'Simulating' gear ratios

[Uni]

I don't know if heart rate down and hills can ever be used in the same sentence for me, but I think I've learned how my body best likes to suffer on a climb, whereas I used to just go into a easy gear and adjust the legs to that (arse about face way) - I can now do a long climb without  feeling like i'm going to die (still not flying up there like the weight weenies) - but it's lekker

 

will fiddle around over the weekend and see if i think i can go 32T rather than 30T 

[BigDL]

My feel is you dont need to be strong to ride a 2x10. The gear ratios allow you to spin rather easily. So you need to adjust to the spinning a lot as opposed to "grinding". I found this weekend that on some of the hills, by going to the lowest gear, I could actually bring my HR down going up hill, by pedaling slower and hence moving alot slower and just spin (learnt a whole new skill of balancing a bike while moving so slowly!)

To be fair though, you are looking at training for a very specific event. For most people, that 15kph speed that you are gunning for is a lot slower than we would aim for as we are not planning to ride 1000 k's in one go (or at least nobody that I know of).

[JXV]

Flippen nice topic Uni!

 

I have moved from a 3 x 9 to a 2 x 10. I am sure there is some overlap.

 

BUT! While on paper the gear rations are the same, the actual feel of them on the 2 x 10 (new setup) is totally different. I dont have the words to explain how, but they just feel different. They have taken some getting used to. What I dont like is how quickly it feels like you out spin a gear and then have to change, but sometimes the change is just to big on the ratio.

 

Preferred the smaller gaps on the 3 x 9 set up.

 

But that could just be due to lack of strength or something in the head. Just giving you my perceptions

On a 3x system.....each front ring has a huge overlap with the next ring's ratios.

 

So although you have 27 speeds on a 3x9 there is so much overlap between rings that the small ring only gives 1 or 2 gears easier than middle and the big ring only one or two faster than middle. But in between there are so many options that you can always find something that's perfect.

 

I spent a whole year riding only the 44t front ring on my 3x9 26er. That's how I knew I would be ok with 1x10 on a 29er.

 

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