My new commute consists of 12 miles on the way to work....8 miles is up hill coming out of the Mississippi River valley, and is wrecking me. My old commute in California was flat as, well, flat. Granted, coming home is a blast. Downhill 8 miles? Yes please! So I am planning on lowering my gears to 13/36 for the steep inclines. apparently they started making them for the 29ers but tourers are digging them too From what I've been reading. Time to replace the cassette anyways. i just want more low options. Also I found bar ends are not too much fun when changing elevations so quickly and frequently, but will either need to keep an eagle eye out for 9 speed birifters on cl or just bite the bullet and say uncle and get them new. Opinions, reviews, suggestions, condolences are all welcome.

You got a Triple Up on the crankset? whats the tooth count on those 3?

hauled camping gear up steep hills with a 24:34, and 622-40 wheels..

13 ~34t freewheel '7 speeds '

but realistically its the ratio that moves the bike.. speeds is a hardware count.

52/40/30 105 crank. 11/32 9 speed cassette. Was in 30/32 for a lot or the climbs...steep.

This.......

[h=1]Shimano Deore M591 Crankset with Bottom Bracket (170mm, 48/36/26)[/h]by Shimano
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[TD]$92.19 & FREE Shipping[/TD]
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[TD="class: price"]$7.80 (8%)[/TD]
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• Integrated crank arm and bottom bracket spindle
• Wider bearing placement for better power transfer
• Bottom bracket parts without plastic guard cover are included
• 170mm crank arm length
• Chainring sizes are 48, 36, & 26

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and, this.......

[h=1]Shimano[/h][h=2]HG-61 12-36 9-speed Cassette[/h]Model # (CS916A)
$59.95

That deore crank is now on my short list. The cassette already was, but with that combo it should make life a lot easier on the way to work. And I'll e able to climb half dome with that gearing!

New 9 spd chain as well......

Instead of swapping the entire crankset,just swap the small ring. Replace the 30t with a 26t.

What is the smallest ring that you can run on that 105 crankset ? What is the spacing on your bolt pattern ?

The mtn crank will def get you as low as you want to go.....just not sure on the 105 set you have......
Nor do I know the max capacity of his rear derailleur.....also a relevant point for either option....
Probably need a long cage.....

Prolly the same as my 105 triple:
https://sheldonbrown.com/harris/chainrings/74.html

Play with this calculator.

Plug in your numbers and see what you get. You know how you current gears relate to each other. The gear inches that you get with the different options will show you the relationships you'd get with them. You will get a good idea of what happens when you change what.

I'm curious what your elevation change is over the 8 miles. After most of my year commuting in Boston and then 3 months in NYC I'm now commuting in the Berkshires. About 1/2 way into it I have a brutal 2 mile dirt road climb with a gain of about 1100'. I could go another route and stretch out some of the climbing over more miles but I'm liking the challenge. Unfortunately, it's so steep and the road is so rough in parts coming down that I can't really take advantage and descend at too much speed.

I can do this for a couple of months but I'm not doing it every day- only 3-4 x's per week and year round I think it would grind me down. My wimpy flat commute back in Boston is 5 miles shorter each way and has an elevation shift of about 80' over ten miles. Hilly commutes can be tough for sure. 8 miles with a steady uphill is a ton of work every day. You will sure get stronger from it.

You can move your barends to Retroshifts...

Will definitely look into that haven't seen it before thanks!

Deore lx rd...it was stock in my 520, or I believe so.

Mine is about 500 feet change according to googling elevation points...so I go down 200 feet in about a mile, then I'm at the river. Cross river, and start climbing 500 feet over 8 miles with a couple of miles of flat here and there. Sounds like nothing compared to your climb but again, so conditioned to 12 miles right next to the Pacific Ocean, don't think I could've gotten a flatter commute if it tried. I'm going to look into a few options. Also seems like my bike doesn't climb efficiently out of the saddle. Got a trek 520, maybe it's my Arms and legs that are noodly and not the frame....running 32s nothing too fat, good tire pressure. Going to do a few adjustments, and keep truckin!

That's still a pretty substantial elevation shift in 8 miles, and as part of a regular commute it can be daunting especially if the elevation shift comes in sections. It's possible you're losing and gaining that elevation too which can mean quite a bit of overall climbing.

Things that I've found make a difference:

Saddle height.

General bike fit.

How much stuff I carry- weight.

Spinning (high reps) in low gears as opposed to "grinding" (lo reps). I'd probably do most of a commuting ride, even with hard climbing, seated.

A cleated bike shoe/pedal combo or even toe clips and not just a flat pedal.

Check your tire pressure regularly. Nothing worse than doing a long climb only to find out that your tires were low or that your brakes were rubbing the whole time. A well maintained machine is critical in hilly country for ascending and descending.

For commuting in hills I give myself plenty of time for the commute so that I never have to feel rushed in the climbing. If I'm motivated to push the pace that's fine but feeling like I have to makes it less fun.

If you're able to get used to this commute you'll start to enjoy it and get into really good shape from it. Keep it fun! And enjoy the down hill ride home- you earned it!

Change your inner ring to a 24. That's the cheapest option. You'll go from a 23" gear to a 19" gear with very little investment.

500 ft. / (5280 ft. x 8 miles) = a little more than 1% average grade. ******************************?

You really think I'd consider changing gearing for 1 %? It's over 12 miles, lots more up than down. I'm used to flat. Why am I even justifying myself?

No prob, here's my review...

Great review thanks! They're on my short list, seems to he most dependable vs cost setup other than Tom thumbies but I can't justify 80 bucks for mounts. Plus these put the action right where I want it and even though I never had issues with sora shifters on my last bike I know Barcons are bullet proof.

Yah, Paul stuff is really blingy, but for thumbies I think it's not worth the expense. If I wanted to lay out the long green for some Paul stuff, I'd want components that move.

My thoughts exactly

Exactly how steep is the steep, 15degrees, 20 degrees?

Didn't get a level and a protractor, sorry. Tried mapquest, google maps, but don't give elevations. I can get up the hills, sometimes have to drop to lowest gear, 30/32. Just want more low gear options, lowest gear doesn't necessarily need to climb a wall, but want a better low range to get more comfortable in the climbs.