Will This Work For Me In The Mountains
I am trying to decide on a build for mountain riding. I have a 9 speed Bianchi triple, all Campy, that does very well, but I have a Battaglin I want to modify to give me a second bike for steep climbs. The Bianchi is the only bike I have that is not downtube friction. I really wanted to try a 7 speed double friction setup with a wide range freewheel, say 12-28 or 12-30, on the Battaglin. I am curious about the ride and shifting characteristics when one has a 4 or 5 cog difference between the lower end gears in a mountain area. My guess would be that there would be some times when the rider is "stuck" in between gears where the gear you are in is a little too easy but the next gear up is a little too difficult and you are left to spin up the climb in the lower gear. Does this happen a lot? Do you just get used to it after a while? Am I concerned with something that is not that big a deal? Also what is shifting like with such a large range? I could resolve this by going to a triple, but I have never ridden a friction triple, so I am also curious about hearing firsthand experience on that as well. Thanks for any input and I'd welcome any suggestions.