Good Information! Maybe I can get some further advice. I just did "American's Most Beautiful Bike Ride" 100 Mile event in Lake Tahoe, Nevada and California. Elevation started at 6300ft and top elevation was 7100 ft. with about 3000 ft in climbing throughout the course (3 major climbs). Used 11/23 cog & 39/53 chain ring configuration. 22 to 28 mph during the flats and rollers, but got my butt kicked on the hills. 6 to 10 mph on 3% to 6% grades. L.A. has similar terrain, but not at the Lake Tahoe elevation levels. Thoughts and recommendations?
THANKS!
1. Are these good components on a bike? yes.
2. What would be considered better components (cassettes and cranks)? in the shimano line, dura ace.
3. What do the numbers mean? 11-23t means that the cassette contains nine cogs ranging from a small cog with 11 teeth to a big cog of 23 teeth. 39/53 means that the chain rings are a 39 tooth inner and a 52 tooth outer chainring.
4. Are there different number configurations? there are other options. i think an 11-23 is probably too much of a flatlander cassette for a beginner. 12-25 would be more appropriate.
4. Do higher numbers mean harder to pedal or easier to pedal? no. harder/bigger gears are calculated according to the ratio of the front chainring to the rear cog. 53x11 [as a ratio, 53:11] is a much bigger gear than 39x23. [do the math, the ratio of the former is higher than the ratio of the latter.
5. Are there better components for different courses (i.e. flats, rolling terrain, hills and mountains)? typically, you would want lower gears for hiller terrain. you could get this with a different cassette [say, 12-25, or 12-27] and/or a compact crankset like 34/50. the cassette is easy and realitively inexpensive to change, a compact crankset is more involved and pricier. a power sprinter who never climbs would feel comfortable with a 11-21 or 11-23 cassette. most reacreational cyclists use 12-27 or 12-25. unless you are very, very strong and go very, very fast, it is unlikely that you will ever use your 53x11 except going downhill.[/QUOTE]