Never realized that 4 inches could make such a difference...
06-08-09, 11:27 PM
#1
Squeaky Wheel
Thread Starter
Never realized that 4 inches could make such a difference...
I bought my commuter (K2 Enemy Cyclecross) last October. It is my first road bike (I own three Mountain Bikes), and I bought it mostly to commute to work.
Since October, I've put over 2500 miles on the bike, and have been happy with it. In fact, my only real gripe has been the drivetrain setup - 50/34 in the front, 11-24 in the back. I climb some stiff hills on the commute (40 miles RT, 2200 feet of ascent), and while I have gotten used to the 34/24 "granny" gear combination on this bike, the really steep sections never failed to light a match in my legs.
Last weekend, I swapped out the 11-24 cassette for a 12-27 cassette, and I made my first commute on the new combination today. What a noticable difference! The climbs just felt easier, and honestly I think I was actually a little quicker in the climbs as I was not "lugging" and burning my legs in the steep sections and was able to drop into a higher gear more quickly in the less steep sections.
Using Sheldon Brown's gear-inch calculator, I see that the difference between my old and new setup is 4 inches (37.2" for the old vs. 33.1" for the new"). I never would have thought that four inches could make that much difference.
No point other than to relate my experience.
Since October, I've put over 2500 miles on the bike, and have been happy with it. In fact, my only real gripe has been the drivetrain setup - 50/34 in the front, 11-24 in the back. I climb some stiff hills on the commute (40 miles RT, 2200 feet of ascent), and while I have gotten used to the 34/24 "granny" gear combination on this bike, the really steep sections never failed to light a match in my legs.
Last weekend, I swapped out the 11-24 cassette for a 12-27 cassette, and I made my first commute on the new combination today. What a noticable difference! The climbs just felt easier, and honestly I think I was actually a little quicker in the climbs as I was not "lugging" and burning my legs in the steep sections and was able to drop into a higher gear more quickly in the less steep sections.
Using Sheldon Brown's gear-inch calculator, I see that the difference between my old and new setup is 4 inches (37.2" for the old vs. 33.1" for the new"). I never would have thought that four inches could make that much difference.
No point other than to relate my experience.
06-09-09, 10:46 AM
#3
The Fred Menace!
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I replaced the old 12-24 5-speed freewheel on my old Record Ace with an IRD 13-32 5sp freewheel, and boy, was there ever a difference heading up the super-steep hill on my way into work. I didn't even need to get out of the saddle, at all, and since my big chainring is a 52-tooth, the 13-tooth cog is plenty for the downhills.
It also has the hyperglide-style ramps-and-pins, and with a new 8-sp chain (SRAM), it shifts much, much more smoothly. More of a "snick!" than a "clanketa-clunk!"
The hardest part of the upgrade was cleaning all the goop and gunk from the old Suntour derailleur chainwheels... I'm going with a cleaner lube than the axel grease the previous owner preferred.
It also has the hyperglide-style ramps-and-pins, and with a new 8-sp chain (SRAM), it shifts much, much more smoothly. More of a "snick!" than a "clanketa-clunk!"
The hardest part of the upgrade was cleaning all the goop and gunk from the old Suntour derailleur chainwheels... I'm going with a cleaner lube than the axel grease the previous owner preferred.
