marc k
05-09-04, 07:48 AM
just wondering. 2 or 3 ring cranks for the alpes??
any opinions appreciated.
mk
any opinions appreciated.
mk
Road Cycling - 2 or 3 ring for french alpes ??
Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.View Full Version : 2 or 3 ring for french alpes ??
Jakey
05-09-04, 08:29 AM
I'd go with three :)
TrekRider
05-09-04, 08:34 AM
just wondering. 2 or 3 ring cranks for the alpes??
any opinions appreciated.
mk
Definately three.
any opinions appreciated.
mk
Definately three.
jkoman
05-09-04, 09:27 AM
I am choosing 3 for the Pyranees and the Alpes can be even longer. Better safe than sorry!
K6-III
05-09-04, 06:00 PM
...or a compact crank...
Provence
05-10-04, 07:06 AM
Depends on your fitness level but personally i'd go with two chainrings and something like a 13-28 cassette on the back or maybe even use larger mountain bike gearing like 13-34. I'm cycling in Provence later this year..going up Mont Ventoux and other assorted beasts..a 39/28 gear combination should be fine.
Gonzo Bob
05-10-04, 07:35 AM
just wondering. 2 or 3 ring cranks for the alpes??
any opinions appreciated.
mk
Depends on 1) the grades you will be riding, 2) your fitness and climbing abilities, 3) how hard you want to work on the climbs, 4) how much gear you will be carrying.
I rode for about a week in southern France (Avignon to Sisteron and back) last year in a supported tour. I used a double crank riding a 39/24 gear for most climbs and dropping down to 39/28 for Mont Ventoux (21km, 1600m gain, 8% avg grade, 11% max grade). Most other riders in the group had triples.
any opinions appreciated.
mk
Depends on 1) the grades you will be riding, 2) your fitness and climbing abilities, 3) how hard you want to work on the climbs, 4) how much gear you will be carrying.
I rode for about a week in southern France (Avignon to Sisteron and back) last year in a supported tour. I used a double crank riding a 39/24 gear for most climbs and dropping down to 39/28 for Mont Ventoux (21km, 1600m gain, 8% avg grade, 11% max grade). Most other riders in the group had triples.
Iron Chef
05-10-04, 07:45 AM
4 is you can get it. :lol:
MichaelW
05-10-04, 11:14 AM
Some of the minor roads can be steeper than the classic passes.
I used a 3 and never regretted having a low gear
I used a 3 and never regretted having a low gear
bicycle_girl
05-10-04, 10:48 PM
just wondering. 2 or 3 ring cranks for the alpes??
any opinions appreciated.
mkI had a triple chaining, for both my trips, a 52-42-26 and didn't regret it. Of course, climbing Ventoux, Galibier and company is a little longer with 65 lbs load on the bike but I did them all without walking with the bike!!! My suggestion is train in the hills beforehand. Have fun...
Kati
http://bicycle_girl.crazyguyonabike.com
any opinions appreciated.
mkI had a triple chaining, for both my trips, a 52-42-26 and didn't regret it. Of course, climbing Ventoux, Galibier and company is a little longer with 65 lbs load on the bike but I did them all without walking with the bike!!! My suggestion is train in the hills beforehand. Have fun...
Kati
http://bicycle_girl.crazyguyonabike.com
SteveE
05-10-04, 11:20 PM
I just came across this (http://www.cyclingnews.com/fitness/?id=2004/letters05-10#Gearing) reply by Eddie Monnier today on Cyclingnews. I agree totally.
bicycle_girl
05-10-04, 11:28 PM
I would say it all depends on your fitness level. You want to want to climb. You want to look forward to the next one, and not to be too sore or not able to spin enough, Those cols are being climbed in 1-2 hours. If all you can do is 60 rpm in your smallest gear, I say get a triple.
Pat
05-11-04, 07:49 AM
Well, as everyone says, it depends.
I took a tour in the american west and some people used triples but many of the riders from Colorado used doubles. I was just as fast on the climbs as the people with the doubles, I was just running a much higher cadence. Of course, out there the steepest grades usually max out at 7% but Teton Pass is a sustained 10%.
So depending on your fitness and your riding style, you could go either way. One way to test is go out and find a local hill that is at least 7% and climb it with your proposed gearing. During the climb, ask yourself if you could do this for say 8 miles without a let up especially when you are a little beaten up.
Also, in all my time of cycling, I have heard many people talking about wishing they had a lower gear on the climbs on many hills but I never recall anyone complaining about having gearing that is too low.
I took a tour in the american west and some people used triples but many of the riders from Colorado used doubles. I was just as fast on the climbs as the people with the doubles, I was just running a much higher cadence. Of course, out there the steepest grades usually max out at 7% but Teton Pass is a sustained 10%.
So depending on your fitness and your riding style, you could go either way. One way to test is go out and find a local hill that is at least 7% and climb it with your proposed gearing. During the climb, ask yourself if you could do this for say 8 miles without a let up especially when you are a little beaten up.
Also, in all my time of cycling, I have heard many people talking about wishing they had a lower gear on the climbs on many hills but I never recall anyone complaining about having gearing that is too low.