photonick

So I did 40 miles today practicing my cadence (at least i think thats what i was doing) went almost non stop at an average of 15.6 mph.

I kept my front gear in the largest gear and my rear in the 2nd-4th largest gear. I used to ride in the largest front gear and the smallest back gear for long distances but find pedaling faster with less resistance seems to work better and i end up going faster for longer.

Is this kosher, because someone today told me that i shouldn't have my gears "crossed up" like that.

Hickeydog

Dat is not good. Try riding on the middle (if you use a tripple) in the front and the middle in the back. Cross-gearing your chain will wear out your drive train faster.

Edit: I think

photonick

I mean it makes sense, honestly I might have been lured into this habbit by the first guy who took me riding who told me to stay on the top front chain ring ( i do have a tripple) and stay on the larger gears in the rear. He said that being on the top front chain ring gave me more torque, I've been trying to see what other riders do and i've noticed alot of them on the top chain ring.

photonick

Also if your riding about a 100 miles a week whats the life on a typical rear cassette?

seppomadness

Golly gosh this thread was/is a train wreak.

dekindy

What cassette are you asking about?

dekindy

Cross chaining is a thing of the past with modern drivetrains and lubricants.

I generally find that my drivetrain is quiet if I do not use largest cog/2 largest gears or granny/2 smallest gears and just generally stay away from the two largest and two smallest gears when in the middle cog.

If you use a gear calculator to create a chart of your gears, i.e. Sheldon Brown, you will see this makes sense also for a smooth progression as you switch cogs. There is a lot of overlap in those 30 gear combinations and it is helpful to be aware of it if you want to keep an even cadence.

jccaclimber

You actually get less torque in a big ring (do the ratios) and large front large rear will be the same as small/small if the ratios are equal. Crosschaining should only be an issue if something is rubbing/grinding. On my double I can hit all the rear gears in the big ring in the front, and most with the small one.

Pharmr

try to avoid the smallest in front and smallest in back, as well as biggest in front and biggest in back for extended times....but as said before, new 10spd chains are pretty flexible and cross-chaining isn't as big an issue as before....as for your cadence, "pedaling faster" will be easier on your knees and also improve your cardio....so, good job!!...soon your speed will start creeping up as well!

San Rensho 

Use the middle chainring, not so much to avoid cross chaining, but to get closer gears for the speed you are riding at.

If you are working on cadence, the idea is to keep your rpm in a small range and use the gears to adjust for effort, terrain, keeping the cadence constant. The closer the gearing, the easier it is to keep within the target cadence.

Once you find yourself consistently on the smallest 2 cogs in the rear, then shift to the big chainring.