plx

Hey guys i'am newbie into cycling.
i have 50-34 front and 12-25 rear.
what do pros have? is it much harder than this?

thks

LesterOfPuppets

They're all over the map. They'll frequently use different setups on different stages.

Many go with something a little taller, like a 53/42 up front. I hear occasional tales of 44/54 chainrings even 56T.

Quite a few go with your setup on steep stages

botto 

depends.

also irrelevant.

LesterOfPuppets

Most of 'em are pretty run of the mill except for the time trial bikes. That's where you'll see neat stuff like 54/48 chainrings 11-21 straight blocks and the like.

pdedes

the gearing isn't what makes it hard. its how fast they turn it.

Snapperhead

Yet another useless botto post. At least you didn't post the always informative "use the search function" bs.

roadiejorge 

He is right though, so calling it "useless" is off the mark. Now instead of pointing out the perceived uselessness of someone else's post you could have at least answered the OP's question; yours is the useless post since it is completely irrelevant.

plx: it depends because they'll have different set ups for the terrain they race in. it's irrelevant because it's what you do with the gears you have that matters. You have a compact crankset which generally speaking is preferred in areas with a lot of climbing but it won't hold you back if you can spin hard gears fast.

echappist

incorrect

Spring classics such as P-R: 54/53-42T with 11-23T
Normal stage in a stage race: 53-39T with 11-25T
Riding up Zoncolan or Plan de Corones: 52/36T with 11-28T, 50/34T with 11-28T, etc.

really does depends, and mostly irrelevant b/c they can produce so much more power (on average, ~6w/kg vs 3w/kg)

can you put out at least 5.5w/kg for an hour?

edit: opps, Jorge ninja-ed me.

Snapperhead

Agreed, but my post is only a hair bit more useless than his. While mine provides no useful information to the OP, his provides only a hair more. It doesn't actually explain why it depends or why it's irrelevant, like your post does.

But that pseudo-intellectual smart-alecky thing is bottos mo, so I guess I shouldn’t really expect anything more.

banerjek

We should just put up a sticky telling newbies they shouldn't even ask questions. What the eff do they think BF is, a discussion board? Whatever they're wondering has been discussed before and that the correct answer depends on a number of factors.

Endless repetitive replies consisting of three or fewer words that are technically correct, but which few actually asking the original question would know how to interpret are always welcome.

Hey plx! The reason different gear combos exist is because what's optimal depends on where you ride and how strong you are.

ultraman6970

Harder? Because u have 50x12 in the bike doesn't mean u have to use it all the time. Doesn't mean they use it all the time also. U are talking about guys that move 53x15 or 14 over 100 rpms for hours. Agree that the deal is how u use the gears and I must add, if you don't have high cadence built, no matter what gears u have, you will continue sucking.

Cheers.

botto 

you really need to dial down the grumpy fred shtick. it's not working for you.

botto 

it's always entertaining when anonymous schmucks start 'snapping' at my ankles.

thanks for the laughs.

Quel

Botto strikes again.

Phantoj

You should set up your gearing based on your fitness and terrain... do what works for YOU, not what works for the pros.

Since you're a newbie -- you should probably just ride more before swapping out any gearing. Besides, a 34x25 is a pretty low gear anyway...

Snapperhead

You're welcome. I'm always happy to bring a smile to someone, even the elitist jerks!

roadiejorge 

Much like the "real world" people have the option of providing answers in the way they see fit, and the poster has the option of probing or waiting for a response which best answers his question.

18hockey

Pot calling the kettle black.

kudude

but what I want to know is: if a pro isn't using campy how can they possibly have an 11-21 straight block?

AngrySaki

I've always found the average consumer road bike gearing too high. If pros are fine with a 52T or 54T, a 50T is way too high for me.

Garfield Cat

I think you're interested in what you should use and comparing it with the pro's. Otherwise you would not have mentioned that you're a new rider.

botto 

datlas 

Botto is right.

Phantoj

It really depends on terrain, fitness, and the kind of riding you do. If 50T is too high, you probably aren't racing criteriums or bombing descents, lol.

keisatsu

"Jens' big ring is 56. His rear cassette is 11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-12."

I love that one...