9w/ river road/ bear mountain gearing
 

for you new york and new jersey members. what gearing are you using. specifically if you are running a double.

I have been on 48/32 and 11-25 and find it a bit low. i dont really need my 34/25. i just got a a double an d have 39, 50 and 53 tooth chainrings. wondering idf i should go 39/50 or 39/53... and the whicha 9 speed cassette to purchase

The gearing that works for me will not necessarily work for you. Use whatever you want. IMO it's somewhat short-sighted to set up your bike with high gearing, unless you know you'll use it predominantly for flat rides.

BTW "River Road" is almost completely flat. The section inside the Palisades park is the Henry Hudson Drive.

I've seen guys do it on fixed gear bicycles, without knowing anything about you or the type of ride you are, it's impossible to tell what gearing you need.

I use a standard double with a 12/25 but I suck at climbing.

yea i know, but everyone calls it river road. you knew what i was talking about...right

more on point. i just find my self doing a lot of flipping between chainrings, and double shifts.

I am thinking of going 50/39 with a 11-26 or 12-27. that would give me a low gear equel to my 34/23 and more cruising use of the small ring. I dont think i need the high gears of the 53.

Get a triple :)

ahh, but the compact is too easy

If you are a strong rider, a 39/53 w/ 11-26 sram or 12-25 shimano. A 39x26 will make Bear Mountain hurt a little more than a 34 chainring, but it's still doable. If you can climb strong in the 39x26 sram, then the 53x11 will be sweetness on the descents.

If you are a good climber, but maybe not the strongest, then a 34/50 compact w/ an 11-26 or 11-28 sram. By good climber I mean that there is nothing on 9w that you can't climb... it's only a matter of how HARD or FAST you climb it.

If you more enjoy rides and mostly survive climbs hoping not to have to walk, then a 30/40/50 triple w/ an 11-26.

Oh, and if the choice is between a 39/50 and a 39/53 that's a no brainer... 39/53. You'll gain top end w/o sacrificing climbing gears.

I've been very happy running a 36/50 compact with an 11-23 casette. Climbing bear mountain is just about right in 36/21 or so, while the 23 provides an easy escape in case of bonking or whatever.

River Road was quite doable in 48/17 fixed, although it's not exactly a gear you could spin up that hill. Hoping to report on its usability going up Bear soon :-P

River Road
 

what can you tell me about this ride?
i live on Long Island
where does it start and how do i get there/park car somewhere?

See the 9W thread --> Post 589

You can park around the GWB on Sundays.

On Saturday, I have no idea (meters would expire before you could get back) so I guess you'd have to park in NJ, maybe somewhere along Hudson Terrace and pay the $8 tolls and sit in line 45 minutes to get back into the City. Or pay for a garage in Wash Heights.

Or, you could park in Queens, and ride across the QB bridge, across midtown, and up Riverside. But thats an extra 12-14 miles each way.

You're probably better off paying the toll and cutting out the junk miles your first time.

I did this on a 48/16 fixed, Jersey City to Henry Hudson Drive. I had to walk the hills thou. There are actually two hills, the last one before Henry Hudson is way long and steep.

52/39 - 14x25

Using 53/39 11-25

Went to Nyack this morning with a group for an "easy" ride. Granted I was not doing much of the work but was using mostly mid to high gears on the 39T on 9w and had to bust out the 25 on some of the hills in the backroads of Nyack.

Also, it depends on whether or not you want to mash it out or keep a high cadence. I prefer the latter. When we got to Nyack, I saw a woman who was there on a fixed!

To compare, the guy pulling us was using a 60T with a straight back cassette. This guy was a beast. So much for an "easy" ride.

Yes, I suck... :lol:

The Fort Lee Historic Area has plenty of parking. And because I tried to make a pit stop at 5:05 PM on my way back from Teaneck, I now know that the building, with restrooms, closes promptly at 5pm, on Sundays. The rest of the park closes at dusk. It's located just south of the GWB, on the left, before the turn-off for Henry Hudson Drive.

The area is currently under construction while they repave Main Street and add a new bike path from the GWB to the park.

http://www.njpalisades.org/directions.htm#FLHP

Just an update. I have been using a 53/39 and 11-25. This combo works well for me. I have to stand and mash more on the climbs, but for me that seems to be working out to be faster and less taxing on my 27 to 45 mile routes. I have a 12-27 on order for longer routes. So far I much prefer this to the compact. I get much more use out of the 39 than the 34 and the 53 lets me accelerate more on the descents. Basically I think I was coddling myself with the compact. Finally, if I go to a more mountainous area I can always throw on the compact before the trip.

I use a 50/36 13/26 combo and that 36/26 gear comes in handy for my 50+yo body. I haven't been up the hill to the police station since spring, but I usually end up in my lowest gear. The hill going up from Tenafly to the crest using Churchill is steeper and I did that the other day. I take it as fast as I can, and that means sloooooowwwwww.

Ah, Churchill is a nice, fun climb! It throws a lot of people off-guard because just when they think they are done, there is that last extra climb :D