Rear Casette Gearing

[Prince]

What's the view on using a diffrent rear cassette ratio for training and racing? ie 11/23 to train and 12/25 to race?

[Zaskar]

I ride them the other way around!

 

11-23 on my Zipps for general racing, and 12-25 on my Ksyriums for training / hilly rides!

[fatcyclist]

Same...I have a 11/23 on racing wheels, and a 12/25 on the training wheels...

[Jason]

I agree with Zaskar... change them. I train with a 12-25 and then race with the 11-23... well fall/race whatever.

[TNT1]

 

I use a 12/23 on everything.

 

I do have a 12/25 around somewhere for one day when I'm old and lazy, and can't get up hills anymore... Or for when I'm tempted to do the jock hillclimb again...

 

[Gumpole]

I dont see the point of having the two different setups, I mean with the 12-25 you have an extra really easy gear which you will never use unless going up steep climbs... and if you need them on steep clims in training why not during racing??

 

Makes more sense to me to have 2 sets of wheelsets - I deep section with 11-23 for 95% of races, another lightweight for doing the very mountainous rides with 12-25 - Hyperons!!

 

aaargh I need a sponsor

[Jason]

TNT1, I did the Jock Hill Climb in a 12-25 and K@Ked and then you get some people that do it in a 11-23 or was that 11-21? Barend from TCS.

[Prince]

What is the logic for this? Why dont you use the more difficult gearing to train with in order to build up leg strength then take the strain off to race? Or is the idea to use the more difficult/faster gearing for racing?

[101%]

I use use 12/25 on everything except TT'ing , there I use 11/23 . I find if you use 12/25 your chain is always at a better angle , I dont believe guys when they say they've spun out on 12-53 , I've sat at 60km/h and still suffered on a 12 .

[TNT1]

Jason, last time I rode that horrid hill, I used a 23, but spent most of the climb in the 22, but that was 6 or 7 years ago... finished 5th, so was good. Don't have the same legs now though...

[Jason]

CAADman, here's a calculator... Check it out.

http://www.machinehead-software.co.uk/zips/32bit/install/gear_calculator_32bit_install.zip

[101%]

What is the logic for this? Why dont you use the more difficult gearing to train with in order to build up leg strength then take the strain off to race? Or is the idea to use the more difficult/faster gearing for racing?

 

I find training on hard gearing eventually starts to take strain on my knees, especially if I'm on the bike for long periods .4-5 hours.

[linnega]

The logic is that most climbs in a race are faster than when you are training on your own due to the benefit you get from riding in a bunch so you are less likely to use the 25.

 

Personally I ride 12-25 on both and use 50-34 upfront.  Use that gearing to claim I can't chase on the downhills/fast flats  so i get more time to recover while someone else does the work.

[TNT1]

 

 

....

especially if I'm on the bike for long periods .4-5 hours.

 

 

So, like an average day's training for you then

 

[Prince]

101% i must agree i have also never spun out on a 12/53

[101%]

My 2c.

 

I also believe that gearing is a very personnel preferance , all depending on what kind of cyclist you are , If you a strong powerfull saught of peddler than big gears would be for you , but if you have good leg speed then I'd go for lighter gearing.