Originally Posted by
ColinL
That's interesting... not sure what cassette you have, but
here's what my gearing looks like with 50/34 12-27.
Are you underestimating your speed, or perhaps only running out of gear downhill? Oh wait-- or is your cadence low?
Look at the speed over rpm chart in my link. If you're really averaging 12-14 mph and your gearing is similar to mine, you can see all the red that represents the small chainring. There's only 3 cogs available on the big chainring.
I have a 50/34 11-28 Shimano 105.
That is my average speed on my hybrid, but on the road bike it's creeping up to the 15-16 range.
I do only run out of gears (middle on hybrid, small on road) going down a hill ... and my cadence is low-ish I think, but I do keep it at or above 80 most of the time. That is due to a conscious effort!
I'm a natural masher otherwise.