mtnwalker

Ok, I've been commuting everyday for 11 1/2 weeks now. The first 11 weeks I've only used my 12 speed steel beast. I've made it a point of using only the big ring(52t) and 20t cog and have gotten very comfortable with it even when going up overpasses. I can sustain 18 to 19 mph without much effort on flats and can really push it to 24 at very short bursts. So I'm thinking, if I can do this on this 30 pound steel bike then I should do well on my 27 speed, 22 pound weekend bike which I use mainly for going up and down hills with. I do tackle flats with it but Antioch has too much elevation changes to even notice that compared to Sunnyvale.

So, this week I rode the weekend bike for the first time to the commute with me. First thing I noticed is that I seem to be putting out more effort to get this bike on the move compared to the other. I also noticed that my cruising speed is down by at least 3 mph. I shift down to gain more speed but I seem to be exerting more energy to sustain what used to be cruising speed. I shift up and found myself exerting less but spinning more with a lower speed. This is really weird. I thought maybe I’m just tired. The commute back was the same scenario. I can’t seem to find the sweet spot that I have on the 12 speed. There is something amiss here and I don’t know what.

Then it hit me when I got home. Lets count the number of teeth on the rear cogs. Lets see: 5th cog is 19t and 6th cog is 21t. There is no 20t. No wonder I feel like I was spinning on the 6th gear and spending more energy on the 5th.

Does 1 tooth really makes that big a difference? Anyone else experienced anything like this when switching bikes? My body seem to think so but my brain just can’t seem to accept it.

dalmore

seems to be a bit excessive - what's your front ring like? Maybe a combo of a differnet sized front ring and different sized cogs coupled with different weather conditions (headwind?) and daily muscle condition variance (tired, sore?) can lead to such a feeling.

squegeeboo

Antioch?

then shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out

rykoala

I think there are other factors involved. Tires, air pressure in the tires, wheel weight, bike handling.... they all contribute. I know that when I go from 17T fixed gear to 18T freewheel, I definitely feel the difference though. I can go faster with the 17t for sure. But, that's on the *same* bike. I suppose you *could* feel the difference that much, but I doubt it would be more significant than the differences in the bicycles themselves.

[edit] One, Two, FIVE! (three Sir!) THREE! [/edit]

mtnwalker

Knight of Ni: We want.....A SHRUBBERY!!!!

mtnwalker

Tire pressure is the same. Pumped it up to 120 psi. The bike is lighter by 5 pounds. I checked my fit and made them almost identical. I thought I was more rested too since I didn't ride at all this past weekend. But, yeah, I could just be more tired. My legs did feel tighter this weekend with all that walking around at my kids festival. That could be it. I guess I'll just have to rest up tonight, get a full 8 hours and see how it goes tomorrow. I just can't believe that 1 tooth is kicking my butt.

knobster

I find that I can maintain speed on my heavier touring bikes easier than my light road bike. Where the heavy weight really hurts me is on the hills. The light road bike goes right up while the heavy bikes I have to work really hard. Might be why you are seeing this as well. I can maintain 20 mph on flats with little effort on my Trek 520, but I have to work at that on my 17 lbs roadie.

mtnwalker

Weird, I was thinking the same thing too. Maybe the heavier mass of our commuters allows for greater momentum retention. I guess its like rolling a car tire by hand. Once you get that sucker moving the effort to make it maintain its speed is less. But try rolling a bicycle wheel by hand, it'll take more constant effort to keep it going. Kinda makes sense.

But then again, my weekend bike is "supposed" to be my "fast" bike.

knobster

I've heard someone on here saying that this is the reason why TT bikes have heavier wheels than other racing bikes.

Bikepacker67

No maybe about it.

georgiaboy

Hi, I have a Bianchi Vigorelli, light roadbike weighs 22lbs.

Also, I have a Surly Crosscheck, totally outfitted with fenders, rack, lights, pump weighs 34lbs.

Believe it or not I make better time with the Surly due to it fits me better and I can really stretch out and drive this bicycle. Even though the gearing is lower.

mtnwalker

I was kinda hoping to start alternating the commuter with my roadie for those days when I just want to have some speed. But its starting to look like if I want speed I'm better off with the commuter. I guess I can still use the roadie for the days when I want to really work myself out. Which is the complete opposite of my original intention.

soloban

Here I was thinking this was gonna be one of those "I flipped over the bar and knocked out a tooth" threads