Professional Cycling - What gear combinations for stage 16?

I studied the photos at Graham Watson web site on stage 16. Photos show no triple front. all the photos show racers climbing with small chain wheel front and largest gear in the rear. Small chain wheel seems to be smaller than normal, meaning smaller than 39? They still seem to have small gears in the rear but I can't imagine 11 or 12 even 13 that they'll never use for climbing only time trial.
Does anybody know what gear combination they prepared for that time trial? I specially want to know the size of inner front gear and biggest gear in the rear. Since they all seem to be using racing size derailler, which most of them limited to 26, is that what they use?

well a 39x23 spun @ 90rpm = about 12 miles an hour, a 39x25 spun @ 70rpm = about 8.7mph

Lance average a tick below 15mph.

With the steepest gradient around 9%??? I doubt you would need anything smaller than a 39x25


With a lot of bikes coming in at the weight limit, there is no real need to make some crazy cassette that would be minus the 11,12,13, etc....

[QUOTE=Smoothie104]I doubt you would need anything smaller than a 39x25
QUOTE]


Bump.

Over half the field averaged under 13mph. There was 1.5km of flat, and the steepest part was 11%. That would make me guess that they would be under 10mph in some sections. A 30/25 spinning at 90rpm would be about 8.5mph. But who knows what gears they were using. Most pros don't want to spin... they want to mash in high gear. That or they are afraid that low gears would be too sissy, as Saiz would say.

the steepest part was 11%.

This is very much consistent with what I saw else where.
Is it possible to install a small chain wheel like 30 in the crank set made for double?

Several crank makers, notably FSA initially, have started offering 110 bolt circle cranks in configurations/weights that pros can use. Standard road cranks are 130 BCD which allows a chainring only as small as 39, with a couple of 38s available. With 110 BCD it is possible to use a 34 tooth chainring and TA even makes a 33. After his injury Tyler put on a crank like this during last years TDF so he could spin more easily on climbs, using his arms less for leverage. As I watch many of the pros it seems that many of them would do better if they got over their machismo and spin a slightly lower gear on some of the climbs. It really seemed to me that Voeckler (only singled out because as maillot jaune the cameras showed him a lot) wasted a lot of energy mashing a bigger gear than necessary in the Pyrennes. Not that it would have changed anything the eventual outcome, but it might have saved him some resources for later.

Last year I did a climb from just just under 8000 feet to just over 12000 feet over 19 miles. 30/25 was barely adequate, and I would love to have had something lower! Of course, I'm just an old fat commuter who can't even quite claim to be "fast recreational" rider. But I am realistic about my limitations and adapt my equipment accordingly.

This is very much consistent with what I saw else where.
Is it possible to install a small chain wheel like 30 in the crank set made for double?

In a word "No." See my above post. A 30 requires about a minimum 74mm BCD as on a triple road crank.

I studied the photos at Graham Watson web site on stage 16. Photos show no triple front. all the photos show racers climbing with small chain wheel front and largest gear in the rear. Small chain wheel seems to be smaller than normal, meaning smaller than 39? They still seem to have small gears in the rear but I can't imagine 11 or 12 even 13 that they'll never use for climbing only time trial.
Does anybody know what gear combination they prepared for that time trial? I specially want to know the size of inner front gear and biggest gear in the rear. Since they all seem to be using racing size derailler, which most of them limited to 26, is that what they use?

According to Frankie Andreu's Diary, Lance was using 53x39 in the front and 14x23 in the rear.

http://www.uspsprocycling.com/newsfile/2004tdf_fa_0722.htm

On TV I noticed Lance didn't have a left shifting brake lever. On Graham Watson site the final photo of stage 16 clearly shows a down tube shifting lever for the chainrings. Why do you think he used this setup? Does it make the bike a bit lighter? The large chainring might have only be used in the early flat section anyway.

Yes, it's a lighter setup.

Yes, it's a lighter setup.


Bump.
Lance always prefers only the one STI shifter in the mountains.

On TV I noticed Lance didn't have a left shifting brake lever. On Graham Watson site the final photo of stage 16 clearly shows a down tube shifting lever for the chainrings. Why do you think he used this setup? Does it make the bike a bit lighter? The large chainring might have only be used in the early flat section anyway.


I've read it reduces the bike's weight by 100 grams. I've also read that he prefers the precision of a friction shifter when climbing to enable him to make adjustments if necessary and to avoid a mis-hit when shifting on a climb. Sorry I don't have the links.

According to Frankie Andreu's Diary, Lance was using 53x39 in the front and 14x23 in the rear.

http://www.uspsprocycling.com/newsfile/2004tdf_fa_0722.htm

In short, Lance used pretty much the same gear combination on the bike like everybody can buy off the shelf, even less forgiving than most. Now I know, if I get hard time climbing certain hills, it's not the bike that I should be blaming. It only tells me that I'm not strong enough. That motivates me a lot.

With the steepest gradient around 9%??? I doubt you would need anything smaller than a 39x25



From velonews:

"In training, a front chain ring of 36 combined with a 21-tooth cog behind seemed idea,l but on the day after almost two weeks of hard racing it was too big a gear and I struggled to turn the pedals in my usual cadence." - Basso

Again, I think many riders often go for too high of a ratio in gearing.