gearing concerns on Pacific Coast trip (hills)
05-10-04, 09:14 PM
#1
www.ttfc.org
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Seattle
Posts: 6
Bikes: 1989 Daccordi/1987 Raleigh/ 1993 Schwinn Unicycle/ 2003 Burley Tandem/2004 Jamis Quest
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
gearing concerns on Pacific Coast trip (hills)
My daughter, who will be 14 at the time, and I plan to ride our tandem bike (fully loaded), possibly with trailer from Canada to Mexico (see www.ttfc.org), via the Pacific Coast in summer ’05. I have some concerns that our bike is geared properly. It has a stock triple 30/42/52 and a 9 speed rear 11-32.
Any thoughts and/or experience with this gearing… good or bad?
I am considering making some changes, if practical. Any comments would be appreciated.
Thx,
Steve
Any thoughts and/or experience with this gearing… good or bad?
I am considering making some changes, if practical. Any comments would be appreciated.
Thx,
Steve
05-10-04, 09:52 PM
#2
Year-round cyclist
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Montréal (Québec)
Posts: 3,023
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
Use whatever you are comfortable with -- a few loaded practice runs would help you decide.
However, my preference is always for lower gears. You have three options:
1. The least expensive, if you are fairly comfortable with what you have: Change the small ring for a 26... which probably would work with the 52-42 pair. However, the transition will be a bit much and you'll still have quite a few ultra-high gears you won't use.
2. Change all 3 rings for 48-38-24. The largest 2 exist as a ramped and pinned set (from FSA amongst others), so they would work with STI. I know such a combo works fine with bar-end shifters and I heard quite a few who say it works with STI, though you might prefer to add something like the N-Gear jump stop to prevent the chain from falling inside.
3. New compact cranskset? $$$
BTW, if you stay on the coast, hills are not that steep, but there are quite a few long ones. It's if you veer off that road that you'll see the steepest hills. But then, as a person from Seattle, you should have some experience with real hills.
Regards,
However, my preference is always for lower gears. You have three options:
1. The least expensive, if you are fairly comfortable with what you have: Change the small ring for a 26... which probably would work with the 52-42 pair. However, the transition will be a bit much and you'll still have quite a few ultra-high gears you won't use.
2. Change all 3 rings for 48-38-24. The largest 2 exist as a ramped and pinned set (from FSA amongst others), so they would work with STI. I know such a combo works fine with bar-end shifters and I heard quite a few who say it works with STI, though you might prefer to add something like the N-Gear jump stop to prevent the chain from falling inside.
3. New compact cranskset? $$$
BTW, if you stay on the coast, hills are not that steep, but there are quite a few long ones. It's if you veer off that road that you'll see the steepest hills. But then, as a person from Seattle, you should have some experience with real hills.
Regards,
05-11-04, 05:41 PM
#3
hors category
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 7,231
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times
in
5 Posts
A couple of thoughts.
1. Load up the tandem with enough dunnage to replicate what you think you'll be carrying on your tandem and/or pulling behind it in the trailer and search out some 11% - 12% grades near your home.
2. Take on the hills with your existing gearing and see how it goes.
3. If it's barely do-able, beg - borrow - steal an 11x34t cassette and see if that makes much of a difference. In reality, it's only a minor reduction in gear inches but sometimes a little is all it takes.
4. If it's still a bit goey, consider packing a little bit less. Folks who take on trans-whatever rides for the first time often times find they have packed more than they need or want to load and unload each day and search out a UPS / Mailboxes Etc. store to ship home the excess baggage.
5. If after putting on the 34t cassette and optimizing your total tandem weight those hills are still a bit too challenging give a 28t or 26t granny ring a try if your Tamb. will take a timing ring that small. I don't recall what the spacing is on the TruVative cranks that Burley uses for your particular tandem which is why I'm being tentative here.
We did a portion of this ride in '02 -- San Francisco to San Diego -- and while there were some steep grades they were usually short and steep with few exceptions. I believe some of the terrain along the Oregon Coast may actually be a bit more challenging that PCH was so my suggestion to use 12% grade may or may not be the worst you'll encounter. I seem to recall that it was about the worst that we saw on the planned route. We took a side trip that may have been a bit more daunting that that but the heat had a lot to do with it.
FWIW: We used a 54/44/30t x 11/32t cassette on our West Coast trip and I only recall using the 30x32 gear once, just south of Pismo Beach. However, we were fully sag'd and had only our middle-aged bodies to drag up the hills and we waited until Sept. when the weather was a bit cooler further down the Calif. coast.
Good Luck. It sounds like a great adventure.
1. Load up the tandem with enough dunnage to replicate what you think you'll be carrying on your tandem and/or pulling behind it in the trailer and search out some 11% - 12% grades near your home.
2. Take on the hills with your existing gearing and see how it goes.
3. If it's barely do-able, beg - borrow - steal an 11x34t cassette and see if that makes much of a difference. In reality, it's only a minor reduction in gear inches but sometimes a little is all it takes.
4. If it's still a bit goey, consider packing a little bit less. Folks who take on trans-whatever rides for the first time often times find they have packed more than they need or want to load and unload each day and search out a UPS / Mailboxes Etc. store to ship home the excess baggage.
5. If after putting on the 34t cassette and optimizing your total tandem weight those hills are still a bit too challenging give a 28t or 26t granny ring a try if your Tamb. will take a timing ring that small. I don't recall what the spacing is on the TruVative cranks that Burley uses for your particular tandem which is why I'm being tentative here.
We did a portion of this ride in '02 -- San Francisco to San Diego -- and while there were some steep grades they were usually short and steep with few exceptions. I believe some of the terrain along the Oregon Coast may actually be a bit more challenging that PCH was so my suggestion to use 12% grade may or may not be the worst you'll encounter. I seem to recall that it was about the worst that we saw on the planned route. We took a side trip that may have been a bit more daunting that that but the heat had a lot to do with it.
FWIW: We used a 54/44/30t x 11/32t cassette on our West Coast trip and I only recall using the 30x32 gear once, just south of Pismo Beach. However, we were fully sag'd and had only our middle-aged bodies to drag up the hills and we waited until Sept. when the weather was a bit cooler further down the Calif. coast.
Good Luck. It sounds like a great adventure.
05-11-04, 07:59 PM
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Tucson, AZ
Posts: 11,016
Bikes: Custom Zona c/f tandem + Scott Plasma single
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 77 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 19 Times
in
11 Posts
Howdy from Tucson!
Lighten your load as much as possible. You can wash out cycling clothes daily in camp/motel/laundromat.
Skip the heavy electric razor and carry some cheapo plastic disposable safety razors. Pack some multi-use clothing, good for on/off bike. If you do need anything 'extra' you can usually buy it along the route.
Do some practice runs/climbs with gear a bit heavier than you anticipate to carry. We used to practice climbing with loads of books/encylopedias in panniers!
On gearing, it depends on the individuals; but better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it! Err on the side of grannier gearing.
You are planning well ahead; enjoy the adventure!
Rudy & Kay/Zona tandem
Lighten your load as much as possible. You can wash out cycling clothes daily in camp/motel/laundromat.
Skip the heavy electric razor and carry some cheapo plastic disposable safety razors. Pack some multi-use clothing, good for on/off bike. If you do need anything 'extra' you can usually buy it along the route.
Do some practice runs/climbs with gear a bit heavier than you anticipate to carry. We used to practice climbing with loads of books/encylopedias in panniers!
On gearing, it depends on the individuals; but better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it! Err on the side of grannier gearing.
You are planning well ahead; enjoy the adventure!
Rudy & Kay/Zona tandem
