Originally Posted by
big chainring
49/42 with a 14-21 ulta six freewheel. And even on fast group rides rarely use the 14. 49/15 is my go to gear for speed. I'd rather spin that gear and have the ability to accelerate than shift to a higher gear and get bogged down pushing low rpms.
How the heck do you turn a 53/11? And what do you do when you need to close a gap quickly and you're in that gear?
53x11 is like 45 at 120rpm, and 45 is not uncommon in hilly road races. Also I can spin at 120 when needed but I can't generally make a lot of power at that rpm, I prefer be be going closer to 100rpm. Also just doing intervals in hilly terrain I prefer to be in the 11 when I'm trying to do a vo2 or max effort interval going downhill. It's not a gear I use all the time, but when I use it I'm really glad I have it.
It's great that your gearing works out for youbut obviously different people have different situations. Your tallest gear is lower than junior gearing, and they sometimes have trouble keeping up on fast descents or fast crits. Ever watch a junior try to spin their tiny gears when the speed ramps up into the mid 30s in a p123 crit?