Originally Posted by
sdimattia
While keeping all of your great tips in mind, I based my low gearing off the biggest hill I've had to climb with just me and the bike (0.4mi long, 11% average gradient). I got up with 29GI. Add another 20-30lbs of gear and tired legs, I figured 18.5GI would get me up similar climbs. But also, like
Tourist in MSN said, at some point, I'll have to walk.
I'd like to believe I'm reasonably fit, I cruise around flat NYC on a single speed at 71GI, which gets me up the bridges and 98% of the hills with little issue. Probably a little spinny for some people but it works for me. Once I have all my parts, I'll load the bike up and do a couple of test rides. I'll torture myself with the 11% hill again as well and go from there.
All that being said, I haven't bought anything so I am still playing with the gearing and whatnot.
with a 20 g.i. low it will be fine, I biked a good chunk of the Pyrenees and west coast of the States on my old touring bike that I changed stuff to get to 21 g.i. , and from Montreal to Boston on that cross bike of mine with a different cassette so about 22 ish , and on these trips, never had to walk.
The times I've had to walk (which I don't like doing, bang shins) it was eons ago on bikes with too high gearing, which made me figure out gearing and how to lower it.
Keeping the load down and if you do have light weight stuff, it'll be fine.
if you can, it's really good to put the hours in on a loaded bike, but if you're in relatively good shape and you don't load up everything and the kitchen sink, this gearing range works.
As another light person, 135, I can attest that we do notice more or less weight of a touring load, but you'll figure that out on your own.
to put gearing in perspective, the super low gearing on my Troll was because I knew I'd be carrying more crap, spare this, more tools, extra water, and I knew I'd encounter stupid steep stuff, 20% or more for short bits. In Latin America, the terrain and budgets and all that mean that you get way steeper stuff than we do in Canada or the US, and pedalling a heavy touring bike is easier than pushing it.
apparently the Appalachians are kick ass hard, folks here who have ridden them say they are harder than the Rockies.
hope you get out touring one day.. After a week on the road, you get the packing order, eating drinking, amount of sleep, etc in order, and it's cool when you start to feel touring fit too.
cheers