Originally Posted by
markwebb
Yeah - I ain't 20 years old and 130 lbs anymore. I am a "normal" cyclist that does not exaggerate my abilities. BF ain't full of normal guys like me. Anything over 8% for me anymore is a struggle even with a 30x27. When running a 34x27 I'm losing my granny in the back, so going to a 34x30 would get it back for me.
Now, you KOM riders out there who can crush 20% grades in a 42x21 probably don't care, but for me and 99% of the normal riders out there, a 6% grade for anything longer than 100 yards is a damn hard hill to climb. So I need grannys.
It didn't used to be that way - believe me. Check out my blog
http://www.recycledcycler.com
But at 52 years old & 175 pounds and a lot of muscle loss in my legs, easy gears are now a requirement
Hey Mark - while my post was semi-sarcastic, 30x27 is the same gearing as 34x30, running a triple would let you keep everything running within Shimano spec and give you more subtle gear options, just my opinion.
I'm running a triple and am currently weighing the pro's/con's of switching to a compact - but it's not an easy choice. I like my 39T gear because it's so flexible, and do like the closer cassette ratios that I can use by running a triple crank. For me the dilemma is that I will use my 30T for the more ridiculous grades around here - maybe only 2% of the time, but I'd rather not limit where I can ride for the sake of machismo. So for me, the jury's still out.
FWIW, I remain convinced that there is a lot of grade and achievement inflation going on round these parts.