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Road Bike Gearing for a Geezer

Old 01-17-12, 05:47 AM
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Road Bike Gearing for a Geezer

Hi Folks,
A bit of a novice to this sort of thing, so I thought I'd put this out. I've put down a deposit on a Trek 2.1 which has this gearing - 50/34 crank : 11/32 cassette. I live in Central Massachusetts which, while not the Alps, is a pretty hilly place. I'm 61 years old and in fairly decent shape but admittedly not getting any younger.
I know you can't judge my fitness or locale but do you think this set up is reasonable for an older rider in hilly conditions?
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Old 01-17-12, 05:59 AM
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I for one would like a triple where you live. But that's just me.
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Old 01-17-12, 06:48 AM
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Originally Posted by Phil85207
I for one would like a triple where you live. But that's just me.
Would a triple give you lower gearing or just more gears?
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Old 01-17-12, 06:52 AM
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The granny gear ring on the front or crank set would give you a much lower range for the hills, Pete. It is usually pretty small in teeth count, check some mfgr's sites and look at the third ring number for the bicycles with triples.

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Old 01-17-12, 07:22 AM
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FWIW, I run a standard crankset with a 14X25 cassette here in northeastern CT. I'm 65 and a bit overweight at 185 lbs. it seems to work fine for me. I live on a ridge so all my rides are off the ridge and back up at the end. I think you just have to find what works for you and be aware that it might change as the season progresses.
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Old 01-17-12, 07:34 AM
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The 34/32 combo will give you 28.7 inches. And the 50/11 will give 122.7 inches (probably much more than you'll ever need.)

If you go to a triple with a 30 tooth inner ring you'll end up with 25.3 inches. So, that's a 3.5 inch difference every time you turn the cranks a full revolution. For many riders that difference is not terribly significant.

All but one of my bikes is now setup with the 34/50 instead of a triple. The exception to this is my commuter/around town bike. It gets used to haul groceries and other things. So, the triple does come in handy when the bike is fully loaded.

What are other riders in your age and fitness bracket riding in your area?

If you'd like to do your own gear calculations try this: https://www.bikeschool.com/tools/gear-calculator
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Last edited by NOS88; 01-17-12 at 07:39 AM.
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Old 01-17-12, 07:39 AM
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I have a 34-29 as my lowest gear. It's good for 15% grades at 3 to 4 mph. I also like it because I can spin up 5% grades at a high cadence. I think you'll be fine with a 34-32 low gear.

The disadvantage of a 11-32 is the wider gaps between gears. It's harder to get the exact cadence you want, you are either spinning a little too fast or too slow.

You won't use the 50-11 high gear very often, maybe on steep downhills. I only have a 50-13 high gear, and can spin up to 33 or 34 mph, then I coast down faster hills.

I think road bike triples usually have 12-25 or 12-27 cogs, so the gears are closer together. But a 30-27 isn't as low as a 34-32.




Using the great Mike Sherman's gear calculator. Each chainring is a different color. The range is for pedaling between 80 and 100 rpm. The Calculator will show updated charts on the fly as you change cadences or select different gears.

34-50 and 11-32 cogs. A wide range of speeds, but big jumps between gears. There's no 14 or 16 cog, and these are used all the time on a 12-27 cog set. (This chart goes 0-40 mph, so the scale is different than the next ones)



30-39-52 and 12-27 cogs. The gears are a lot closer together. The middle chainring is ideal for the typical road bike speeds between 10 and 22 mph.




34-50 and 12-27 cogs. A common non-racing road bike setup. The low gears aren't as low. If you are in the 34 chainring, you need to shift to the big ring around 16-18 mph, a typical road speed, so that's slightly annoying. See the chart at the bottom, the 34 chainring speeds are about 1 mph apart, very good.


Last edited by rm -rf; 01-17-12 at 08:19 AM.
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Old 01-17-12, 07:43 AM
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^^What they said ^^

I will qualify my statement above by putting in that I live an an extremely flat area, rolling gentle hills only. I removed the triple from my R500 and put on a road double with 52-39 rings. The back seven are 12-25 so I have no expertise, as these others do. The granny on my triple was much too low for me, strictly a personal preference.

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Old 01-17-12, 07:55 AM
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I find a triple very nice to have, and fail to see why it is any more trouble that a compact. IOW, why not get a triple, with its extra gearing? I find I need it at times. I don't understand the rationale behind limiting one's options on hills. But then, I am a bit weird, I guess.

(If you think of yourself as a "geezer" at 61, I dread to think what that makes me at 72!!)

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Old 01-17-12, 07:59 AM
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Originally Posted by GeezerPete
Would a triple give you lower gearing or just more gears?
More gears with tighter gear spacing. The 39t middle chainring is ideal for most cycling, the small chainring is for hard hills, the big chainring is for descending;

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Old 01-17-12, 08:13 AM
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Originally Posted by DnvrFox
I find a triple very nice to have, and fail to see why it is any more trouble that a compact. IOW, why not get a triple, with its extra gearing? I find I need it at times. I don't understand the rationale behind limiting one's options on hills. But then, I am a bit weird, I guess.
That exactly my feelings. I have had several triples and my last bike I went with a compact. Big mistake!! I had to put mountain bike cassette on and changed the rear derailleur to get a low enough gear. The problem is that there is a large gap between gears. Going through the gears with a triple is like shifting an automatic transmission. You go from one to the next an hardly feel the change.
With a double, when you change gears you know it.
The double and compact came about with racing (lighter weight) and of course lots of ridders want to go real fast like Lance-0) Please understand that this is my experience, and will not fit everyone else. Good luck.
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Old 01-17-12, 08:23 AM
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90 to 95% of my riding is done in the same region. I have found that the compact double is more than adequate for this riding. From my perspective there is no reason to carry the extra chain links, longer dérailleur cage, longer crank axle, and extra chain ring if I don't need them. I also find the triple shifts not quite as smooth as with a shorter cage rear dérailleur. When I know I'll be riding somewhere with serious mountains, it take me about 20 minutes to swap out the compact for the triple set up. But as noted, each to his own.
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Old 01-17-12, 09:15 AM
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Originally Posted by rm -rf
The disadvantage of a 11-32 is the wider gaps between gears. It's harder to get the exact cadence you want, you are either spinning a little too fast or too slow.
This is why I prefer a triple. With ten extra gears in the same range, I can always find what works for my legs and lungs.

I tried a compact (50/34) and found that for me, its real Achilles Heel is that the mid-range is split between the two rings. On my commute I have to shift the front between stoplights, and shift back again at every stoplight.

Due to the wider spacing between the rings on the front, I have to shift 3-4 gears on the back every time I shift the front, instead of 2 on my triples. It's just too much of a PITA for me.

But they work for some people. Just not for me.

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Old 01-17-12, 09:23 AM
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Originally Posted by GeezerPete
Would a triple give you lower gearing or just more gears?
While I am a fan of triple cranks, since you have just bought a bike with compact double and wide range cassette (SRAM Apex I presume?), I would definitely not advise undertaking the considerable expense of changing out your drivetrain to get a triple. SRAM does not make a triple, so you would have to change cranks, shifters and derailleurs to go triple. A 34 front / 32 rear combination is the same low gear as the 30 front / 28 rear lowest gear common for road triples.

There are pluses and minuses of either approach to low gearing. IMHO, it would be silly to make such a drastic change to a new bike. What you have should work very well for you. My advice? Ride and smile.

<edit> I just noticed that you have only made a deposit on the bike, so you could look into the possibility of getting a triple instead. I think either could work well for you. It comes down to a matter of preference.

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Old 01-17-12, 09:38 AM
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I ride your exact gearing here in the Seattle area - not many flat rides around here - and have never wanted for a triple. I've ridden this gearing on long, extended climbs in the Cascades and Sierras and have always been able to find a comfortable gear for those long uphill grinds. My only complaint is on the flats - with that wide of a cassette on the back you lose the gearing granularity you get with a narrow range cassette. Fair tradeoff in my estimation.
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Old 01-17-12, 10:05 AM
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Pete,
Spend a bit of time riding with the current setup, if nothing else it will give you an idea of which direction you may wish to go.
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Old 01-17-12, 10:08 AM
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Originally Posted by GeezerPete
Would a triple give you lower gearing or just more gears?
My triple, 50-39-24 chain rings with a 11-34 cassette.
I don't use the 24T much, but it is there when I need it.
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Old 01-17-12, 11:57 AM
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I came here expecting to read about who makes a bike called the Geezer and what was so special about it.
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Old 01-17-12, 12:40 PM
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GP, Don't worry about the gearing until you've put some miles on the bike, as your cycling savvy increases you'll be able to address any needs that arise, if any. The compact double and wide ratio cassette may turn out to be ideal if you're seldom on a level road.

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Old 01-17-12, 12:57 PM
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Since you only have a deposit on the Trek wait until you've looked at a triple before you finish buying the Trek.

I don't think that the 50/34 crank on the Trek is going to make you happy where you live. No, I do not..........
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Old 01-17-12, 01:21 PM
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YMMV.. do as you will .. But, a 24 t on a triple, turning a 28t on the hub
is lower than 1:1 A 34:32 is higher.

I got a 50/40/30 a Camag race triple 135 bcd, I changed the innermost cog.


ride the IGH bike mostly .. road bike is impractical
no racks, mudguards, dyno-hub.
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Old 01-17-12, 01:59 PM
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Originally Posted by GeezerPete
This gearing - 50/34 crank : 11/32 cassette. I I'm 61 years old and in fairly decent shape?
Wow, Scary close! I'm 61 years old too and use exactly the same gearing! Works for me in the mountains of Southern CA!

Rick / OCRR
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Old 01-17-12, 02:25 PM
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Originally Posted by tsl
This is why I prefer a triple. With ten extra gears in the same range, I can always find what works for my legs and lungs.

I tried a compact (50/34) and found that for me, its real Achilles Heel is that the mid-range is split between the two rings. On my commute I have to shift the front between stoplights, and shift back again at every stoplight.

Due to the wider spacing between the rings on the front, I have to shift 3-4 gears on the back every time I shift the front, instead of 2 on my triples. It's just too much of a PITA for me.

But they work for some people. Just not for me.
To me this is the only disadvantage to a compact double. I find myself debating whether to change the front. With the big gap between the sprockets it's a slow shift, kinda like it's rider.
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Old 01-17-12, 03:09 PM
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FWIW, I switched out my triple front/12-26 rear last year for a SRAM Apex/Rival mix: 50/34 front, 12-32 rear. I'm 60, ride lots, and like climbs; also use the bike daily for commuting (well, not in mid-winter but otherwise!). Works for me.
BTW, I agree with tsl above re. the 'mid-range split' -- it's definitely 'there', but simply doesn't bother me at all.
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Old 01-17-12, 03:28 PM
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I live in hilly country and have a 28,38,48 front chain ring and a seven cog rear that goes from a 14 to a 24, then jumps to a 34.

So far, it's working out rather well for me.
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