Tarmac or Roubaix (Gearing) for climbing ?

[echotraveler]

Yeah i guess the difference isnt the frame. More on the crank change. An awesome ride!

[revchuck]

OP - Going off on a slight tangent here - unless you REALLY need that 11t cog, you might consider getting a 12-28 or 12-32. They'll give you a much friendlier gear spacing than you'll get with the 11-28 or 11-32 cassette.

[gundom66]

11-32 vs 12-32...

>> 11-12-13-15-17-19-21-24-28-32

>> 12-13-14-15-16-17-19-21-24-32

The only thing I don't like on the 12-32 is the huge jump from 24 to 32. Then again, 32t is a bail out gear.

[merlinextraligh]

Gearing is relatively easy to change. IIRC, the "mid-compact" 52/36 on the Tarmac still uses a 110BCD spider, so you'd only have to buy compact chainrings to convert it to a compact 50/34.

.

This. Buy the bike that suits you best. Have the LBS swap out rings, and or cassette to get the gearing you want if necessary. They should do this free, at time of purchase.

[Drew Eckhardt]

Posted over at cyclingforums as well, but it seems this community is much more active....

Depends on how much you weigh, your power to weight ratio for various intervals, how steep and long your mountain climbs are, your preferred cadence range, what happens to fatigue outside that, etc.

I found 34x23 and 30x21 sufficient for everything and pleasant for most things (The Mike Horgan Memorial Hill Climb up Magnolia Road was one of a few exceptions) in the Colorado Rockies.

I enjoyed using a 30x21 low gear for everything except the second day (I felt tired and swapped 13-21 for 13-26 to have an easy day) of the 418 mile 30,000 foot 1997 Grand Junction to Golden Ride The Rockies.

I am currently coming from an Allez triple : Tiagra/Sora : 50-42-30 and 12-25 ( I should notice a positive difference either way?)

An SRAM 11-32 runs 11-12-13-15-17-19-22-25-28-32. On flat ground you might miss the 14 and 16 cogs you get with better gear combinations like SRAM's wide range options that start with a 12 and have a big jump to a final bail out cog.

34x28 and 30x25 are the same gear. 36x28 is like 30x23. Only you can tell us how those work for you and how much you want bigger or smaller options.

Of course cassettes are pretty affordable things to change when you eschew "high end" cassettes that might be machined from one piece of metal, equipped with titanium cogs, or have big cogs riveted to alloy centers. Rings are also fairly reasonable compared to the price of a new bicycle. Get whatever fits right and buy the gears you need/want if you don't already have them out in your garage.

[JohnnyCyclist]

11-32 vs 12-32...

>> 11-12-13-15-17-19-21-24-28-32

>> 12-13-14-15-16-17-19-21-24-32

The only thing I don't like on the 12-32 is the huge jump from 24 to 32. Then again, 32t is a bail out gear.

I use a 12-28: 12-13-14-15-16-17-19-22-25-28

I prefer having the 16t cog over the 11t. But like saddles, it's personal preference, isn't it?

[revchuck]

11-32 vs 12-32...

>> 11-12-13-15-17-19-21-24-28-32

>> 12-13-14-15-16-17-19-21-24-32

The only thing I don't like on the 12-32 is the huge jump from 24 to 32. Then again, 32t is a bail out gear.

This came up on this forum before. The SRAM catalog lists what you've written (it's a misprint), but the cassettes themselves are (from Competitive Cyclist website):

The 12/32 includes: 12,13,14,15,17,19,22,25,28,32

It's basically a nine speed wide range cassette with an extra bailout gear.

And like Johnny said, it's personal preference.

[gundom66]

This came up on this forum before. The SRAM catalog lists what you've written (it's a misprint), but the cassettes themselves are (from Competitive Cyclist website):

The 12/32 includes: 12,13,14,15,17,19,22,25,28,32

It's basically a nine speed wide range cassette with an extra bailout gear.

And like Johnny said, it's personal preference.

I don't have an issue with the personal preference. I just posted what was listed in the SRAM website and really didn't like that huge jump, but if CC is listing it at that, I like it more than the 11-32. I really don't mind having either one, but now that I know what the 12-32 really is...

[oldbobcat]

it's forbidden to have a 32t on a tarmac.

Evidently no one told Alberto Contador. He used a SRAM Apex setup (OK, so maybe it was a 30t) on the harder climbs of the Giro last year.

I vote for the Tarmac. I can't get used to looking at Roubaix head tubes.