Originally Posted by killsurfcity
spinning ain't winning by the way. i'm not a ****ing roadie... i own 1 bike. if i cared about building my spin for something i buy a set of tights. you fellers who like low gearing must never need to go fast, and that's cool, but i do, and spinning out before i'm even going fast sucks.
the fact that you've been riding 52x16 for a long time is the precise reason why you cannot spin for ****. riding at that ratio, even if going fairly fast, is riding at a low cadence. you will likely not be able to push lower gears at the same speed. believe it or not, increasing cadence is something that happens with training over time.
once you're comfortable spinning like a madman (yes, it is possible to go very fast with a low ratio), you will be, overall, a faster cyclist. after riding a pretty easy ratio for over a year, i can spin the **** out of higher ratios. if you can build cadence, you'll ultimately be able to push 52x16 faster if you decide to go back to it.