Originally Posted by
Tango1
So I’m attempting to go all in this year and learn to be a road cyclist - a lot of which involves training in heart rate zones. I’m having a heck of a time trying to keep in an easy Zone 2 pace simply because the gearing feels so tall but obviously it’s a case of rider not the ride.
I do a lot of "training" riding on vintage bikes, usually with heart rate, but sometimes with a power meter. You're going to have a much easier time following modern training methods targeting particular "zones" if you have more modern gearing. More speeds helps, but if you're riding hills, it's even more important to have a lower gear. It depends on your fitness, the hills around you, etc., but if you're regularly having to stand up and slowly mash your pedals up a hill, it's very tough to maintain a given zone. Putting a 39 small ring on your crank could make a big difference. I'm usually on a 34/50.