Originally Posted by
mkmartin333
The park is gravel dirt ranger roads with quick turns at the bottom of steep hills then back up a steep hill. I am a 65yo female trying hard but appreciating my granny gears. I have been having fun on the 1993 Trek 930 (24/34/42, 11-28) for years but am ready for something new. I picked the Troll as the best replacement but a local shop was trying to sell me one of the Bridge Clubs they have saying it would be more 'fun' and the Troll would be sluggish and not handle the park as well. Would I notice in the park I ride? Didn't notice during road test ride. The 27.5" wheels do sound fun but I am told are less maneuverable. I also plan to use the bike ~ 5-10% of the time for local trips like the GAP & C&O from Pittsburgh to Wash DC. Plus I now have a Bob trailer.
my wife is an early 60s female who appreciates her granny gears on her Troll, so I guess I can give some (hopefully) informed opinions from at least the angle of knowing what a similarly aged rider likes and appreciates.
-the troll has the triple crankset, 48/36/26 and ten speed 11-36 cassette. The troll used to come with those rather large 2.5in tires, Surly Extraterrestrials, but I switched them to 1.5 in (38-40mm) middle of the road tread tires, not slicks but still with tread. With these tires and gearing, her Troll has a low gear of 18 gear inches--dont worry if you arent familiar with gear inches, we'll just use it as a reference, that we can compare to your present bike. We could call it 18 pomegranates or whatever....
18 gear inches, g.i. is a real nice low gear
Your present bike probably has 26in wheels, and lets say it has 1.5 inch tires, so with the 42/34/24 and 11-28 it has a low gear of 21.3 g.i.
21.3 vs 18 means 18 is about almost 2 shifts more lower gears than what your bike has.
the bridge club is geared with a single 32t chainring, and 11-50t cassette, tires are 27.5x 2.4 stock, this gives it a low gear of also 18 g.i.
the brdge club will be a lighter bike than the troll by a certain amount. I know the troll wheels are 36 spoke, BC has 32 spoke, and probably not as heavy rims also, plus the triple is heavier etc etc, so its probably a good 5lbs lighter as a guess, but I dont know.
The top gear on the BC is not that high , but if you are someone who never wants to ride and pedal past 25mph or lets say 40kph, then this isnt an issue....
for sure, a lighter bike is more enjpyable, you arent planning to ride around the world, so the BC is a valid choice. Pulling a BOB trailer doesnt need a extremely solid bike, and the BC is ample in any case...
my thoughts on 26in vs 27.5?? I dont really see the diff in real world riding that you'd be doing. Tire choices make a real diff in how a bike handles and turns also, and I love how my troll rides, at all speeds from 4kph to 80kph....but thats me.
My wife is short, 5ft, and her xs troll fits her really well, but then a properly sized Bridge club would also be fine Im sure. The 26 in wheel bike is probably lower to ground, the sloped top tube on my wifes troll makes it easier for her to swing foot over...is the bridge club an issue for this, i dont know...?
26in wheels are also nice for not hitting your toes on the front tire when turning sharply, ESPECIALLY on S and XS frames. Again, dont know if the BC has this issue and what size frame you use. Also, if you put smaller tires on a BC then this would give more toe room..
bottom line , both bikes have good low gears, lower than your present bike, which always is good, and great to have when you need them. My troll has even lower gearing, 16.7 gear inch low, and I use it and appreciate it with panniers and stuff on the bike when touring. Its lower cuz i have a 44/32/22 and 11-34, and that with 2in tires gives 16.7 g.i.
so for comparing wheel sizes, 26 vs 27.5, its probably a wash and not really any real world difference, but look into the weight thing. Plus being cheaper, the BC could free up money for other touring gear if you need to buy a tent or whatever...
anyway, just some thoughts, only you know how both felt riding.
hope some of this willmake you consider things you didnt already.
get back with more quesitons if you feel like it