cnymike

I'm trying to help a friend out.

She's currently riding a 2003 Trek 1000. It has 30/42/52 chainring and 11-28 cassette.

She is considering a 2006 Fuji Team with 39/53 chainring and 12-23 cassette.

She thinks she'll have a difficult time without the lowest gears. She rides a lot of really steep hills. I also think she might have some problems with the ratio on the Fuji.

I went from a 2001 Fuji Roubaix with 30/42/52 chainring and 12-23 cassette to
a 2006 Fuji Roubaix LTD with 39/53 chainring and 12-23 cassette. I really feel some pain now going up steep hills as I've lost that granny gear. In fact, a couple hills that I could get up before now nearly cause me to dismount and walk...it hasn't happened yet, but I've come real close.

What do you think?

Fat Boy

It sounds like she's probably right. Going from a 30-28 granny to a 39-23 is a big difference. An easy (easier) fix would be a compact chainring set (50-34) and an 11-28 cassette. That would be a little steeper than she's used to, but probably a better chance of success. If that doesn't work, get a triple for her.

shark2000br

Not sure if this will help or not, but its pretty darn useful.

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears/

Applehead57

Big difference. It's not the first big hill that gets you, it's when your route has lots of big hills.
I live in hilly country and big gears let me go whenever I want. If I only had a double with a 12x23, I would have to avoid certain rides.
If she's very strong, she can survive the loss of big gears. For the rest of us, there is no substitute for big gears.

Tri-FatBoy

I made the transition from a tripple to a compact without too much fuss. Something I just kind of adjusted for. Now doing it on my 54/39 makes me whimper like a school girl.

ridethecliche

I'd say a compact with a 12-27 would be a great way to go if she's used to a triple. I rode a triple and the jump to a double is pretty big. Then again, my bike was supposed to come with a compact. Still waiting on that...

dbc

Let her pick the gears. If there are some in the low end that she never uses, that will give some flexibility in the gear selection on the new bike. But if she likes to use the inner chainring or two largest cogs with the 42 on the Trek, I'd say forget about the Fuji corncob. Get gears that you are comfortable with now.

Worst case, the engine will improve/degrade with time, requiring a change in gearing later on.

Baetis

I live in CO surrounded by mountains. 53/39 FD. My old 12-25 cassette was worn so when I replaced it I went to a 12-27. woo-hoo! Didn't make me any faster but it's quite a bit easier on the climbs now.

Retro Grouch 

My advice has always been: "If in doubt, get the triple."

ehsiung

Going from 30x28 (28 gear inches) to 39x23 (44 gear inches) is a huge jump. What does she use currently to climb those hills? Can she climb them using 30x18 (which is comparable to 39x23)?

carpediemracing 

+1

Only thing is a quick look around got me only 12-27 10s cassettes.

A 34x27 is about 1 gear higher than her lowest gear now (34" vs 30x24 which is 33.8"). If she can climb in her second lowest gear, a compact with a 12-27 should be fine.

If she uses the 11T then you'll have to fiddle with the cassette to incorporate that.

A gear inch, btw, is equal to the diameter of a big wheel bike (the old fashioned kind, or like on a kids tricycle). So a 30" gear is equal to about a 1:1 ratio for your (approximate) 27" wheel. In contrast, a 50x12 is over 112 gear inches - so if it was a big wheel, it'd be over 9 feet tall! The number really doesn't mean very much (isn't precise enough to measure how fast you're going, for example, unlike sheldon's calculator which is more precise) but it is good for relative comparisons.

hope this helps
cdr

ElJamoquio

50/34 x 11/28.