Hermes,
These guys are animals. One interesting thing to note is the very different styles used by the riders, some spun fast up the hill - even in a stand, others slower. No matter what the style, every one of those guys could cook every one of our respective bacon's any day of the week up that hill.

Sarals, I'm a bit late to this party, but I got an 11-28. I have a similar set up, and it has worked great for me. We don't have much in the way of hills here in FLA, but there is the Horrible Hundred in Clermont, FL. I tried doing the hills on an 11-25 and I couldn't get up the steepest. The 11-28 did the trick.

Like suggested, I now have a spare set of wheels for climbing. When I do the HH, or when I got to upstate NY for the summer, I'll bring the spare wheels for the mountain rides. Meanwhile, here in the flat lands, I'll be riding the 11-23. Don't really need the 11-25, but I keep it as a spare, just in case.

I've got the 11-28 on the bike, along with Easton EA90 Aero wheels. I've had three long rides on it now, the derailleur has been adjusted and dialed in, and I've gotten used to the gearing and the way the bike feels. It's NOT night and day, but it is an improvement! The wheels made the biggest difference. They make the bike noticeably more responsive, it handles better (it's more stable, especially in turns), but it does have a slightly "harder" ride. Also, crosswinds tend to push the bike around more than with the Fulcrum 7 wheels, but that's okay and it's quite manageable. The 11-28 cassette? I can climb incrementally better with that cassette. The mid to high gears feel pretty much the same as the 12-25 I had been riding. For the low gears, I can stay on the saddle when I had to stand before, and I suppose that is better.

I do like the way the bike feels now, it's a different bicycle. It's not quite as "plush" as it was before, it's sportier for sure, but is it a mountain goat on climbs? Nope. But - I'll take anything I can get.

Another "late to the party" sarals! I too installed an 11-28 on my Pinnarrello (compact) since I just signed up for the Tour of Colorado in June (11 passes, major elevation and 35,000 vertical with 500 miles in 6 days). I'm in great shape but weigh 210 lbs so I'll never be a natural climber! Thanks to all who posted their wisdom in this strand, it all helps. BTW, my prep for Colorado includes 130 to 150 miles weekly and lately, a lot more mountain roads! Raydog

I know this post is about gearing but wheels can be the best improvement you can put on a bike. My first road bike- an OCR3-had Alex DA22 rims on formula hubs. To me just a step up from NO-Name hubs and rims. 6 months into road riding and I was not happy. I did a downhill and I got 30 mph coasting. There was a corner that I had to take care on and the bike was not any improvement over the MTBs I had been riding for 16 years. That top speed of 30 was 37 on the MTB with knobblies on and the corner was taken faster. Got a pair of handbuilt wheels-105 hubs with Mavic CXP33 rims and 36 DT spokes laced with a 2x cross.

What a difference. top speed was way back up there- The corner was just a bit of extra lean into the curve and average speed on a ride went up by 2mph.

Few sets of wheels and bikes later and I got a TCR-C with Mavic Aksium wheels. Combination of that stiff frame and good radially spoked wheels made that bike almost impossible to ride at speed. Changed back to the handbuilts and what a difference. Comfy ride again and the bike held a straight line over the rough surface that many of our roads have over here

I am not against radially spoked wheels as my main ride has Ultegra wheels on it and when they were fitted to the TCR it was almost lethal at speed Yet on Boreas they give a good ride that is stiff- responsive and fast. What I have realised is that the combination of wheels to bike and then those two to the rider have to be matched correctly. Unless that occurs- your ride can be affected drastically.

And as to the bike not being a "Mountain Goat"- that is down to other factors. You have better gearing now so all it will take is a bit of practice and training.So find the hills and get riding.

+1 - the bike can make a difference, the rider makes a bigger difference.

Hi BluesDawg,

I checked out the jtekengineering site and found the shiftmate that would enable me to integrate my shimano deore dx rd and a shimano 9 spd mtn cassette, with my 10 spd ultegra flight deck... at least it seems i can attempt the integration. what i'd like to understand is, what does the shiftmate actually do?

Interesting article about Cavendish's bike and gearing. Most riders are going to compact cranks and 28 or 32 cassettes for the mountains. If the pros are using these gears I would need mtb stuff. lol

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/...-mclaren-venge

Interesting reading... I don't feel so wimpy with my granny + 11-32 setup now.

I have often wanted to ask what your handbuilts weigh?

Well, after a great deal of contemplation, I've decided the new bike build is going to have an Ultegra triple. 7-8K miles on the Roubaix with a compact, including a lot of hilly training rides, have left me thinking the compact isn't the final solution, at least for me. SRAM doesn't do road triples, so that means Shimano.

I also rode one of my bikes with a 105 triple the other day; I forgot just how smooth a properly functioning Shimano drivetrain is.

railleur

Just a thought but SRAM does have the Apex medium cage Rear derailleur that will take a 11x32 cassette. I am considering putting one or a set of wheels just for those long climbs when you feel you just need one more gear. I will then have a set of wheels with a 12x25, 12x27, 11x28 and 11x32. I hardly ever use the 12x25 anymore.

...and when he climbed Mt. Etna on Sunday he was the fastest man in the world.

I've been checking in with this thread since it started. Not to be sexist about it but men and women have different ratio's of fast twitch to slow twitch muscles. Crudely put, men are stronger. There is also this: the title of this sub-forum is "Fifty Plus". How many of us still have the meniscuses (meniscii?) we did as 18 year olds? And "gearing for climbing?" or "climbing wheelsets" to be swapped in for rides in X area... ?" It's just me but I think one should be ready for anything at anytime and it is possible to get that without terrain specific cogsets. The reason I am saying all this is because IMO the o.p. received what I thought was an excellent suggestion a long time back in this thread but, in her words "I don't think I want to get that extreme about it". The suggestion was to run a triple up front. Again, IMO, to be competitive in mixed company on the road women and riders over 50 should all have triples up front and a medium range cluster in back. I am, in fact, considering a Mountain Tamer Quad chainwheel setup for our cargo tandem that does a lot of fast long distance (with hills) food runs with 100lbs in trailer (return leg) to the Trader Joe's eight miles away. IMO one gives up too much in terms of gear to gear usability when one is asking the average 8 or 9 cog rear cluster to go from 11 to 34 teeth. Much better is to have a 30/42/52 up front to provide overall range and a normal range cassette for small jumps between gears. I swapped the 30T granny on our Racing Tandem Triple for a 24T and dropped the 42T to a 39T and this plus the 11 - 28 makes for a nice senior citizens sportster. Stronger riders could go 30/42/53 and 11-25 or so. FWIW.

H

While I agree with the triple solution for some of the same reason, I'll try to challenge your thinking on the men vs. ladies part.

While men are stronger, they are also (normally) heavier. Climbing is all about power to weight ratio. Most ladies that I cycle with can simply kill me on the climbs. I catch them on the down-hills and can maintain a faster pace on the flats. But they will draft my 210 lbs mass and keep up with me, most of the time. Now these ladies are triathlon-fit and I'm not.

But that’s another story.

You know, the whole "ladies versus men" physique/strength thing is fascinating. I can't compare myself now to how I was athletically when I was younger, because I was couch potato then. I do know, as far as women go, I'm built a little differently than most. I am small, petite, but I have a larger ribcage than most other gals and that gives me the appearance of having broader shoulders. Ah-ha, more upper body strength - no, I do not! I'm pretty typical amongst women of being weaker than men in my upper body, despite my build. Down below, my hips are fairly narrow, and I have built up some muscular thighs over the last year. Now, everything I've read about "climbing" physique seems to say that I'd be a good climber. But, I am NOT. I can sprint pretty well, as long as the sprint is short (and I'm warmed up), and I'm okay for long distances (until the saddle, umm, makes things uncomfortable). I can descend very well (I've ridden motorcycles for a long time, and I'm good bike handler as a result). Climbing, though? No - slow and steady, back of the pack, suffering when it gets steep.

So - while I'm built for more torque, apparently, that just doesn't happen for me. Also, sure, there are averages in physique for men and women, but the broader spectrum samples can be very different.

Age does play a role, sure.

Okay, a bit of a digression! I know.

As for my bike, I do not want a triple on the front. The compact works well. The 11-28t is okay, but it's taking getting used to. I have to shift as much on the front as I do the back with it on the bike, but that's just technique. The Easton wheels? Guess what, I'm starting NOT to like them. Sure, they're "faster", but they give a hella harsh ride, and they can be really twitchy in crosswinds. The Fulcrum 7's, while not quite as stable (in corners) and heavier overall, gave a softer ride (good for those long tours).

I may pull the Eastons off and set them aside for a future "fast bike". Who knows, I may put the 12-25t back on the bike, too, and take it back where it was. And, do what was suggested in one post - work on the legs!

I wonder if Evie Stevens wouldn't mind swapping bodies with me??? ;~)

Call me Sara!

Here's some slow, steady, steep suffering:p:D My folding bike is only a single-speed and the hills had grades in the twenties at times with a max of 25%, so it got interesting, especially my crash at 1:13 when the handlebar latch came undone when I attempted to climb out of the saddle. I laughed about it for a while, even after resuming my climb.

I'm sure this is excellent strength training, but in the interest of preserving my knees I'm going to buy an 8-speed folder.

WARNING: Excessive heavy breathing and some NSFW language.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow_8b-7AfN4

Two different Riders and the same view on Radially spoked rims. EXCEPT- For Boreas where they do work.

On the triple V Compact Double. I ride a compact 50/34 and 12/27 cassette- that will get me up ALL of our local hills but there is a problem. The Ratio between the 21-24 and 27 drives me nuts. The spacing is just a bit too high and upsets my cadence. It's OK when going up steep hills as I will be slowing and need the lower gears but say an 8% and in 21 but just want the next lower gear to make it easier and it slows me right down. If I were to fit a 10 spd 11/32 or 34- those jumps between the gears would completely ruin the ride.

For that reason the TCR has been set up with a triple50/39/30 and 12/25 cassette. The 30 does give me a lower gear and the 12/25 does give me a smooth run on the gears. I only use the TCR for long hilly rides and if I get back to the mountains again I would fit a 28t granny and go back to the 12/27. The jump between the lowest 3 gears on the cassette will not bother me as there is only one gear I use on mountains----The lowest fitted to the bike.

I can see where the spacing would be more even with your setup. I've found I do not use the 28 much, it's a "last ditch effort" when I click down to it. I do agree that the spacing on the last three gears on the 11-28t is wide, but the two before the 28 are really okay, and don't upset my cadence too much. Really though, when I'm climbing a steep grade, cadence is the last thing I worry about! If I can turn the pedals over without having to stand for too long I'm happy.

That brings up a long standing (no pun intended) question from me - how is it that the pros (and some of the folks I ride with) stand for as long as they do while climbing without cramping or lactating to the point of torture? Watching the Amgen Tour, wow, those fellas could really dance on those pedals while out of the saddle! Not me - I have no rhythm for one thing (heh!), and if I get to spinning AT ALL while standing I'll go into total death by lactic acid! Oh yeah, I know there are physical and age differences, but still. Is my technique wrong? I wonder.

OMG, you are a glutton for punishment! I could feel your heartrate and your burning legs through every minute of that!!

OK, I've trained myself at times to stand for longer periods on a climb but that has never induce lactation. :o

Like you- I did not stand much on climbs on the road. It was a habit from mountain biking where if you took the weight off the saddle- the rear wheel would lose grip. Then 6 years ago I got into spinning classes. One class was standing and it taught me two things. How to stand without honking (Rocking the bike from side to side) and it trained me that when standing you do not spin fast- You change up a couple of gears and keep the cadence down to 80 or less. If you get above 80 the hill has eased off so you can sit again. But I do stand occasionally on long hills just to use a different set of muscle (And to give the butt a break)

I know :D Max heart rate was 204, which I haven't reached in a while, thanks to riding bikes that actually have gears.

On the subject of standing while climbing, I can't stand very long either without feeling the burn. In my case I think it's because I'm overweight. Hopefully I will be able to stand longer when the weight's all gone.

Me either. :roflmao2::D:roflmao2:

Sara,

I would leave the 11-28 on the Eastons and the 12-25 on the Fulcrums. Use the Eastons for short rides with big climbs and the Fulcrums the rest of the time. I have Easton Orion IIs, they are stiff and light, my only wheels for my Tarmac - but I do switch cassettes from 11-28 to 12-25. I just put on the 11-28 as I started steep climbing to prepare for the Whiteface race. After that is done at the end of June and I have completed the Greylock century in early July I will swap back to the 12-25.