Originally Posted by
ghettocruiser
Maybe this just speaks to my mediocrity, but when I get denied on a climb in a 34X32, dropping to the granny ring and trying it again never helps.
It's always either a loss of traction or a loss of balance due the combination of lean-back, spinning, low speed, and clearing uphill obstacles.
Same here. I find I do best near the 1:1 area on my hardtails. If I get too much lower, I'm prone to having the bike come unstuck at one end or the other (wheel lift or spinout) on really steep stuff (30-45% grade).
What I don't quite understand, is what happened to torque. I was on a ride with a group the other night, and one guy's derailleur was acting up on the 30-tooth cog, so he was complaining that his 32 x 34 was too low and his 32 x 26 was too high. I looked down at my drivetrain and I was happily crunching along in the 48 x 26 or thereabouts. I mean seriously, we're moseying up a slight grade on a firm singletrack, WTH does anyone several years younger than me need a 32 x 30 for? I bet he'd have no problem turning the 32 x 26 if chicks were watching
