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new gearing

Old 02-29-08, 03:10 PM
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new gearing

ok, i have a question about changing my gearing. i currently have 54/39 front and a 12/27 in the back. i was thinking of changing to a compact up front 50/34 and a 11/26 in the back (new sram red). the graphs that i have seen on line look like i would get a better (lower) low gear and a better high (spinning) gear. has anyone used this set up and what is your feedback?
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Old 02-29-08, 04:14 PM
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compact with 11t FTW
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Old 02-29-08, 04:49 PM
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That's a frequently asked question. Unfortunately, it's one that only you can answer.

1. What gear do you need to get up the Beast in Babler Park?
2. What gear do you use, say, going down Hwy T toward St Albans?
3. What gear would you use on the Gumbo flats?

Calculate all of the ratios of whatever drive train you are considering. I like for my flat road gear to fall right in the middle of the cassette. That gives me a couple of trim gears in each direction before I have to shift chainrings.

The bad thing about compact drivetrains is their lack of overlap. Little overlap doesn't give you much option about when you change chainrings. If you find your self making a lot of chainring changes on a flat road you are going to hate a compact. If you only find yourself shifting chainrings at the base of a hill, it's not so bad.
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Old 02-29-08, 06:08 PM
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well what i have now i have to double shift all the time. to go from big to small ring and vise versa i have to down shift the back a couple of gears in that direction.
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Old 02-29-08, 11:02 PM
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I love my compact. in the san francisco area, i run a 50/34 with a 11x24. I'm not a real spinner, but the easier gearing really helps my form on long hills. with a 50x11 i have all the top end i need. on the flats and down hills, i use the 50. on climbs, i get into the 34 and stay there.
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Old 02-29-08, 11:33 PM
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Originally Posted by rpj795
ok, i have a question about changing my gearing. i currently have 54/39 front and a 12/27 in the back. i was thinking of changing to a compact up front 50/34 and a 11/26 in the back (new sram red). the graphs that i have seen on line look like i would get a better (lower) low gear and a better high (spinning) gear. has anyone used this set up and what is your feedback?
50/34 and RED11/26 is a very good combination. One noticeable difference is you loose 16t, if that matters to you. Another is, if you're used to the "quiteness" of a shimano cassette, you'd have to accustom yourself with the "resonant" sound of gear shiftting in RED.
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Old 03-01-08, 07:46 AM
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Originally Posted by rpj795
ok, i have a question about changing my gearing. i currently have 54/39 front and a 12/27 in the back. i was thinking of changing to a compact up front 50/34 and a 11/26 in the back (new sram red). the graphs that i have seen on line look like i would get a better (lower) low gear and a better high (spinning) gear. has anyone used this set up and what is your feedback?
That's funny. I have SRAM Force, 50/34 with the 11/26 and was thinking of doing the opposite. Sure the 34 is great on climbs but I really lose speed (spin out) on the descents with my 50. I am thinking of getting the SRAM Red also, but getting a standard 53/39. Honestly, I don't know how it will affect my climbing. People say I'm a great climber now- don't know if I'll suffer with a 39.

You should come down to LA, trade bikes for a weekend and see if we like each other's gearing better!
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Old 03-01-08, 01:55 PM
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^ ^ ^ ^

A 53x12 will spin out sooner than a 50x11. See Sheldon Brown's gear calculator if you don't believe me.

Of course, you could go to a 53x39 with an 11x23 cassette, but I wouldn't do that in SoCal unless you avoid all the hill routes or are a lot stronger rider than I am.
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Old 03-01-08, 03:36 PM
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Originally Posted by not2blu
but I really lose speed (spin out) on the descents with my 50.
Perhaps you need to work on your spin.

50x11 at 120rpms is 44mph. You can easily pedal to 50mph with a 50x11 if you wanted to. However if you're rolling downhill at45 mph or more, it's proabably more energy efficient to coast at that point.

I did Everest Challenge with my high gear being a 50x11. One descent I was in a group with a tandem, and a couple of Cat 1 riders. I didn't have any trouble hanging at 50 plus.
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Old 03-01-08, 04:55 PM
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Originally Posted by merlinextraligh
Perhaps you need to work on your spin.

50x11 at 120rpms is 44mph. You can easily pedal to 50mph with a 50x11 if you wanted to. However if you're rolling downhill at45 mph or more, it's proabably more energy efficient to coast at that point.

I did Everest Challenge with my high gear being a 50x11. One descent I was in a group with a tandem, and a couple of Cat 1 riders. I didn't have any trouble hanging at 50 plus.
I see your point. Tomorrow I'm riding a course that ends with a good descent so we'll see. I weigh 145lb so I'm at a small disadvantage to the 175lb+ riders. At least on the descent. I get them on the climbs though.

Everest Challenge- now that's a ride!
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