Took my 39-26 'road' crank for a spin - not missing the 50T ring
05-09-18, 12:33 PM
#26
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Ha, your "2000 feet" comment got a lot of replies. It does depend on ride distance, not just hills. A "quite hilly" 50 feet per mile ride can hit 2000 feet pretty easily -- 40 miles. The standard "hilly" ride is 100 feet per mile, which is going to be almost all climbing and descending, with very few flats.
Totally love to see various combinations being used, just lamenting the lack of new production variance.We have wind though, so much wind. On my beater, a 52-42-30 x 14-28 6 speed I did 11 mph into the 26+mph wind in my 30x24(21?) then flew back in the 52x14
I would love to just roll with what I call "prairie gearing" and have a 53/42T double and a 12-19 or 12-23 corn cob on the back. Get up to speed and just fine tune the cadence. For the hills of Seattle, Campagnolo's tight rear gearing (12-23 or 13-26) for 8/9/10 speed groups lacks the extremes that I'd like for our topography, but man, on generally flat terrain, that tight gearing is sublime. On mostly flat, I'd never top out a 53-13 combo, which would be great. And I could pick the perfect gear. But I don't live in the Midwest, though growing up I've roadtripped out with my family to see grandparents and relatives plenty of times, and do like the area.
It was difficult sourcing a new 13-23 though.
05-09-18, 05:35 PM
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Ditto for me. I haven't spent really any time digging into gearing numbers, but I know that I'm generally more comfortable in a 52/53 big ring and a slower cadence than I am in a 36/39 small ring and spinning. Spinning at a higher cadence tires me out faster than cranking at a lower cadence. Maybe that's something I should work on, but that's how it's always been for me.
05-09-18, 10:08 PM
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Last fall I swapped from 50-34 with an 11-36 to a 46-30. I benefited in a few ways from it. Lower gearing means I can get up hills easier when towing a heavy trailer. Switching from a hollowtech style crank to square taper gives more ability to play with chainline. The 46t is pretty close to centered over the cassette, so I can use it with any cog without issue. With the 46t, most of my riding is in the middle of the cassette, so I usually have excellent chainline. Swapping from 175mm to 170mm crank arms helped fit wise.
The crank is a 94BDC Shimano STX from the mid 90's. 30t is Vuelta, 46t is Origin8. I put it together for around $60, much much cheaper than any new crank with this combo. The alloy rings shaved a good chunk of weight too, from ~800 grams down to 620, almost as light as a Dura-Ace 7400 crank.
The crank is a 94BDC Shimano STX from the mid 90's. 30t is Vuelta, 46t is Origin8. I put it together for around $60, much much cheaper than any new crank with this combo. The alloy rings shaved a good chunk of weight too, from ~800 grams down to 620, almost as light as a Dura-Ace 7400 crank.
06-07-18, 05:01 AM
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I used to think that a 50-11 was just "marketing". Most riders aren't going to need it for sprints. But the 11 cog has a couple of uses:
1. An 11 cog makes the 34-12 usable. So riders can stay in the small chainring past 20 mph, instead of having to keep shifting the front in the 15-20 mph ranges.
2. It's kind of nice to soft pedal in the 50-11 on long, shallow downhills, instead of coasting down.
1. An 11 cog makes the 34-12 usable. So riders can stay in the small chainring past 20 mph, instead of having to keep shifting the front in the 15-20 mph ranges.
2. It's kind of nice to soft pedal in the 50-11 on long, shallow downhills, instead of coasting down.
I think the next groupo upgrade will definitely see a 46t big ring and maybe an 11 cog.
06-07-18, 07:29 AM
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I am running a 45-42 with a 11-34 10 speed cassette on my Pro tour this makes for 20 almost evenly spaced gears.
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06-07-18, 01:14 PM
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Just built my wife’s bike into a 1x10, with a 40t up front, 11-42 out back. She can’t pedal down hills anymore but she can climb anything and no FD to deal with anymore. The jumps can be pretty steep at the top of the range, so it’s a bit of a hassle for cadence, so we may drop the range a few teeth in the future.
06-07-18, 03:45 PM
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39/11 is right in my preferred top gear range and fits between my 49/14 and 50/14. It is higher than my 45/13 and very close to my 46/13. I don't miss having a 100-inch or taller gear at all.
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Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
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"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069
06-07-18, 04:42 PM
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When cyclists offer gearing choices for others, it is surprising how rarely variations in riding terrain, type of riding (touring is waaay different from ‘fast group rides’), or as I’m coming to appreciate at 69 YO, age, are included in the considerations.
06-07-18, 04:51 PM
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06-07-18, 06:31 PM
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Yep that's the way to go! Super compact doubles seem like the perfect drivetrain for every day use.
My only bike with a greater-than-50t chainring is my "fast" Mercian (52/39 with 28mm tires). I use the big ring primarily on that bike only because I want to get the strength training from mashing on my commute, not because it's useful. My most ridden other bikes are all single chainring bikes with the following ratios:
42t chainring with 11-36 cassette - Salsa Vaya Ti (700c, 42mm slicks). Perfect. On flats I am in the 13 or 15t cog. The low gear is plenty, although if I was loading the bike I might get a new 42t-low cassette.
36t chainring with 11-28 freewheel - Giant ATX 760 (26in, 2.15" slick on the rear). Gearing is a little too low on this bike. I find myself mostly using the smallest cog on the freewheel.
42t chainring with 11-28 cassette - Bridgestone MB-2 (26in, 2" semi-knobby tires). Good combo and mostly a city bike so don't need a very low gear.
My only bike with a greater-than-50t chainring is my "fast" Mercian (52/39 with 28mm tires). I use the big ring primarily on that bike only because I want to get the strength training from mashing on my commute, not because it's useful. My most ridden other bikes are all single chainring bikes with the following ratios:
42t chainring with 11-36 cassette - Salsa Vaya Ti (700c, 42mm slicks). Perfect. On flats I am in the 13 or 15t cog. The low gear is plenty, although if I was loading the bike I might get a new 42t-low cassette.
36t chainring with 11-28 freewheel - Giant ATX 760 (26in, 2.15" slick on the rear). Gearing is a little too low on this bike. I find myself mostly using the smallest cog on the freewheel.
42t chainring with 11-28 cassette - Bridgestone MB-2 (26in, 2" semi-knobby tires). Good combo and mostly a city bike so don't need a very low gear.
06-07-18, 08:37 PM
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06-07-18, 08:44 PM
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I get 1x for mtb trail, enduro, and cyclocross.
ill begrudgingly accept it as some sort of trendy setup for gravel and adventure because brands are pushing it and its trends are tough to stop as a consumer who doesnt consume the product.
i just flat out dont get the appeal for a paved road bike. It saves minimal weight since you replace the FD, aluminum chainring, and shifter mech for a massive pieplate cassette. And it just haven't found it difficult/inconvenient to shift the front and rear of a bike.
a 42t chainring qould probably be ideal as that paired with an 11-40 cassette would give good range.
But is it better? Hmm...
ill begrudgingly accept it as some sort of trendy setup for gravel and adventure because brands are pushing it and its trends are tough to stop as a consumer who doesnt consume the product.
i just flat out dont get the appeal for a paved road bike. It saves minimal weight since you replace the FD, aluminum chainring, and shifter mech for a massive pieplate cassette. And it just haven't found it difficult/inconvenient to shift the front and rear of a bike.
a 42t chainring qould probably be ideal as that paired with an 11-40 cassette would give good range.
But is it better? Hmm...
06-07-18, 10:32 PM
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One Day
Weight wise - New RD / cassette /chain
old - new
280 - 393g
210 - 302g
+ longer chain
- cable
- housing
- FD (210g)+ pulley
So, yeah, minimal savings. The idea was that this is her one bike, she raced cross on it, she commutes on it, she goes on gravel rides, and some quicker group rides. The FD got banged up last cx season somehow and the cage was tweaked, she wasn't happy with the gear range that was on it, as she kept getting stuck on some steeper gravel hills out in the woods. with a CX crankset on it already, there wasn't a whole lot of way to go with the chainring size. The RD was already at it's limit for the tooth count, so we had to get a new rd to get a bigger cassette...and you can see where it goes from there.
I get 1x for mtb trail, enduro, and cyclocross.
ill begrudgingly accept it as some sort of trendy setup for gravel and adventure because brands are pushing it and its trends are tough to stop as a consumer who doesnt consume the product.
i just flat out dont get the appeal for a paved road bike. It saves minimal weight since you replace the FD, aluminum chainring, and shifter mech for a massive pieplate cassette. And it just haven't found it difficult/inconvenient to shift the front and rear of a bike.
a 42t chainring qould probably be ideal as that paired with an 11-40 cassette would give good range.
But is it better? Hmm...
ill begrudgingly accept it as some sort of trendy setup for gravel and adventure because brands are pushing it and its trends are tough to stop as a consumer who doesnt consume the product.
i just flat out dont get the appeal for a paved road bike. It saves minimal weight since you replace the FD, aluminum chainring, and shifter mech for a massive pieplate cassette. And it just haven't found it difficult/inconvenient to shift the front and rear of a bike.
a 42t chainring qould probably be ideal as that paired with an 11-40 cassette would give good range.
But is it better? Hmm...
Weight wise - New RD / cassette /chain
old - new
280 - 393g
210 - 302g
+ longer chain
- cable
- housing
- FD (210g)+ pulley
So, yeah, minimal savings. The idea was that this is her one bike, she raced cross on it, she commutes on it, she goes on gravel rides, and some quicker group rides. The FD got banged up last cx season somehow and the cage was tweaked, she wasn't happy with the gear range that was on it, as she kept getting stuck on some steeper gravel hills out in the woods. with a CX crankset on it already, there wasn't a whole lot of way to go with the chainring size. The RD was already at it's limit for the tooth count, so we had to get a new rd to get a bigger cassette...and you can see where it goes from there.
06-07-18, 11:50 PM
#39
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46-30 on a bike that runs 30mm smooth (pic1) or 33mm knobbies (pic 2) for the forest roads.
VeloOrange crankset.
VeloOrange crankset.
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Last edited by Wildwood; 06-08-18 at 12:01 AM.
06-08-18, 12:20 AM
#40
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I'm too olde to ride doubles on any route with more than 5% gradient 
52/42/26 with a 13-26 9-speed out back is what works for me. Is 9-speed vintage yet?
52/42/26 with a 13-26 9-speed out back is what works for me. Is 9-speed vintage yet?
06-08-18, 10:18 AM
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I'm still holding on to the old ways as long as I can. The bikes I use the most often:
Look 753: 53/39 x 13-26 (7-speed freewheel)
Merlin Ti: 53/39 x 13-26 (7-speed freewheel)
Parkpre: 53/39 x 13-26 (7-speed freewheel)
Cilo: 53/36 x 13-25 (5-speed freewheel)
Speedwell: 53/42 x 14-30 (5-speed freewheel)
I do live in a hilly area, too. My go-to after-work ride is a 21-mile loop with 1950' of climbing. I'd estimate a typical ride is around 750'-800' of climbing per 10 miles. The lower end of my gear range gets more use than the high end, but all the gears get used. Don't get me wrong, I could certainly use a lower gear at times, but it's not enough to overcome my retrogrouchiness.
Look 753: 53/39 x 13-26 (7-speed freewheel)
Merlin Ti: 53/39 x 13-26 (7-speed freewheel)
Parkpre: 53/39 x 13-26 (7-speed freewheel)
Cilo: 53/36 x 13-25 (5-speed freewheel)
Speedwell: 53/42 x 14-30 (5-speed freewheel)
I do live in a hilly area, too. My go-to after-work ride is a 21-mile loop with 1950' of climbing. I'd estimate a typical ride is around 750'-800' of climbing per 10 miles. The lower end of my gear range gets more use than the high end, but all the gears get used. Don't get me wrong, I could certainly use a lower gear at times, but it's not enough to overcome my retrogrouchiness.
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