gearing questions
I'm posting this here because at 53 I like a lower gear than the 20-year-olds.
Gearing has got me baffled.
I currently ride a old Cannondale. It came with 52-42 chainrings and a 13-24 freewheel.
It was way to high for, so I swapped the 42 for a 39 and added and changed just the 24 rear for 26.
OK?
Now I'm looking at a bike that has a Shimano Ultegra 50-36 and an 10-speed 11-23 rear cassette. I'd like a gear at least as low as what I have now.
Here are my questions:
Can I just swap out the one 23 sprocket for a 25 or 26, just to get one real low gear? It that a possible thing for a normal person?
Is it possible to buy different size cogs?
What's up with the 50-39? Is that a good idea? It's a far cry from the 52-42 I grew up with.
Perhaps there is an online guide for his stuff somewhere that I can't find. My google-fu fails me. I'm not even sure if this belongs in road bikes or tech instead of here