Built a new Road bike for my wife. Gearing question.....
06-01-12, 08:33 AM
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Built a new Road bike for my wife. Gearing question.....
Built a new Road Bike for my wife to replace her Giant OCR2.
Build consists of:
Trek 2.3 Frameset
FSA SLK Carbon crankset 52/38
Ultegra 9 spd rear derailleur
105 front derailleur
12-23 Cassette
Tiagra 9 speed shifters
105 Brake Calipers
Shimano RS30 Wheelset
Turned out pretty good, and weighed in at 20.0 with pedals, bottle cages and all (I will be replacing the stem this week).
Question is:
Is this too big of a gear for a woman (non competitive)?
52/38 chainrings with 12-23 cassette?
Her Triathon bike has 53/39 crank and 11-25 cassette, and her road bike is a 30/39/50 Triple with 12-26 cassette.
Maybe it'll teach her to ride faster ;-)
Pics:
Build consists of:
Trek 2.3 Frameset
FSA SLK Carbon crankset 52/38
Ultegra 9 spd rear derailleur
105 front derailleur
12-23 Cassette
Tiagra 9 speed shifters
105 Brake Calipers
Shimano RS30 Wheelset
Turned out pretty good, and weighed in at 20.0 with pedals, bottle cages and all (I will be replacing the stem this week).
Question is:
Is this too big of a gear for a woman (non competitive)?
52/38 chainrings with 12-23 cassette?
Her Triathon bike has 53/39 crank and 11-25 cassette, and her road bike is a 30/39/50 Triple with 12-26 cassette.
Maybe it'll teach her to ride faster ;-)
Pics:
Last edited by screaminDOHC; 06-01-12 at 08:37 AM.
06-01-12, 08:38 AM
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She already sounds badder-ass than many of us here. 52-38/12-23 would wreck me here in the mountains.
But do flip it, please
But do flip it, please
06-01-12, 08:39 AM
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06-01-12, 09:08 AM
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06-01-12, 09:26 AM
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Take the wheel with the 12-26 and put it on that bike and see which she likes better?
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06-01-12, 09:30 AM
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Keep on climbing
Why are you asking us what gearing your wife needs? 
Going from a bike with a low gear of 30x26 to one with a low gear of 38x23 is one hell of a jump.
Going from a bike with a low gear of 30x26 to one with a low gear of 38x23 is one hell of a jump.
06-01-12, 09:38 AM
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06-01-12, 09:39 AM
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06-01-12, 09:41 AM
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don't try this at home.
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But, if I lived in Chicago or some other place without hills, I'd really like the 12-23 setup.
06-01-12, 09:48 AM
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By 'Better' I meant this: Upon entering a hill, she immediately gears down all the way to small ring and granny gear which in my opinion is NOT necessary. She will have no choice but to learn to ride a little harder in my opinion rather than spinning up in way to small of a gear.
06-01-12, 10:01 AM
#13
Keep on climbing
Agreed, I think the 12-23 would be good here where it's pretty flat.
By 'Better' I meant this: Upon entering a hill, she immediately gears down all the way to small ring and granny gear which in my opinion is NOT necessary. She will have no choice but to learn to ride a little harder in my opinion rather than spinning up in way to small of a gear.
By 'Better' I meant this: Upon entering a hill, she immediately gears down all the way to small ring and granny gear which in my opinion is NOT necessary. She will have no choice but to learn to ride a little harder in my opinion rather than spinning up in way to small of a gear.
06-01-12, 10:46 AM
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12-26 cassette is a good compromise I think.
06-01-12, 10:50 AM
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06-01-12, 02:01 PM
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Climbing anything steep with a 39 / 25 isn't all that fun. I like my 34 / 28 but I ride lots of hills here in Oregon.
06-01-12, 03:12 PM
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Flat area you may be ok but she may like that 26 if she's really filling bad and in a strong head wind, she won't be going fast but going! with out a big struggle those days do come around
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06-01-12, 06:48 PM
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I'm wondering why, if she already has two road bikes, you'd have to ask us what gearing she needs. I would think she has a pretty well-informed opinion herself?
06-01-12, 09:21 PM
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I personally think 30 is too low in flat areas. Does she complain about the gearing on the triathlon bike? If not, then you're probably good with the 38/52 by 12-23t. If she hates it, then the 12-26t may fit the bill. It's hard to judge by not knowing what are the steepest hills you go on and how fit she is.
06-02-12, 02:03 AM
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https://www.gear-calculator.com is a great site to compare what different gear ratios are available. What gears does your wife typically use on her current road bike? Are those gears available on the new bike? If she is always using the small ring on the triple, then the 38 is probably not going to be to her liking.
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