Help me understand
 

I have a 2008 Giant FCR1. It is a 9 speed. 2 frount sprockets 50t and 34t. 9 rear from 11t to 28t. How fast can my bike go? I have been told it will be slow. And that it will be fast. What is the truth. I have been 25mph and I know I am slow. Will the bike go faster than that. If this is a dumb question I am sorry.
Tom

A lot depends on the engine. Lance Armstrong could make that bike go faster.

The bike will go as fast as you can pedal. How fast is that?

Go here http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears/ and plug in your numbers. In the "Gear units" box, you can select MPH at various pedaling rates. Give it a try.

>>> Will the bike go faster than that.

Answer this: In the 50t-11t combination, have you got any "Delta-Vee"** left in your body? If not, you're in terminal velocity. . .if so, it'll go faster. Like 'Jet implied, it's all in the engine.

** - Power to accelerate.

2008 model so it sounds pretty new. Lots of adjusting to fit-Both the bike and your body- Lots of getting used to and a bit of running in.

About a montha go I went from an OCR 3 up to a pretty good bike. Took me about 3 weeks to get everything adjusted and until then- the well sorted Giant was more comfortable- more attuned to me and faster than the new one.

Looking at the specs of the FCR1- there is nothing that is going to let it down except probably the tyres. They are not the fastest around but Stay with them till you decide that you HAVE to have more speed- and the fit- and the engine are no longer holding you back.

As to slow- I have been overtaken by 12speed 20 year old bikes that weigh a lot more than mine does but I can achieve 25mph for a few miles on the flat and as slow as I want up the hills. Your bike will not be much different to My OCR3 so Don't expect too much till you improve.

The bike is as good and fast as you are, even if you're very very good. It will also be a good climber with that drive train.

Who would tell you it is slow?

Put the bike on a car carrier and drive 100mph. If this is a dumb answer I am sorry.

Tom, on the road bike thread, there's a bunch of guys who love this kind of calculation. Gearing, speed, power, all that stuff.

I'm trying to understand these numbers too (I looked at the women's version of that bike yesterday).

Is there a web site that explains "gears for dummies"? Whenever someone says "I replaced it with x/y/z", I wonder how to translate that, and how they knew what to ask for. I've looked around for info but not sure how to search for it.

http://analyticcycling.com/

And I have gotten my humongously heavy steel old mtn bike up to 32 mph on the level.

The 50/11 gives you a pretty tall high end. I don't think that that would be a severe limitation. I raced (many years ago) as a masters racer with a 53/13 as my tallest gear, which isn't as high. The 34/28 ought to allow you go ascend Mt. Hood (just kidding, but this is a low gear). I don't see why this bike should prevent you from going fast if you want to and have the leg strength to do so. However, bear in mind that every component on a bicycle is replaceable/upgradeable, including the frame! I can safely say that at some point I've upgraded every single part of a bicycle, usually one piece at a time (although I upgraded all of the spokes on a wheel at once and ball bearings a set at a time!).

That said, if the bicycle is making you unhappy, factor in the "dead weight" of worrying about that all the time when you make your decision.

-soma5

When you are at 25mph are there one or more gears left. If not, is your cadence about 120. If not then yes, the bike will go faster!

To go 25 MPH with a 50/11 and 700Cx23 tires, you'd be "spinning" at about 71 rpm. At 120 RPM, you would be going at an awe-inspiring 42.6 MPH, according to Sheldon Brown's website.

-soma5

Depends on how high the cliff is :rolleyes:

Richard

Put the big ring in front on the chain, and also the tiny one in back. Pedal as hard as you can.

That is what I do.

I'm curious who told you it would be slow. It seems to me that others have said, in numerous ways, that the person pedaling the bike has a great deal to do with ultimate speed. Still others have directed you toward ways of calculating speed when in a given gear at a given cadence. As I read your post, I couldn't help but wonder who told you it would be slow and why they would do that. My sometimes cynical thinking comes up with a few possibilities:

The person who said it would be slow:

1. Is an idiot and knows not of what they speak

2. Is a sales person who wants to sell you a new bike

3. Is an insecure person and wants you to feel inferior to them and their "fast bike".

I think from the original post that there some showroom floor "snobbery" going on in that a compact crankset "only has a 50" where as "everyone knows" that a 53 is a real fast road gear.

Warning! This is the 50+ forum where "commonsensory trumps snobbery".

In other words, if you can max out a 50/11 you are in the top 1/2% here.

I'll stand on my previous statement.........at 25mph, yes the bike "can" go faster.

It was #3. I love the bike I have only had it for 3 weeks. Thanks for all the help I know from 18 miles saturday that the bike will go faster than an OLD FART like me can ride it.

A 50/11 at 120 rpm = 41.2mph. Now can you pedal that fast?

Ah, but don't let the old fart excuse hold you back.

When I began riding last year, a 12-13 mph average on a ride was pretty good (on the flats). I was positively ecstatic to see peak speeds of 18.5 (again on the flats). Early this year, I was 2-3 mph faster across the board. At this stage of the season, I'm another 2-3 mph faster.

I'm told that most people who ride and train regularly reach their max in about five years. I have three to go! Maybe I'll catch up to what my bike is capable of.

Can get 50/11 on the flat with a lower cadence than I like but as soon as the road goes up- It is change down, and down and down and-----

On the triple- I used to ride in the middle ring for the bulk of the ride- Only when the road pointed downwards did I slip into the big ring. And as soon as I get to around 35mph- I am obviously going downhill so I am Coasting. Have to admit though that I have coasted faster on the compact double with only a 50T-- as opposed to a Triple with a 52. So when coasting The compact 50t is faster than the 52t

I ride lots. over 4000 miles this year and counting. I'm not fast, so take this with a grain of whatever.
My bike came with a 50-34 and 11-25. I swapped the 11-25 for a 13-27, so I gave up your tall gear! I only miss the 11 gear going down big hills. Really.
I don't think it will be a problem. You should (if you belong in 50+) be working on spin and not tall gears anyway.
BTW, you'll be loving that low end if you do much climbing!

I have a compact 50 w/12 on the cassette and I can't push it very long on flats, and it will go faster down hill that I care to go.

Possibly the intent was not negative but well meaning? Maybe they were referring to the fact that the bike ridding position is a "sit up and beg" type and you are unable get aero on it; such as going into the drops to cut wind resistance and gain speed. Being aero and speed always go together.