SRAM Apex Redundancy
04-28-11, 03:20 PM
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SRAM Apex Redundancy
I'm in the market for an entry level road bike and I'm looking at a Specialized with SRAM Apex. But when I looked up the gear ratios for the compact crank and the much touted 11-32T, I found 4 redundant gears. My current triple on my hybrid has only one. Am I doing something wrong or misunderstanding the concept of redundancy?
Thank you in advance for your comments!
Thank you in advance for your comments!
04-28-11, 03:53 PM
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Thank you! That makes sense. I have indeed never used any but the last 3 gears when using the 30 tooth ring. So I guess they don't literally mean redundant.
04-28-11, 07:22 PM
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You want some "redundancy" in your gearing so that you can switch chain rings without having to go to the extreme end of the cassette, switch chainrings and then shift all the way back down again.
I'm not sure I understand how you can only have 1 overlapping gear ratio on a triple - something must be wrong with that analysis?
I'm not sure I understand how you can only have 1 overlapping gear ratio on a triple - something must be wrong with that analysis?
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04-28-11, 07:52 PM
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I own a bike with Apex and I agree that the granny gear being on the back is redundant. I never use the low gear. Apex has been nice by being smoother than Shimano 105. It's actually just Rival without any carbon. (I spoke to a SRAM representative about their lineup and each step on the scale, except Red, is everthe same inner workings with different materials. But never plastic.)
04-28-11, 08:53 PM
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I ride my cyclocross bike with a 34/50 crankset and 11-32 cassette on a lot of light single track and I find myself in the lowest gear rather frequently. On my road bike though a 12-28 works just great.
04-29-11, 11:21 AM
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If you have >15% grade hills you ride on regularly, you will appreciate the granny gear. Not saying you can't make it up otherwise, but it's nice to have options.
04-30-11, 12:31 AM
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Back in the day of 4-, 5-, and 6-speed freewheels and double chainrings, redundancy was an issue. Nowadays with 9, 10 or 11 cogs on a cassette, selecting a gear is more about working with a useful range of cogs on the cassette for each chainring.
04-30-11, 12:46 PM
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Correct answer. OP you're over analyzing the problem.
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04-30-11, 01:15 PM
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Redundancy is your friend and allows the rider to use overlaping gear ranges.
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