Originally Posted by
jsdavis
I gotta ask, but how do some of you ride with a only 44T chainring? I'm barely spinning using my 28T chainring and 32T gear in the rear going uphill on a daily basis. And I'm still pooped the top even though I've been doing this for a year. Even when I switch to the 38T chainring at the top as it flattens out, I find it quite difficult. I am riding a Marin Muirwoods 29er for what it's worth.
I think the fact that you're on a 29er is a big part of it -- the tall tires raise your gearing, and are a little heavier than the same width tires of a smaller-diameter wheel. A lot of people run smaller-than-average chainrings on their 29ers to get the equivalent gearing.
For example, to get the gearing on your 29er that I do on my fixed-gear, I'd need to drop my chainring from 41T to 36T!
- Scott