Gear Ratios on a Merida Road Race 901

[Virtualtuner13]

Hi,

 

I have a Merida road race 901 and seem to be killing myself on the hills.. in first it feels as if the brakes are on when climbing.

 

Is it me or the ratios on the bike? Can i change and if i can what will the best be to help me out? Im getting to a point where its not fun riding the bike anymore cause it feels as if the training does not even help with this issue.

 

Hope someone can assist.

 

Thanks

Robin

[Eugene]

You can change gear ratios by changing the cassette at the back, however, this depends on the ratios you currently have.

 

You can also replace the crankset up front to what is called a "compact" crank set. Again, this dependes on what you currently have and can be expensive.

 

Maybe, you just need more practise on the hills.

 

Post your current gear ratios and then we can tell you whether you should be changing these parts.

 

You do this by counting the number of teeth on the smallest and the largest cogs at the back and then count the number of the smallest and largest cogs on the front.

[Virtualtuner13]

You can change gear ratios by changing the cassette at the back, however, this depends on the ratios you currently have.

 

You can also replace the crankset up front to what is called a "compact" crank set. Again, this dependes on what you currently have and can be expensive.

 

Maybe, you just need more practise on the hills.

 

Post your current gear ratios and then we can tell you whether you should be changing these parts.

 

You do this by counting the number of teeth on the smallest and the largest cogs at the back and then count the number of the smallest and largest cogs on the front.

 

Hi Eugen,

 

Thanks for the reply..

 

Saw the following on the bike.. rear said 25T and the front has 52-8 on it but i will go count and give you the figures.

 

Thanks!

[Virtualtuner13]

You can change gear ratios by changing the cassette at the back, however, this depends on the ratios you currently have.

 

You can also replace the crankset up front to what is called a "compact" crank set. Again, this dependes on what you currently have and can be expensive.

 

Maybe, you just need more practise on the hills.

 

Post your current gear ratios and then we can tell you whether you should be changing these parts.

 

You do this by counting the number of teeth on the smallest and the largest cogs at the back and then count the number of the smallest and largest cogs on the front.

 

Morning Eugene,

 

Front 52 teeth and 39 teeth

Rear 25 teeth and 11 teeth

 

Hope this will help you?

 

Thanks!!

[Mav1234]

Morning Eugene,

 

Front 52 teeth and 39 teeth

Rear 25 teeth and 11 teeth

 

Hope this will help you?

 

Thanks!!

 

good Morning Robin.

 

I have the exact same merida 901 road bike.I struggled big time up hills,all i trained on way cycling up hills in lower the lower gear ratio.it has taken me about 2 month of continuas training. and now i love hills. i do know that only having 18 gears is a bit of a mission going up hill.

 

Gav

[Virtualtuner13]

good Morning Robin.

 

I have the exact same merida 901 road bike.I struggled big time up hills,all i trained on way cycling up hills in lower the lower gear ratio.it has taken me about 2 month of continuas training. and now i love hills. i do know that only having 18 gears is a bit of a mission going up hill.

 

Gav

 

Morning Gav,

 

Thanks for your reply.. ive been in two minds about the gearing and it clearly sounds like i just need to train harder. I did find it wierd that i rode a quicker time last year than this year on 94.7 useing the same bike.

 

The hills do get rough but thanks, im gonna leave the bike as is and start training harder and see how it goes, this will also be the cheaper option for me.

 

How long have you had your 901?

 

Regards,

Robin

[Soggy]

Are you running your tyres hard enough and how is the rolling resistance of the bike? On a flat ground do a single pedal and get to like 5km/h, how long does your bike keep that slow speed. If your bike slows down relatively quickly without pressing brakes, you have extra resistance in your hubs or something. Running low pressure on the tires also adds resistance.

[Virtualtuner13]

Are you running your tyres hard enough and how is the rolling resistance of the bike? On a flat ground do a single pedal and get to like 5km/h, how long does your bike keep that slow speed. If your bike slows down relatively quickly without pressing brakes, you have extra resistance in your hubs or something. Running low pressure on the tires also adds resistance.

 

Tires are about 7 bar on the pump.. very hard.. freewheeling is no problem Soggy.

 

Im starting to think that i just need to train harder.. or at least thats how it seems at the moment.

[Eugene]

Some more training will definitely help, but if you are a novice rider, it will probably be a good idea to replace your rear cassette from the current 25:11 to a 27:12. It will make climbing so much easier for you.

 

There are lots of experienced riders that use a 27 toothed cassette, so I doubt that you will out-grow it any time soon. There is nothing worse than riding up a hill and you feel as if there is a wall in front of you.

 

I assume that your bike is equipped with Sora parts, so an equivalent cassette shouldn’t cost you more than R300.

 

Another option would be to go the compact crank route. Compact cranks have smaller chainrings than the standard 52:39 that you have, but this is rather costly.

 

Depending on your weight, most tyre manufacturers recommend that you run at 8bars. Have a look on the side wall of the tyres, it will tell you the recommended pressures. If you are light, 7 bars should suffice and will give you a slightly more comfortable ride.

 

Let us know what you decide, it will be interesting to see your improvement.

Edited November 22, 2011 by Eugene

[Virtualtuner13]

Some more training will definitely help, but if you are a novice rider, it will probably be a good idea to replace your rear cassette from the current 25:11 to a 27:12. It will make climbing so much easier for you.

 

There are lots of experienced riders that use a 27 toothed cassette, so I doubt that you will out-grow it any time soon. There is nothing worse than riding up a hill and you feel as if there is a wall in front of you.

 

I assume that your bike is equipped with Sora parts, so an equivalent cassette shouldn’t cost you more than R300.

 

Another option would be to go the compact crank route. Compact cranks have smaller chainrings than the standard 52:39 that you have, but this is rather costly.

 

Depending on your weight, most tyre manufacturers recommend that you run at 8bars. Have a look on the side wall of the tyres, it will tell you the recommended pressures. If you are light, 7 bars should suffice and will give you a slightly more comfortable ride.

 

Let us know what you decide, it will be interesting to see your improvement.

 

Thanks Eugene,

 

A guy suggested that i try a 27 tooth.. but wasn't sure if it would make that much of a difference and did not wanna spend R300 and see no results but R300 is a lot more cost effective than changing the front and i was hoping to not go that route. I dont mind going for a 27 teeth if it will help me on the hills a bit. You are right, Sora parts on my Merida.

 

I been riding for a while but mostly MTB and enjoy the road bike actually but like u said.. that wall is a real buzz kill!

 

Weight is around 79kg, would the 7 bars be right? I will also check the tires when i get home.

 

Really appreciate all the help you guys are giving.. i will definitely keep you posted on the outcome.

 

Thanks a lot!

Robin

[Longbarn Killer]

A 27 will make a noticable difference.

 

Another reasonfor struggling is that you might be too used to the easier gears on an mtb.

[Virtualtuner13]

A 27 will make a noticable difference.

 

Another reasonfor struggling is that you might be too used to the easier gears on an mtb.

 

 

Could be that too?!?!

 

 

I need some more advice please guys?

 

Called around.. Rear cassette about R435.. plus they say now i need a new chain R150 ... and a new derailleur R700... this correct??

 

All of a sudden a R300 odd rand upgrade turns into a R1285 upgrade.. and i think thats excluding labour?

[Masixole Ngabe Msumza]

 

Could be that too?!?!

 

 

I need some more advice please guys?

 

Called around.. Rear cassette about R435.. plus they say now i need a new chain R150 ... and a new derailleur R700... this correct??

 

All of a sudden a R300 odd rand upgrade turns into a R1285 upgrade.. and i think thats excluding labour?

Hi Robin

 

I know you posted this a while ago. But I'm experiencing the same problem.

I got the bike the Saturday before 94.7 (I know I know)...but the thing completely destroyed me. Before this one I had a Giant OCR 1 with triple rings. And leaving to the race I was training on an MTB.

I was lucky I finished within time. That was my first 94.7.

 

So I just wanted to know how you resolved the issue, did the training eventually help? I'm a very heavy novice if I may add.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Regards

Max

[David Marshall]

It amazes me that the bicycle vendors suck so at putting people on bikes with suitable gearing.  There are a number of solutions available and the optimum will depend on factors such as existing crank, derailleur cage size and available cassette sizes.  All options cost unless specified on the new bike.

[Veebee]

Go compact crank with 11-28. Will help you spin up the hills.

 

But also push a hard gear and a low cadence to build strength every so often.