Proposed campaign: inapproriate gears

[Geriatrix]

Well it has been confirmed that recumbents will not be allowed to participate in the Prudential Ride London 2014. Reason given: Leith hill has a 14% gradient. Forget inappropriate gears, there are members at the top of our cycling organisations who don't even know we have them!

[mjr]

Even the so-called specialists don't know what they're doing. Why on earth would anyone need a 28-38-48 tooth chainset on a touring bike?
I have that same stupid gearing on my own bike and it's bloody useless, hence the reason I fitted a megarange cassette as that was the cheapest and easiest option to make it useable.
http://www.spacycles.co.uk/products.php ... 0s109p2000

Useless how?

Well folks, what would you recommend for someone like me? I've currently got a 28/38/48 on the front and a 14-28 on the back of my 16kg all-rounder bike with 35-622 tyres, which I think is fairly commonplace these days and gives a range of 27"-93". Bottom gear gets me up a steep railway bridge without breaking a sweat and I suspect would get me up most things that I'll ever ride, although I couldn't quite do a 25% fully laden on it. Conversely, I've been up to 30mph on the flat with it a couple of times, running fairly light (toolkit and drink only) along a smooth dead straight near here, but then I can't move the pedals any faster.

Am I overgeared?

Actually, I think I'd like to be doing speeds suitable for the 48/14 top combination a bit more so I can see more places more quickly and make the bike a practical choice for more journeys. I've some ideas about how to help make that so (mostly servicing and bike weight) and if I can do it, then I'll consider something with 11 on the back next time it needs replacing. The weak spot may be my knees, though...

[[XAP]Bob]

Well it has been confirmed that recumbents will not be allowed to participate in the Prudential Ride London 2014. Reason given: Leith hill has a 14% gradient. Forget inappropriate gears, there are members at the top of our cycling organisations who don't even know we have them!

Huh?

I fancy turning up on a large ordinary...

[Vantage]

Useless how?

I don't know about you, but I personally don't have legs like Armstrong on a binge day or lungs like an olympic swimmer.
My gearing range is 24" - 118". The 11-48 and 13-48 tooth combo gets used on two hills I know of up here and get me to speeds of around 45mph at which point the bike becomes really unstable due to wind turbulence on the rear panniers. Those same two hills have me regularily crawling along at less than 3mph in the lowest gear with the bike and panniers and all the cr*p that goes in them weighing in at around 50lbs.
The whole point of touring, as I understand it, is taking your time and enjoying the scenery.

[Tigerbiten]

It's taken me a couple of years to work it out and it hasn't been cheap but I've now got what I think is the ideal range for me on my recumbent trike.
On the front:- 53-38 double chainrings on a Schlumpf HSD.
On the back:- 21 sprocket on a Rohloff built into a 20" wheel.
This gives me 24 unique gears out of 56 total, with a range 9.5"-173"

[mrjemm]

Useless how?

I don't know about you, but I personally don't have legs like Armstrong on a binge day or lungs like an olympic swimmer.
My gearing range is 24" - 118". The 11-48 and 13-48 tooth combo gets used on two hills I know of up here and get me to speeds of around 45mph at which point the bike becomes really unstable due to wind turbulence on the rear panniers. Those same two hills have me regularily crawling along at less than 3mph in the lowest gear with the bike and panniers and all the cr*p that goes in them weighing in at around 50lbs.
The whole point of touring, as I understand it, is taking your time and enjoying the scenery.

Guess I must be daft then. Lumpy lands in same corner of UK as you and using 'useless' gears. Took the Vaya down from a compact 50/34 to it and very happy with them with 11-36. Likewise use'em on the 26" ride too, but too low on that really. And me most unfit. But I'm no expert. Never even reached 40mph yet, that I am aware of.

[mjr]

The whole point of touring, as I understand it, is taking your time and enjoying the scenery.

I agree about enjoying the scenery. I disagree about "taking your time" if you mean going slower than necessary: as long as you're not slogging your guts out, faster speeds means more scenery, doesn't it?

[Mark1978]

It's really difficult to judge. A road bike with a standard double and 11-23 might be ideal in flatlania for someone with reasonable fitness but the same person my want a compact with 12-30 if they live in the Pennines.

Thankfully we're getting away from the idea that road bikes are 'racers' and have to be geared accordingly.

[Mick F]

It's taken me a couple of years to work it out and it hasn't been cheap but I've now got what I think is the ideal range for me on my recumbent trike.
On the front:- 53-38 double chainrings on a Schlumpf HSD.
On the back:- 21 sprocket on a Rohloff built into a 20" wheel.
This gives me 24 unique gears out of 56 total, with a range 9.5"-173"

That is fantastically wonderful. You've told us of your setup before and I think you have it as perfect as you can get for a trike.

I've often considered getting a trike recumbent, but never really got anywhere beyond the pipe dream. I can't justify the expense, but if I won the lottery - which I will never do because I don't buy the tickets! - I would do exactly as you have done.

Having ridden along with trikers, I can see how they struggle with the hills but are fine on the flat and down the hills. You need the low gears with the trike and also the long gears for powering along. The derailleur systems we have, or the hub gears we have cannot do it alone. You have to use both systems.

I have "road" ratios on my Mercian, but because we live at the bottom of the valley, I need low gears too. The way I've done it is to use a wide triple and a reasonably wide cassette. I can power along in 117" top gear, and climb any hill I want in 26.5". No doubt if I was fully loaded I'd struggle with steep hills, but if I was fully loaded, I'd pick my routes carefully.

[Tom Richardson]

I used to ride with a 42 - 52 chain set and an 11 to 20 tooth six speed sprocket block - regularly rode 100 mile group rides with that set up all over the peak district and Derbyshire hills, Buxton, Axe Edge, Winnats Pass. I don't know how I managed to do it now but I never had any difficulty with it then. High gears are not for everyone but they're ok for some people.

[mrjemm]

Thinking about this, it perhaps would make more sense to relegate gearing (and saddles, tyres, bars, etc. if this site's any judge) to 'not supplied', like pedals, at point of distribution. But then the folk that have knowledge of what they want will often have strong opinions, and those that don't will be at the mercy of the LBS staff, and it's almost a maxim that LBS' are staffed with those of generally different opinion to tourers... They may like the chance to round up a bike sale a little more though.

[Mick F]

I reckon it makes more sense to reduce the exorbitant prices of the parts.
Everyone could then do as I have done, and build your own instead of buying a complete item.

Bicycles are only a collection of parts. Every single part can be replaced.

Look at "bike building" on websites ............... like this, picked almost at random:
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/bbd/road- ... BRC&bike=1
Why can't all bikes be sold by this method?
If you don't know what you want, you take advice.

[mrjemm]

Bicycles are only a collection of parts. Every single part can be replaced.

Even your frame, Mick?

I agree with your post... ideally, and like many here, I do... But, for those less willing to try, who's advice do you suggest? The LBS folk I refer to? Here?: Many do, many never recover.

[easyroller]

I like how Ribble do their online bike builder. Good choice of parts, although it was better when they offered SRAM as well. Personally I prefer to spin rather than grind so I tend to ride lower gears than a lot of others. I can spend most of my rides in the 39T middle ring, even that is good for over 20mph.

[Mick F]

Theoretically, my frame could be replaced.
Emotionally, it could not!

Advice?
As in all things, one should take advice. Advice on some things is usually good advice, but it tends to be things that traditionally we have taken advice on. Finance, housing, jobs, or careers.

Advice comes from different directions when it comes to bikes, just like it does with cars, or recipes, or holidays.

You have to sort the wheat from the chaff.