Hi

Happy New Year to you all.

Got an orbea aqua ( my first road bike ) and struggling with some of the climbs in my area still - even in the lowest gear. It comes with a shimono 105 - can I switch that out for somethign that has an even lower gear, but keeps the top end stuff the same?

You can clearly tell I don't know what I'm talking about on a technical front here so go easy on me .

Cheers

Angel.

Orbea website says you have a 50/34 crankset and 12-25 cassette. If you're having problems with the hills then (1) you're riding in to hard a gear or (2) you just need to ride more miles and build up your leg muscles.
What gear combination (front and rear) are you using to climb the hills?

Yes, you can swap to easier gearing. Are you already using the easiest gears on the hills ? (Small chainring up front on the crankset & largest cog in back on the wheel )

You have a variety of options, but it would be helpful to verify what you currently have. You can count the teeth on the crankset, and count the smallest & largest cogs on the freewheel.

Angel - Even if you're using the easiest gears (small chainring in front, biggest cog in back), it can still be tough to get up hills when you're first starting out. Cycling requires the use of different muscles than other sports, so even if you're reasonably fit, it's going to take some getting used to. The more hills you climb, the easier it gets.

If it helps you can get a compact crankset & a 12-28 cassette but as mentioned earlier hills suck, you really just need to ride more

34-25 is a pretty low gear. I would just try to tough it out for a few months. If you still can't get up the hills try an longer chain and new cassette.

Thanks to all for the replies. Looks like it's just putting in the miles then. But I thought it would be easier - struggling with hills and when on the flats trying to keep the cadence above 70. Can only do that in a low gear and then have nothing to drop down into for the hills. I've a good short 7 mile circuit near me - it ends with three ( very ) short sharp climbs so will just hit that more often.

And what may be a little more embarassing - what do you lot actually class as a hill? I reckon my hills are your gentle slopes.....!! Got my first sportive in April - will have to get the miles in before then.

Thanks again all.

Not to bump this back up - but I went out with a mate ( first time out not solo ) and he was getting 90+ cadence up a hill I couldn't touch 60. After talking to him, I finally discovered the orbea comes in two modes a 52-42 chainset and a 50/34. Guess which one I have? - don't feel so bad. Yes, the months have made the hills easier, but the sportives I've just signed up for contain climbs, and there's no way I can compete ( not that sportives are about competition ) with these guys with 34 on the front. So.....I've seen a 50/34 Shimano, but it reckons it is compatible with a 9 speed drive chain. Mines 8 speed. Why? What difference does it make to the chainset on the front by how many cogs you have on the back? Any idea? I thought a chainset was a chainset?

8 speed drivetrains have rear cassettes that are spaced farther apart than 10 speed cassettes, so the 8 speed has a wider chain. Thus the spacing on the front crankset is slightly different to accomodate the width of the chain. There is some leeway in mis-matching a chain & crankset. It's more crucial that the chain match the cassette.

On my rain bike, I have a Campy 10-speed drivetrain, but am using a 1985 "5 speed" crankset designed for a wider chain .... I thought it might "half-shift" and get stuck between the chainrings. No problems though, works perfectly.

PS, I'm surprised 54-42 is available on a bike now-a-days without special ordering.

Not if the hill is steep enough. I have a compact and 11-28 cassette and there is a ride I do with several 12-15% climbs that I struggle with. Two of them require the 28 and even then it's a struggle. One I've finally managed to do in the 24. Over time I should get stronger but everyone is different.

If you want lower gears, a new cassette (find out how big a gear your derailleur can handle) is probably a cheap way to go. New chainrings, if they fit your crank, shouldn't be too expensive either.

You may be able to go to a 39 on your current crankset, but you'd have to verify the hole pattern is compatible.

I know it's bad form to paste links as they go out of date - but what else do I need to know before ordering a chainset? I've just dug out this 50/34 8 speed shimano chain set : [link] - and this is the tech spec of my Orbea [link].

Is it a simple swap out?

I also know this should really be in the bike mech forum, but it started here, and hopefully it will end here with the next reply or two.

Would the absence of just 3 teeth make that much difference ( showing my naievity ( and inability to spell it here! ) )

Get a 50/34 crankset.

Similarly, I'm using an RSX triple FD on my 2x9 cross bike and have never dropped a chain. The front side of the equation is pretty forgiving of "correctly" matching the rest of the drive train.

Seems to me the most cost-effective way of getting a lower low end is to get a 38t inner ring and a 12-28 cassette. You'll have to readjust both derailleurs probably, but it seems a lot cheaper than a new crankset.

Fairly simple if it's the exact same model. But the link you give is a square taper, which is pretty obsolete (although they work fine)
You need to match the crank with the bottom bracket.

Going from a 42 to 39 will not make a huge difference, but might be enough if you thought you just needed one more lower gear.
If you feel like you need a few more low gears then either swapping to a compact crankset as we've been discussing or swapping to a 39 AND bigger cassette, should work.

Shimano Sora FC-3450 compact crank is priced reasonably (~$100US w/bb). It uses external bb cups which make servicing cranks & bb very painless. It's labeled as 9-sp, but it may work just fine as is. If the slightly tighter spacing between rings causes the chain to rub against the large ring in certain gears, you could opt to install small spacers between the rings or replace your 8-sp chain for the slightly narrower 9-sp chain. It's not as though it's mandatory to use an 8-sp crankset, and it's worth a discussion at your local shop.

If you like the current spacing between your rear cogs, remember that going to a wider range cassette will create some bigger jumps in the back.

Local Bike Shop time I think - don't mind paying a few bob more to get the personal service. Thanks everyone for your time. My first serious sportive is Easter Sunday ( 24th April ). I won't be swapping anything out until I've done that - I've trained on what I have and will complete on that - even if it does mean that grinding up that 12% 1.5Km incline at the end on on my 42x26 ratio.

I think the 3450 will be the one I go for. Just need to work out what bottom bracket I currently have....and I thought this would by easy!!

Cheers

A