Originally Posted by
Leinster
I like to have 1 cassette that can cover as many bases as possible so I don't have to swap wheels out depending on the day of the week. So a 10 that goes straight from 12 to 17 is great for my flat days, and a 27 gets me up 99% of the hills in my area.
When you crest a steep hill, how do you get from your 30/24 to your 52/14 without lots of "whacking" on your shifters? On my 10 group (105) I've got a technique down pretty well of tap-tap-tapping my right shifter as I crest a hill and I'm in the middle of my cassette as quickly as I ever was with downtube shifters. On my other bike (8-speed Mirage, 13-26 with a 39-53) I have multiple shifts on my thumb shifter, so I can go from the 26 to the 15 in 2 or 3 movements. But either way I only have 1 chainring to shift.
The same way. But I have two on the left and less on the right. Over a long ride it adds up. The bikes with less than 7 cogs have barcons. If the whole ride is up and down, friction mode in enacted. Then it's just sliding a lever. And if the descents have any grade at all, there is no reason to pedal. I weigh 200lbs and gravity takes over. Just sit back and grin as I blow past the skinnys. They are always in front because that same gravity makes me climb like a snail.
Bear in mind that most of my are in the 50 mile+ range and some with loading touring. So I am looking for efficiency over outright speed in shifting.
I don't understand why people despise shifting the front rings. It must be the 9-11 groups with the narrow cogs and chains. Someone needs to explain it to me. Everything I have has triples including my wifes 8 speed 105 and they all shift flawlessly.