Originally Posted by
kimconyc
In the ToC, everyone I saw on the Big Bear climb (including people like G. Hincapie, J. Voigt, A. Schleck, L. Leipheimer, M. Rogers, F. Cancellara, etc.) were using 39's with either a 25 or 27 in the back.
I know that C. Sastre has been known to use a compact on some stages in the TdF.
Guys who ride in the TdF are different than you and I so it might be better to just use what gets you over the hill (or mountain)
Oh, sounds more or less like a stock double...
I think my bike is a 34-27, but I find to get over the REALLY tough hills I have to switch from regular push down pedaling to full-circle pedaling, which gives me more power but is much more tiring.
Originally Posted by
JoelS
On at least one of the stages in the 2010 Giro, several riders were using compact cranks, and Vino also had a 32 in back! That's some low gearing. But I think the grades were over 20% in some of the ramps.
A 32 in the rear would make it pretty easy. Lol. I wonder if my 105 5700 rear derailleur would be able to take a gear like that? I think my old bike had something similar, since it had mountain bike gears.