force rather than higher speed of pedalling increases the risk of damage to joints and muscles as well as hernias.

Jonathan
jois
Posts: 334
Joined: 22 Sep 2022, 12:29pm

Re: Advice on gearing

Post by jois »

jimlews wrote: 28 Sep 2022, 3:22pm
jois wrote: 28 Sep 2022, 2:56pm
PeterJ wrote: 28 Sep 2022, 2:40pm I struggle to get up some steep hills, and my plans to do more cycle-camping will be limited to the flatter areas of the UK unless I can get better at this aspect of cycling.

I'm going to work on my leg strength, but it's also occurred to me that it might be worth replacing my lowest gear with something easier to push (is this called a 'granny gear'?).

My largest rear cog has 32 teeth. My smallest chain ring has 28 teeth. The rear set-up is Shimano Deore.

Is it just a matter of replacing the largest rear cog? How many teeth should I go for if I want to twirl my way up hills?

Thank you.
It may well be, but it tends to be a race to the bottom unless you also look to address the leg strength issue, eventually you reach a point where it's quicker to get off and push,

One of the most convenient ways of increasing leg strength is to struggle up hills using leg strength and then if required get off and push ( or switch to a lower gear if you have one)the last bit on the grounds that next time youl get a bit further

You don't actually need hills for this.you can just cycle on the flat in to higher gear and get much the same effect
Well, that's a good way to build muscle bulk and a pretty good way to give yourself a hernia.(Ask me how I know this)

Far better to build stamina by maintaining a higher cadence.
So yes, a lower bottom gear is the way to go. It is such a pleasure to spin up the steeper hills.
As a touring cyclist high gears are largely irrelevant. Gravity and good brakes are your friend here.

So, a 24T "granny" gear (74mm bcd) on the chainset and a 34T largest sprocket on the cassette should
get you up most hills.
I'm not sure about the hernia, I've escaped so far

But yes high cadance and there for less leg strength also works untill you run out of gears or your legs are just a blur. High cadance has it own problems with burning glucose you have no strength then ether.

Depends on context which to go, the op mentioned leg strength as his issue!

There isn't of course any reason why you can't train both. If I'm in no particular rush to get anywhere fast, I switch between a silly high cadance and a silly high gear , switching as a rest from which other I was doing. Some times I just pretend my bikes a fixie , that tends to do both, to high a gear to get going and to low for whizzing a long. I could of course just do weighted squats, but they don't get me anywhere I want to go
roubaixtuesday
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Joined: 18 Aug 2015, 7:05pm

Re: Advice on gearing

Post by roubaixtuesday »

PeterJ wrote: 28 Sep 2022, 2:40pm I struggle to get up some steep hills, and my plans to do more cycle-camping will be limited to the flatter areas of the UK unless I can get better at this aspect of cycling.

I'm going to work on my leg strength, but it's also occurred to me that it might be worth replacing my lowest gear with something easier to push (is this called a 'granny gear'?).

My largest rear cog has 32 teeth. My smallest chain ring has 28 teeth. The rear set-up is Shimano Deore.

Is it just a matter of replacing the largest rear cog? How many teeth should I go for if I want to twirl my way up hills?

Thank you.
I'd agree with the advice above to get lower gears - I'd go for 24/36 or similar if possible, which is the lowest gear I have on a road bike. Your current gearing is nice and low for an unladen bike, but not low enough for cycle camping IMO.

28/32 gives you 23.5 gear inches
24/36 gives you ~18 inches

https://www.bikecalc.com/gear_inches

Exactly what is possible without a significant rework of the whole system depends on the chainset and front and rear derailleur details.
Jdsk
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Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Advice on gearing

Post by Jdsk »

roubaixtuesday wrote: 28 Sep 2022, 4:09pm ...
Exactly what is possible without a significant rework of the whole system depends on the chainset and front and rear derailleur details.
PeterJ: This is very important... and one of the reasons why I asked about who will be doing the work.

Jonathan
iandriver
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Joined: 10 Jun 2009, 2:09pm
Location: Cambridge.

Re: Advice on gearing

Post by iandriver »

You say the rear is Deore, what is the exact chainset. As suggested above, swapping out the inner granny ring is often possible.
Supporter of the A10 corridor cycling campaign serving Royston to Cambridge http://a10corridorcycle.com. Never knew gardening secateurs were an essential part of the on bike tool kit until I took up campaigning.....
Jamesh
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Joined: 2 Jan 2017, 5:56pm

Re: Advice on gearing

Post by Jamesh »

Jdsk wrote: 28 Sep 2022, 3:46pm
jimlews wrote: 28 Sep 2022, 3:22pm
jois wrote: 28 Sep 2022, 2:56pm
It may well be, but it tends to be a race to the bottom unless you also look to address the leg strength issue, eventually you reach a point where it's quicker to get off and push,

One of the most convenient ways of increasing leg strength is to struggle up hills using leg strength and then if required get off and push ( or switch to a lower gear if you have one)the last bit on the grounds that next time youl get a bit further

You don't actually need hills for this.you can just cycle on the flat in to higher gear and get much the same effect
Well, that's a good way to build muscle bulk and a pretty good way to give yourself a hernia.(Ask me how I know this)

Far better to build stamina by maintaining a higher cadence
From the injury point of view I agree.

Using higher force rather than higher speed of pedalling increases the risk of damage to joints and muscles as well as hernias.

Jonathan
Does spinning lead to higher levels of Achilles heal issues?

Cheers James
Jdsk
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Joined: 5 Mar 2019, 5:42pm

Re: Advice on gearing

Post by Jdsk »

Jamesh wrote: 28 Sep 2022, 6:07pm
Jdsk wrote: 28 Sep 2022, 3:46pm
jimlews wrote: 28 Sep 2022, 3:22pm Well, that's a good way to build muscle bulk and a pretty good way to give yourself a hernia.(Ask me how I know this)

Far better to build stamina by maintaining a higher cadence
From the injury point of view I agree.

Using higher force rather than higher speed of pedalling increases the risk of damage to joints and muscles as well as hernias.
Does spinning lead to higher levels of Achilles heal issues?
I don't know of any relevant studies.

And my comment about high force pedalling and soft tissue injuries was based on plausibility and received wisdom rather than anything higher in the hierarchy of evidence.

Jonathan
iandusud
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Joined: 26 Mar 2018, 1:35pm

Re: Advice on gearing

Post by iandusud »

A 24/36 bottom gear is very usable and easier and faster than walking IMO unless things get too steep even use that gear, in which walking is a good option. This is bottom gear we have on our tandem and use it a lot when touring with our camping gear.
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