Originally Posted by
woodcraft
I got an 11/32 cassette & RD extender to get extra gears over 11/28.
Am I a wuss?
Anticipating some big climbs this year, but embarrassed.
If the assumption is that 80-90 RPM is the "best" cadence is to be believed, then lots of ppl run way too high gears for climbing mountains. I have no idea how many or how few watts/kg you consider "wuss", but a quick calculation seem to show that anything sustained at 5% or more, is likely to drop the cadence, of the average rider, below 80 RPM.
At 200W, a 175 lbs rider will do about 7.2 mph, at 74 RPM (34/28 gear) on a 6% incline.
An 11-32 doesn't make much difference to a 11-28. Consider a 34, 36 or even 40, depending on your ability an terrain.