Commute gears advice please

[antc]

Hi all,

Just got into road bikes as was commuting on my 26" dually.

Currently running 53/39 and 11/25 this is on a 2012 Polygon Helios 700 with Shimano 105.
I'm 44 Y.O 6'4" and dropped 18kg's to 92kg in the last few months back on the bikes, I'm also commuting with a 40L backpack 8-15kg's.

I ride Roseville Bridge route on dually both ways however go via spit South Bound and Roseville Bridge Northbound due to the steep concrete path on the Babbage Road side being to difficult on the road bike.

Now I find Parriwi Road OK just with this gearing but Roseville Bridge is killing me and I have a sore lower back by the time I mash my way to the Crown of the Hill lights.

What are the thoughts on going to a 12-27 or 11-28 if you know both climbs, on Strava I climb Parriwi in 4:45 cadence 82, speed 16km/h, Roseville Bridge 7.28 cadence 60 speed 11.2 or should I grab a compact as well? I think I can HTFU a bit more and hopefully get off the cancer sticks.

Cheers

[Derny Driver]

Mate ...those gears on that bike are very difficult for what you are doing. Kudos to you for even going close to making it work. My son races A grade on those gears, he is 19 and weighs 70kg. No backpack either. You could try a 12-29 Tiagra cluster, it would actually make a big difference, probably enough I think. Barring that, you would have to switch to compacts.

[antc]

Sounds like good advise rear derailleur should clear it and save me buying a compact for now.

Cheers!

[Derny Driver]

Yeah try it antc ...29 will clear (just) and Tiagra clusters are cheap and GOOD ....Tiagra clusters are the best kept secret in cycling!
If people want to pay 4 times more for Ultegra or DuraAce then good for them. I dont!

[softy]

I would suggest a compact crank.

They will lift the 25 to a 39-28 equavilent. I would even suggest a 12-27,28,29 cluster on the rear.
Compacts also make the increments less between the gears, so jumps are smaller, making it easier to hit that idea cadence.

The only negative going to 28 or 29 as your biggest cog, you feel the jumps being bigger when moving between the big cogs of the cassette.

I had a 53-39, 11-26, and it kills you on hills and strong headwinds. If you have a cycle computer, keep your cadence around 90, or higher, this puts less strain on your legs and develops more power. Why compacts are so good.

of course 53-39 has its applications, but it is for certian types of racing not commuting.

HTFU, is rubbish! It has been proven higher cadence develops more power. Grinding, pushing big gears you will blow up earlier and it puts more strain on your legs.

[silentbutdeadly]

46/36 up front and 11-32 out back. You'll climb up anything with that...

[queequeg]

46/36 up front and 11-32 out back. You'll climb up anything with that...

2nd that. My commuter is 46/38 with a 12-32 cassette.

[softy]

46/36 up front and 11-32 out back. You'll climb up anything with that...

also a good combination the cyclo cross cranks. But they are still a little specialised in Oz to get and not always directly compatible with other cranks.

46 - 11 is still a pretty fast gear. Good suggestion.

[silentbutdeadly]

46/36 up front and 11-32 out back. You'll climb up anything with that...

also a good combination the cyclo cross cranks. But they are still a little specialised in Oz to get and not always directly compatible with other cranks.

46 - 11 is still a pretty fast gear. Good suggestion.

Mine are just vanilla black SRAM Apex 130bcd 5 bolts with different sized rings. Nothing specialised about them...and they were purchased locally.

Mind you I've just gone 1x on the CX bike so the 46/36 rings are in the spares drawer now!

[softy]

46/36 up front and 11-32 out back. You'll climb up anything with that...

also a good combination the cyclo cross cranks. But they are still a little specialised in Oz to get and not always directly compatible with other cranks.

46 - 11 is still a pretty fast gear. Good suggestion.

Mine are just vanilla black SRAM Apex 130bcd 5 bolts with different sized rings. Nothing specialised about them...and they were purchased locally.

Mind you I've just gone 1x on the CX bike so the 46/36 rings are in the spares drawer now!

That's pretty cool, i did something similar on one of my roadies, single 39t front, aero basebars only with 11-28 cassette rear. Does run out of legs with a strong tail wind, but you are doing well over 40km per hour when this happens. So pretty good for buzzing around the burbs......

And light at 6.5kg, so a fun ride.

[antc]

46/36 up front and 11-32 out back. You'll climb up anything with that...

How is it moving through that range on the back? Do you think that would fit a short 105 derailleur I suppose it also depends on the hanger seems to be a bit of room when pushing it across.

[softy]

46/36 up front and 11-32 out back. You'll climb up anything with that...

How is it moving through that range on the back? Do you think that would fit a short 105 derailleur I suppose it also depends on the hanger seems to be a bit of room when pushing it across.

i am not sure about 105, but sram short cage is good for 28 and campag is good for 29. Some say you can squeeze a bit more, but that is the official limit.

39t into 28 is not to bad, nice to have the 32, but maybe the shimano experts can chime in here to clarify???

when you have bigger steps at the back it is not as nice to find the right cadence, but you just drop to the lower inch gear and go slightly slower, so no bigger for commuting. Just a little annoying sometimes.

[Thoglette]

Just a little annoying sometimes.

Less annoying than just three speeds I'm running 2x7 but haven't shifted into the big ring for a very long time (I could use it for about 30 seconds a day) so effectively run 40 and 12-30. Some >10% grades but nothing truely brutal.

[silentbutdeadly]

46/36 up front and 11-32 out back. You'll climb up anything with that...

How is it moving through that range on the back? Do you think that would fit a short 105 derailleur I suppose it also depends on the hanger seems to be a bit of room when pushing it across.

Fine but I used a Sram Rival mid cage (now x9 mid). With a short 105 just go 11-28...you'll be able to winch yourself up to Crown of the Hill no worries on the 36.

[Derny Driver]

With a short 105 just go 11-28...

29 will work fine too.
Wont need the 11 12-29 gives you a better range

[antc]

With a short 105 just go 11-28...

29 will work fine too.
Wont need the 11 12-29 gives you a better range

Cheers mate!

[simlin]

I run 105 11 speed 50-34 on the front and recently put a medium cage rear mech on and 11-32 cluster after a little accident bent my short cage, which I ran with a 11-28. Way more than I need for commuting but can tackle any hills on the weekend.

I would try swapping out the rear mech for the medium cage with the 11-32 cluster...I hear a lot of the pros ride standard cranks with 11-32 for the seriously mountainous grand tour stages.

[DavidS]

On both bikes I have a 50/34 compact on the front although never use the 34 (flat ride). The new bike has a larger range of gears but the first replacement cluster on the back will be my usual 10 speed 12-25. Suits me, close gears I find better.

You do have to find what suits you and your ride.

DS

[softy]

On both bikes I have a 50/34 compact on the front although never use the 34 (flat ride). The new bike has a larger range of gears but the first replacement cluster on the back will be my usual 10 speed 12-25. Suits me, close gears I find better.

You do have to find what suits you and your ride.

DS

just got a new bike:
50/34t up front and
11-25t rear.

really loving the compact, i am trying to keep my cadence high and use my gears to maintain this, i am finding i am spending alot more time in the small ring, when you push 90 100 cadence it is amazing how consistent your power output is maintained. You also feel less fatigued after the ride.

i would suggest use your small ring more and try working on bringing your cadence up.
I hear so many people say they stay in one ring, so what's the point in having all those gears? Just make it a single front with a big dish on the back if this is how you ride, makes it alot simpler. Otherwise whack a bigger small ring 36t on to utilise the gears more.

I believe gears are there to be used, i constantly change my gears as the elevation changes to maintain my cadence. Even thinking of putting a 12-27 on the back to allow more spinning at lower speeds.

I am finding it a better way to ride.

[DavidS]

Probably good advice Softy and I would probably buy a bike with a single on the front if I could, I avoid 3 chain rings but 2 seems the minimum. Those gears are there if I ever need them. A larger small ring is something to think about one day, might be good.

As for cadence, you have to understand my particular problem. High cadence doesn't really suit me as I'm a smoker. I make up for lack of lung capacity with leg strength. Although I do remember running tall gears and low cadence as a kid too so maybe it's just me.

The good thing is to realise that the flexibility is there and things like gear ratios are not fixed, plenty of scope to change them if you want.

DS

[Duck!]

I would try swapping out the rear mech for the medium cage with the 11-32 cluster...I hear a lot of the pros ride standard cranks with 11-32 for the seriously mountainous grand tour stages.

Why? It doesn't give any more sprocket clearance (at least where Shimano is concerned). Most of the time a standard cage will be fine with the big sprocket, it's only if you cross-chain to it on the big ring that things can get messy if the chain is too short. And that's really only on a Compact due to the greater difference between chainrings; Standard & CX rings with tighter spacing don't need as much chain length, and a those combinations with a big cassette are comfortably within the chain capacity of a standard cage derailleur. But you should avoid big:big cross-chaining anyway.

[softy]

80 cadence is quite achieveable and relaxing.

so lets look at some gears;
50-12=45km@ 85 revolutions
50-12=40km@ 76 revolutions
50-11=45km@78 revolutions

53-12=45km@ 80 revolutions
53-12=40km@71 revolutions
53-11=45km@ 74 revolutions
53-11=40km@ 66 revolutions

now can you push these gears?

at these speeds you want to be over 80 cadence, more cadence, more watts, the faster you go more wind resistance, more watts you need to over come and this is if you can push these gears on the flat.

why i recommend 50-12 is big enough, then give yourself more climbing gears, so you can keep you cadence over 80 for hill climbs.
compacts are much better for general riding, you can roll down a hill, but you can't roll up one!