Spinervals and cross-chaining
 

Seems to me there's a lot of cross-chaining going on in Spinervals like small wheel in front and 12 in the back. Or big wheel in front and 27 in the back.

I have some of the older Spinnervals DVD's. They will say combinations like small/18, small/15, big/15, big/12; no cross-chaining there. Maybe it's the newer DVD's but the ones I have don't even mention cogs with 20+ teeth.

There's no reason you have to use the exact combos advocated. You'll get the same workout if you go for the same gear ratios without cross chaining. As if it really matters that much.

I agree but it confuses me (I am easily confused).
Why do they tell you to go big ring in front and 27 in the back and then even say make sure you're not cross-chaining?

cross chaining is not really an issue on today's modern road bikes.

Are you sure they say 27? First of all, that's an awfully low gear. Second, to not cross chain in the old sense, you still have at least one more even lower gear to go.

I have Spinervals 29.0-38.0 and I don't remember them ever mentioning anything that would recommend cross-chaining. These are the Competition Series by the way. Usually it's SG(Small Gear)/15 for warm-up and BG/17 down to BG/12 for the higher intensity stuff.

My guess is to make it so you can get to the gear with one shift (i.e. you don't need to move the rings and the cogs)

I have 5 Spinervals DVDs, and I don't recall having to cross-chain. The most they ask you to do is to go one-gear next to the last one, but that's not quite cross-chaining.

Just watched one of the older ones this AM (1996 I think.... No slackers) and the gears were between 18 and 12 as I recall.

I would consider that cross chaining, but not necessarily harmful. On that particular section of my spinervals disk, it asks for big ring + 23 in the back. Since the video was done before compact cranks and that's what I ride, I go big ring 21.

Because Coach Troy was a triathlete.

Case closed.

:)

He also says to ride in the 53 and 15 and spin 100 rpms on a stationary trainer. Pay attention to the spin rate, not the gears he mentions.

I have almost all of the Spinervals and I don't recall any serious cross-chaining. He will sometimes say to be in the 53 and the second or third largest cog in back (ie. usually the 21 or 23) which is fine on any modern bike. I don't ever recall a time where he uses the small front chainring and the 12 or 13.

He also has never once jumped out of the TV and kicked my butt for being in the wrong gear or something different than he recommended. :)