bikerider3

Im new to road biking. I am 5'9 148 lbs.

I have a 10 speed caad10- 105
It has a 50/34 compact on front.
11-27 cassette.

I run out of gears at the start of a 7-8% grade. And the chain rubs while im trying to mash my way up.
The bike shop said i can only go to 30 tooth cassette otherwise i need a new derailuer.

Given that im a weak and light rider who prefers high cadence i wanted to know if a 30 would make a big enough difference?

Also, whats the difference between 11-30, and 12-30? Would the 12-30 make all the gears easier?

I dont race, or need to speed down hills, but i like to climb because of the challenge and to get stronger.
From what i understand i can get a wifli kit with 32, or 34, but i was wondering if having that setup would hinder riding on flats, and rolling hills etc.

Any help or tips is greatly appreciated as im trying to figure all this stuff out and im not a math guy.

RPK79

As you get stronger it will get better.

No it won't make all the gears easier.

Homebrew01

The 11 (or 12) is the smallest cog. That's the one you use for downhill.

Going from 27 to 30 would be 1 jump lower. similar to the feeling you get going from your 24 or 25 to the 27. So as you shift into easier gears: 3rd to 2nd, 2nd to 1st, imagine you have 1 more. That will be your 30. If you think you need more than 1 more lower, then you go "mega range" cassette, or a triple crankset. Going to a triple will mean new crank and bottom bracket, and possible left shifter depending on what model you have.

datlas 

Focus on less steep grades like 4 or 5%. Ride more. As you get stronger, it will get easier (or less hard). You can stand up and power up a short steep section out of the saddle if needed.

Either that, or get a triple. Going to 30T is not going to make much of a difference.

RPK79

It doesn't get easier; you just get faster.

Homebrew01

That option is free, and after a few months you may find you don't really need lower gears .... or not as low as you do right now.

Phil_gretz

When your lowest gear is 34T chainring and 27T cog, and you change the cog to 30T, you've decreased the apparent gear by 3 parts in 27, or ~11%.

Yes, the 12-30T cassette will give you a noticeable benefit of approximately one shift easier in all gear positions. Your rear derailleur can be adjusted to work with the 30T cassette.

As to rubbing - is it continuous, or only when you push down hard on the pedals? Is it only in the easiest 34-27 gear combination? If continuous and in the lowest, you're likely having a low adjustement screw setting that is too tight on your front derailleur. Have your bike shop check this for you.

If the rubbing happens when your in the 34T ring, but the smallest, outermost rear cogs, the rubbing is likely due to cross chaining, where your chain is touching the big ring as it passes. You can avoid this by choosing other combinations to get the same effective gear, like using the 50-21T combination, for example.

Really, if you keep riding and trying on that hill, it'll get easier with your current gears, although you may not be able to reach the same high cadence continually. Don't give up. You'll get stronger. PG

Carbonfiberboy 

So ask them how much for a new rear derailleur, bigger cassette, and new chain. See if you want to spend the money. Nothing wrong with going that route. Get an 11-34. As you get stronger, you can change to a smaller cassette if you want. You'll notice that the gears are further apart with a larger cassette, but you'll be able to spin decently on hills without blowing up. It's supposed to be fun. A lot of the folks I ride with have that cassette.

A small cassette is a status symbol. It says, "I'm strong!" The more money one pays for a road bike, the smaller the cassette is.

Smokehouse

I ran a 52/36 crank and a 11-28 last year...I only use 36/28 to spin up the nastiest of grades.

Like everyone else said...you'll get used to it. If you want to spin more, go from a 11-27 to a 12-30 re cassette (if you rear derailleur can handle it). I recently swapped out my 11-28 for a 12-30 because I don't do high speed runs in 52/11 nor am I immortal enough to chug along in that gear either. I figured the 36/30 combo is more useful to me than 52/11.

Either way...like others have said...larger gear in front = more effort to spin, smaller gear in back = more effort to spin. So...a 52/11 is difficult and a 36/30 is "granny".

Practice, practice and then practice. Work on spinning up a hill as much as possible rather than grinding it out. Also remember...it never gets easier, you just get faster (not my quote BTW)...if climbing ever gets "easy"...you're doing it wrong.

bikerider3

Really its only like having 1 more gear? Thats good to know. I feel like i need at least 2 more or maybe 3 for high cadence. Thank you.

fstshrk

You need to ride more.

Homebrew01

Are you on the small front chainring ?? There shouldn't be rubbing.

Phil_gretz

Also, your thread title is "Not having fun climbing..." It doesn't get to be fun until you can take satisfaction in suffering through it, and knowing that you did it a wee bit faster than the time before. Rinse and repeat.

Tycho Brahe 

Ride more. Save your money for more spandex.

Jakedatc

I'd say ride more with what you have 34- 27 is pretty low I had that for quite a while until i got stronger and switched to 36 but with an 11-28

you're not always going to be able to spin at 100rpm. I spin a lot more than most of the people i ride with (90-95 rpm avg depending on the route) But on hills i'll still be going down to 80 or even less maybe.

the fun is riding without thinking so much about it. If you max out your gear then see how far you can get before your legs give up. try again the next week.

bikerider3

Yea, The bike shop said they adjusted the derailleurs last week (no charge)
But theres a slight rub still on the 34/27, and 50/11. So does this mean the front derailleur needs to be moved slightly inward? It doesnt look like its bent at all.
Im afraid if i start turning one of the screws i will screw it up more. For some reason it doesnt cover this in the owners manual, and i cant find any clear guides online so that i can learn.

iamtim

I wholeheartedly echo the "ride more, get stronger" sentiment.

Allow me a brief personal anecdote:
Until a couple of months back, I rode an 8 speed triple (30/42/52) with a 12-30 cassette. That changed when I bought a new (used) bike; it was a 9 speed "standard" double (39/53) with - I thought - a 12-25 cassette. It was... too hard for me to climb hills at anything but a snails pace. I could have changed to a compact (34/50) or put my triple setup on it, but I was determined to make the "standard" double work. Over the next months, my strength and performance improved noticeably.

Here's the amusing part... ultimately, I decided to get a 12-27 cassette, just to give me a little breathing room. When I swapped out the old cassette for the new 12-27, I discovered it wasn't a 12-25. It was an 11-23!

banerjek

How old are you and what kind of shape are you in?

Since you're new to cycling, this is likely a conditioning matter. You will notice a difference with the 12-30, but if I'd recommend saving your money for a couple months to see if you don't change your mind about what you need. A guy your size should do just fine with the gearing you have unless you're pretty old or have some physical issue.

Homebrew01

You can find good repair info here. https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help

The adjustment needed depends on which side of the FD cage is rubbing. It could either be moving too far, or not quite far enough. Sounds like the bike shop did not get it quite right.

bikerider3

I guess this would make the most sense while also saving money on parts. The thing is i dont know of any steady 4% grades around me. Its all rolling hills with a couple mountains of 7% for 1-2 miles. I guess i can search on strava now that i think of it. I like to stick to my usual handful of routes, otherwise i get lost easily as i have poor bearings and navigating skills.

MagicHour

Practice with the gears you have. Find a longish hill you can repeat on and practice riding up it:
a) fully seated
b) alternate seated/standing i.e. :30 secs seated, :30 standing etc.
c) fully standing .
Work on trying to keep form/cadence steady and smooth, body relaxed not fighting the bike, and the transitions between sitting and standing are smooth. In other words don't "try to mash your way up".

Start a climb slow and steady and if you're feeling good and settling into a rhythm, then you can slowly pick up the tempo, i.e. don't attack base of a hill with all your might and then blow up in the middle. Slow and steady wins the race...at first anyway. Works for me, anyway.

Channel your inner Miguel Indurain - look how smooth and relaxed!

bikerider3

Im 27, i started riding 2 years ago. Not much riding though i estimate 4k miles total. For the first year it was mostly long rides on dead flat bike trails just in the warm months, and no more than 2-3 times per week with weeks off, and months off in the winter. This past year its been more hilly road riding and struggling up these mountains. I know i havent been persistent enough to really get strong as id like. I would like to ride 5-6 days per week. Its tough between other daily duties and poor weather.

I dont have any physical problems, ive certainly come a long way from the couch potato i was. Ive never done cardio in my life besides some basketball in my teens. You guys are right it looks like i should keep riding and being persistent for a couple months. Ive never "trained". I just love to go on long rides and have fun. I do like to exert myself in intervals, power up hills and stuff, but not repetitively enough to be considered a real effective training session. One problem i have is i cant just go do hill repeats or things like that because i love riding too much. I dont want to thrash my legs and have to go home lol.

Thanks everyone the responses have been fantastic. I didnt think i would learn this much already from one post.

f4rrest

Just ride up the 7% you have available as far as you can (halfway or whatever), turn around and ride down, rest a minute and repeat 5 times if you can. Don't do this every day, just a couple times a week. Next week, I bet you can go higher or do more repeats. After a month of hill repeats, I bet you'll make it all the way up without too much trouble, and then you can challenge yourself with higher gear combos.

You'll find that in a few months you may be able to ride 7% hills in your 34/23 combo. Depending on your genetics and training, after a couple years, you may do 12% hills in that combo.

bikerider3

I do have one short steep hill by me but it takes like 1 minute going as fast as i can. Would it be effective to do one set of 30 second sit/spin going hard, then ride down for 30 seconds and repeat? Or is it best to go medium-hard repetitively for many sets while avoiding exhaustion? I know im being kind of technical and anything would help me but im just curious.

bikerider3

Instead of turning around and riding down, can i just rest on the hill and then continue up to the top? When i first started this climb i would have to stop and rest 2-3 times. I can make it up now without stopping but i know im having to push myself a little harder than i should, or is perhaps healthy, which is exacerbated by the power im losing from such low cadence. But yea, I guess i should stop for a breather next time half way.