love2fly Posted February 15, 2017 Posted February 15, 2017 Even a longer cage derailer and 11-32 cassette will work out cheaper than rings. Otherwise, get stronger! Work on short hills and get bigger and longer. GiggityI have a short range derailleur and fitted a 28:12 cassette (53:39) no issues....James at Complete Cyclist Bryanston just tweaked the d Screw I think it is called.Incidentally, I am 53 years old and weigh around 115kg abd seldom use my 28 gear....
love2fly Posted February 15, 2017 Posted February 15, 2017 I have actually. I went from standard rings with 11-28, to compact with 11-25. I did this to both ease the climbing (I'm 110kg), and save some weight on the entire system. All I found was myself losing contact with the group on climbs, as the slight difference in gearing made it easier, but I was now slower. Add to that the fact that I lost my top end gear, which, being a big boy, I can actually turn, it meant my advantage on the road was now lost. Lightweights kept up with me on descents and so was unable to shake them like I could in the past. Went back to standard rings and 11-25, and have loved it. I actually have to work on the hills without dying, and I'm back to fast on the flats and downs. I personally didn't find a compact setup advantageous, despite all of the claimed benefits. Most people go compact because they don't use the 53/11, and they want easier climbing gears. I found it made you slower overall without any hope of pulling away when you needed to push power to the road. If the OP is looking for an easier climbing gear, then a larger cassette will give him the climbing gear, without the major costs that he's looking at at the moment. That, and he does need to harden up. The gearing is much harder on road bikes, and you do have to change your climbing style and power/effort management to make the climbs.Agree 100% with this. I just love the 53:12 on a descent....I hang with the tandems...
NordicElf Posted February 15, 2017 Posted February 15, 2017 Agree 100% with this. I just love the 53:12 on a descent....I hang with the tandems... You do realise that you have less gain on a 53:12 vs a 50:11 - it will be easier to hang with the tandems on a 50:11 - your gear will be bigger/heavier. Check it out here: http://ritzelrechner.de/
Butterbean Posted February 15, 2017 Posted February 15, 2017 I have a short range derailleur and fitted a 28:12 cassette (53:39) no issues....James at Complete Cyclist Bryanston just tweaked the B Screw I think it is called.Incidentally, I am 53 years old and weigh around 115kg abd seldom use my 28 gear....I wasn't recommending the long cage derailer for the 11-28, but for the 11-32. I also run a short cage derailer without much adjustment needed. But the 32 will require a longer cage according to shimano. I've never had to go up to that size so have no real experience. But very familiar with 28 tooth cogs and no issue.
porqui Posted February 15, 2017 Posted February 15, 2017 Lizzard30 - you've only had the bike for a few days. Mtb and road are two different frogs. Just keep the bike as is for quite a while and get used to it.Then change things when you have a bit of experience. What is VERY important is that the bike fits properly.I'm sure there are guys in your area who would help you with the setup.
Pikey Posted February 15, 2017 Posted February 15, 2017 Am surprised at how many ppl say compact rings,make them slower.I run 50/34 with 11/29 or 11/25... in my short time on a road bike I found myself wanting gears. Hence my choice. Tried 53/39 and was more comfortable with compact. Am a lightweight and can't grind gears. Why does compact etc make you slower ?
Butterbean Posted February 15, 2017 Posted February 15, 2017 Am surprised at how many ppl say compact rings,make them slower.I run 50/34 with 11/29 or 11/25... in my short time on a road bike I found myself wanting gears. Hence my choice. Tried 53/39 and was more comfortable with compact. Am a lightweight and can't grind gears. Why does compact etc make you slower ?Made me slower for two reasons. One, I'm a heavy bugger but can put power down. So on flats and downhills, and especially those very slight downhills, the loss of the 53/11 ratio meant I can't pull away from people like I used to. I ran out of gears. Two, I'm a heavy bugger, and if I had the discipline to stay out of the granny gear, I would have the discipline to stay out of the fridge and not be a heavy bugger. So, I was in an easier gear uphill, which was even worse that the 39/28 I used to be on. Which was always slower than the 39/25 that the riders around me were climbing on. So, I climbed slower, with no benefit on the downs and flats. Maybe I'm a special snowflake, but there isn't a benefit for me and I'm back on standard rings and HTFU.
Pikey Posted February 15, 2017 Posted February 15, 2017 Made me slower for two reasons. One, I'm a heavy bugger but can put power down. So on flats and downhills, and especially those very slight downhills, the loss of the 53/11 ratio meant I can't pull away from people like I used to. I ran out of gears. Two, I'm a heavy bugger, and if I had the discipline to stay out of the granny gear, I would have the discipline to stay out of the fridge and not be a heavy bugger. So, I was in an easier gear uphill, which was even worse that the 39/28 I used to be on. Which was always slower than the 39/25 that the riders around me were climbing on. So, I climbed slower, with no benefit on the downs and flats. Maybe I'm a special snowflake, but there isn't a benefit for me and I'm back on standard rings and HTFU.????????????...
Long Wheel Base Posted February 16, 2017 Posted February 16, 2017 Is compact the cranks they put on BMX's?
stefmeister Posted February 16, 2017 Posted February 16, 2017 How far away is the Argus, 4 weeks?Why don't you just go and ride the route the next 2 Saturdays and see first hand whether you'd manage. With 2 interval sessions during the week as well you should feel much better after you've done it the second time around. Your body responds better when you actually push it, and what felt like a suffer fest a week or two ago will now feel manageable. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
love2fly Posted February 16, 2017 Posted February 16, 2017 Lizzard30 - you've only had the bike for a few days. Mtb and road are two different frogs. Just keep the bike as is for quite a while and get used to it.Then change things when you have a bit of experience. What is VERY important is that the bike fits properly.I'm sure there are guys in your area who would help you with the setup.I TOTALLY agree you need to get used to it....and get stronger and fitter.I have quit cycling due to outside pressures 3 times and went from being able to ride a 150km Jock to k@kking off to do a mere 20km flattish terrain training ride after a few years of food and wine.....Yet after 3 months I again feel great and improved from using my 39:28 Granny gear on my favourite climb in the Cradle, to flying up in 53:24.This means a speed improvement from around 9km/hr to over 20!I found that one can get lazy having the 28 also.Devote one day every few weeks to climbing. Find a 1-3km hill, ride it nice and fresh after a few gentle km warmup, and ride it in a bigger gear than normal, at least 5-6 times depending on length.Allow a few days to recover, eat some good protein and rejoice in your 53(52 in your case):39 that you can climb with AND descend like a monster!!!
Geronimo Posted February 16, 2017 Posted February 16, 2017 I weight in at 101kg..started riding 14months ago.. Coming from 130kg.. So plenty of learning to do..I just want to enjoy my new purchase.. But now I get wrecked within 30km. Just want to enjoy my bike and riding itself...The key word is ENJOY. If you want to ride a 50/34 do it.
NordicElf Posted February 16, 2017 Posted February 16, 2017 Everyone is different, that is why you have a choice of different chain ring options. Some like to grind, some like to spin. there is no correct drive train set up, only the one that works for you. If you feel like you need more gears - in either direction - you probably do. The op has several options in terms of what is going to get him the extra gears he's seeking... But I kind of liked the advice, of sitting tight and getting a bit more experience before changing. Changing chain rings only makes a small difference. For 90% of the terrain (barring something extreme), any crankset will give you enough gears - new gears isn't going to suddenly make all your cycling easier.
dee_biker Posted February 17, 2017 Posted February 17, 2017 Been 53/39 and 11/25, went for a while 50/34, made me slower overall so now back to 53/39 and 11/28 Happens to many people as they get stronger.
Pikey Posted February 19, 2017 Posted February 19, 2017 Is compact the cranks they put on BMX's? ???????????????????? the shame
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