Originally Posted by
joebongo
Quick update to let you all know how awesome your help has been - I put it on the big cog at the front and all is well and also on reflection, given my ride length is so short these days (I have a 3 year old son) then making the ride harder going is a good thing really
. My LBS will be getting a visit so I can get him to teach me about the points raised in the replies about chains and cleaning (he's an old school enthusiast).
Thanks everyone
As mentioned, it's best to make use of the lower gears as well as the higher. Surprisingly, even though you are on the large chainring now, most of the gears on it are not higher than the ratio you had on the small-small. So it's not so bad using the large chainring, as long as you stay away from the smallest rear cogs. Also, contrary to popular belief, pedaling harder (more pedal pressure but slower pedaling)
will not do much for either fitness or strength. Have your LBS person talk to you about gear use as well. And again, the first order of business is to measure the chain for wear - there's no sense at all in cleaning a worn chain.