you're hopeless.

Look, suit yourself, But I know for a fact & utterly without a doubt that it iis easier
to pedal a 24/11 that it is to pedal 39/18. I have bikes on which I can use both arrangements
,and I have tried both! there is signifigantly less resistance with the 24/11.
I am not imagining it.

Celebrated my 70th birthday by buying a new road bike, a Felt VR3, although it won't be in stock for a few more weeks yet. I expect it to be a good all-rounder that can replace my current two road bikes, which I'll be trying to sell. One nice feature is the lower gearing that I'm looking for: it comes with the usual 11-32 11-speed cassette, but has a "sub-compact" crank with 46/30 chainrings. That should be all I need on the hills I'm likely to encounter!

In any case, I'm treating this as the last road bike I'll probably ever buy since in a few years I'll probably be looking for a trike or some sort of e-bike variant.

I would check up on your teeth. Now don`t panic, a visit to the dentists isn`t necessary . . .

[QUOTE=peterws;19090358]I would check up on your teeth. Now don`t panic, a visit to the dentists isn`t necessary . . .[/QUOTE

Not necessary, I still have all my teeth. most of 'em are in a little box on my desk.:lol:
The thing with running a 24t chainring, one does need to shorten the chain &
lower the derailleur. I'm trying to do the rest us aging geezers a favor. If you're
on a laden touring bike a 24/11 is a good general purpose gear for riding
longer with minimal effort. If you dispute that, all you need do is try it.

correction: 24/11 not 22/11 (senior moment, old address), I'm referring to a 42/34/24 crank set.

I'm almost 75. I am overweight by 40 pounds. My conditioning, well, sucks.

I live where a six mile circuit results in 1300 feet of climbing. I sometimes need all the gearing I can get.

Currently my two bikes have 22T front chainrings and 36T cassettes. My gearing varies from 17 gear inches to a little over 100. The 100 is okay since I coast downhill anyway.

This may seem strange to some of you leaner, fitter and younger folks, but: I look forward to fitting a 42T rear cog and getting a little less than 15 gear inches.
Because: --- I intend to do some traveling while pulling a trailer (Extra Wheel, https://www.bikeshophub.com/trailers...ers-c-140.html). I'll travel light, giving myself no more than 20KG for both trailer and gear. I'm pretty sure I'll use the gearing in the mountains.

Consider:
Too low gearing might be an irritation if you end-up not using it. However, Too tall gearing might actually hurt and reduce your touring happiness. And, happiness is what touring is all about.

Joe

And if the gearing is super-low, . . you topple! Solution - attach the bike semi rigidly to the trailer . .

[QUOTE=rawly old;19090566]I will try it! But have to admit 42/24/34 sounds better than 42/34/24. I might not be talking teeth here . . .:)

[QUOTE=peterws;19092637]Like my coffee, I'm getting old & weak, but I still ride every day & enjoy it. I have found though,
with this lower range, I can still make some pretty decent speed using a bit faster cadence yet
with less exertion. The main plus is that it's a lot easier on my gravelly old knees. If one is
relatively tall, pedals extensions can also be a real boon to your knees.

peterws:

Not true. -- JM

It's been 6 weeks since my surgery and the doc said I could go. :)
Did a whopping 13.6 miles on the Withlacoochee Trail. I hope I'll be up to my usual speed and distance in a few weeks. :thumb:

Been waiting to read your posting that you are back on the saddle. Great news and enjoy the freedom. :thumb: :thumb:

This new bike was supposed to be my 70th birthday present back in June, but a series of problems with the framebuilder caused it to be delayed until recently. The end result is nearly perfect and exactly what I've been wanting in a fixed gear road bike.

https://m.imgur.com/a/cyWA6

I hear that Joe, Things around here all anything but level. There's a hill in any direction
leaving my home, a couple of which rise more than 300 ft in a little over a mile. There comes a point
when no matter how low of a gear you've got, you may as well just get off and walk it. I dream of
touring somewhere flat with hundreds of pleasant bike paths like the Netherlands or Denmark.
So...the next tour I'm planning naturally entails about 40,000 vertical feet of climb. I'm an
idiot. The only way it's possible is to tour just with my bivvy, debit card, and as much hydration
as possible. Given the terrain, I'm thinkin 15 mi. a day up, maybe 40 going down. So... where
were you planning planning to ride, Joe?

good news, glad to see back on the trails

I went to a local expo yesterday where they had a number of e-bikes that you could just jump on and take for a ride. The biggest collection there was from a company called "HaiBike," which had everything from commuters to full-suspension MTBs to fat tire models, all of the pedal-assist type drive (mainly Bosch). I had never ridden an e-bike before and frankly was quite impressed. This could eventually be my answer to "hill anxiety" as I get older, although I might just be exchanging that for "range anxiety." None of these, by the way, seem to be ready for all-day-ride scenarios just yet.

I've looked into e-bikes extensively on EBR( electric bike reviews) There are some nice
machines to be found, but it addition to 'range anxiety' there's also 'wallet anxiety'. Even
the best ones have a max range of 60 mi. For a time now I've been tinkering with motored
bikes as I am not getting younger. I have 2, though I seldom ride them for I still prefer
to pedal. Both are pedal-assist, one does 150 mpg, the other 200. I have studied the variety
of kits out there, many dangerous. The one I have settled on is the most environmentally
benign, but it has a few foibles. Of late I've been arranging the gearing to be synchronized
with my most efficient pedaling cadence for distance. I hope to achieve even greater range.

Wow. What a gorgeous bike. Enjoy. :beer:

Hey, thanks. It rides like a dream too.

Good to see a Made in USA frame&fork.
Please tell me about the Heavy Pedal wheels?
I've got to get a pair of carbon, just not at $2000 or some no-name cheapie.

I paid $900 for the HeavyPedal Tempo wheelset, but I don't think they are currently available. I bought them through Retro-gression, so maybe they (info@retro-gression.com) can fill you in on their availability. The wheels are very high quality with full carbon clincher rims, Gran Compe hubs and Sapim C-Xray bladed spokes. They were special ordered with choice of decals and smooth or rough rim sidewalls for a braking surface. It took six weeks and they were drop shipped directly to me from the factory in China. I can definitely recommend them.

A Question for men 65+
 

I'm a guy 69 who's been riding for a few years.I have Type 2 Diabetes & biking helps keep my blood sugar numbers down.I have been doing longer runs for me (10 Miles+).I have been experiencing pain in my testicle area.I've gotten a bigger seat with gel,but it hasn't really worked that well on my longer distances.Can anyone recommend biking underwear or pants with padding? Thanks

Jimcee what do you mean by "doing longer runs"? Do you mean longer "rides"? And by longer are you referring to 10+miles? Ten miles is a very short distance. So if by "+" you mean a few more miles over the 10 you are still riding a very short distance. Not the distances that should create a saddle problem if you are set up right with a saddle that works for you. Everyone's idea of a great saddle is different and what works for me is likely not to work for you. However a big wide saddle full of gel will not work for most rides, especially if doing any real distance. I am guessing you are sitting up right like in a chair and not leaning forward with hips rotated. I suggest you find a local bike store where you have confidence the sales guys know what they are doing see if there are any demo saddles to try or buy used saddles off Ebay. But something that's going to work for you is not likely to be a big, wide gel filled saddle. If you are serious about riding sounds like you may be a candidate for a professional fitting which includes a lot more than what saddle you're on. And it may be the type of bike you're ridding will always be uncomfortable riding 10+miles.

I see this is your first post. Tell us about yourself, your bike(s), where you live/ride, etc.

I'm 71. I'd recommend any decent brand of padded cycling shorts or bibs (nashbar.com, performancebike.com, etc), minus any underwear.
I've been riding on saddles with a center cutout since about 2003. Both of my bikes have a Selle Anatomica X series. Love them. :thumb:

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/01...g?v=1472675578

^^^^^^^^
+1 on Selle Anatomica

Gradually build up your mileage--sitting on a bike is not a very natural position and it takes time to adapt. And lots depends on what kind of bike you have too.