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Noticeable difference on steep hill 20.3 vs 25.3 gear inches?



 
 
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  #11  
Old May 24th 17, 03:06 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,345
Default Noticeable difference on steep hill 20.3 vs 25.3 gear inches?

On Wednesday, May 24, 2017 at 6:37:49 AM UTC-7, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-05-23 13:09, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 3:47:02 PM UTC-4, Duane wrote:
On 23/05/2017 3:32 PM, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 1:48:12 AM UTC-4, Sir Ridesalot
wrote:
So what do you people think?

On a steep hill would there be a noticeable difference between
20.3 gear inches and 25.3 gear inches?

Cheers

Addendum

My friend has two bikes. One has a 30 teeth inner ring and the
other has a 24 teeth inner ring. He's wondering if a 30 front and
32 rear cog would be that much harder to pedal up a steep hill
than what a 24 front chainring and 32 rear cog would be. I
thought it'd be noticeable but he's not sure because it's only
6teeth difference on the front. He's read somewhere that it takes
a lot more teeth on the front to make a difference than it does
on the rear.

Like Andrew said, I think the difference would be big enough to
be noticeable although the 30- 32 is 25.3 gear inches and the
24-32 is 20.3 gear inches.

BTW, is the small difference in gear inches between a 30 and 24
chainring with the SAME rear cog the reason most racing tripls
have a 30 teeth chainring as their smallest ring?

Cheers


I switched from a 53/39 chain ring to a 52/36. With an 11-28T on
both, I can notice the difference on a steep enough climb. How
much it matters is hard to quantify.


Thanks people.

I'm tsaking the guy out for a 60 km ride soon and there are a few
pretty steep hills in that area. I figure the 24 teeth chainring bike
would be the better choice for him as he's not all that used to steep
hills.

I'll show him the replies from here too.


It also depends on his age. I used to climb steep hills in Eastern
Belgium using a corncob cassette because that's all that was available
back then. 42-21 was the lowest gear. No problem. Fast forward 35 years,
similar hills in California and I had to walk some of them. Then I
hacked an MTB cassette and that got me down to 42-28. Still huffing and
puffing on some hills and after installing 42-32 it's now very
manageable. The difference between the 28 and 32 sprockets in the back
can be a profuse sweat versus easy spinning.

60km is a normal errand run to the valley for me. When getting back up
the foothills at the end with some load on the bike that 32T sprocket
sure is a relief on some of the hills.


I have triples on my bikes but only in emergencies do I use the 30. And with all of the lack of riding the first of this year I've been having a lot of emergencies.

A friend of mine had a 24 on her triple and used it often on steep sections. But I've had trouble with my 30 because you are going so slow that you are more tired when you get to the top than if you use a 39-29.
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  #12  
Old May 24th 17, 05:38 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Doug Landau
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,424
Default Noticeable difference on steep hill 20.3 vs 25.3 gear inches?

On Wednesday, May 24, 2017 at 7:06:25 AM UTC-7, wrote:
On Wednesday, May 24, 2017 at 6:37:49 AM UTC-7, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-05-23 13:09, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 3:47:02 PM UTC-4, Duane wrote:
On 23/05/2017 3:32 PM, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 1:48:12 AM UTC-4, Sir Ridesalot
wrote:
So what do you people think?

On a steep hill would there be a noticeable difference between
20.3 gear inches and 25.3 gear inches?

Cheers

Addendum

My friend has two bikes. One has a 30 teeth inner ring and the
other has a 24 teeth inner ring. He's wondering if a 30 front and
32 rear cog would be that much harder to pedal up a steep hill
than what a 24 front chainring and 32 rear cog would be. I
thought it'd be noticeable but he's not sure because it's only
6teeth difference on the front. He's read somewhere that it takes
a lot more teeth on the front to make a difference than it does
on the rear.

Like Andrew said, I think the difference would be big enough to
be noticeable although the 30- 32 is 25.3 gear inches and the
24-32 is 20.3 gear inches.

BTW, is the small difference in gear inches between a 30 and 24
chainring with the SAME rear cog the reason most racing tripls
have a 30 teeth chainring as their smallest ring?

Cheers


I switched from a 53/39 chain ring to a 52/36. With an 11-28T on
both, I can notice the difference on a steep enough climb. How
much it matters is hard to quantify.

Thanks people.

I'm tsaking the guy out for a 60 km ride soon and there are a few
pretty steep hills in that area. I figure the 24 teeth chainring bike
would be the better choice for him as he's not all that used to steep
hills.

I'll show him the replies from here too.


It also depends on his age. I used to climb steep hills in Eastern
Belgium using a corncob cassette because that's all that was available
back then. 42-21 was the lowest gear. No problem. Fast forward 35 years,
similar hills in California and I had to walk some of them. Then I
hacked an MTB cassette and that got me down to 42-28. Still huffing and
puffing on some hills and after installing 42-32 it's now very
manageable. The difference between the 28 and 32 sprockets in the back
can be a profuse sweat versus easy spinning.

60km is a normal errand run to the valley for me. When getting back up
the foothills at the end with some load on the bike that 32T sprocket
sure is a relief on some of the hills.


I have triples on my bikes but only in emergencies do I use the 30. And with all of the lack of riding the first of this year I've been having a lot of emergencies.

A friend of mine had a 24 on her triple and used it often on steep sections. But I've had trouble with my 30 because you are going so slow that you are more tired when you get to the top than if you use a 39-29.


I used to be able to lift myself up to the next hairpin with my eyeballs.
But not no mo

  #13  
Old May 24th 17, 05:58 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Joerg[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 6,016
Default Noticeable difference on steep hill 20.3 vs 25.3 gear inches?

On 2017-05-24 07:06, wrote:
On Wednesday, May 24, 2017 at 6:37:49 AM UTC-7, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-05-23 13:09, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 3:47:02 PM UTC-4, Duane wrote:
On 23/05/2017 3:32 PM, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 1:48:12 AM UTC-4, Sir Ridesalot
wrote:
So what do you people think?

On a steep hill would there be a noticeable difference
between 20.3 gear inches and 25.3 gear inches?

Cheers

Addendum

My friend has two bikes. One has a 30 teeth inner ring and
the other has a 24 teeth inner ring. He's wondering if a 30
front and 32 rear cog would be that much harder to pedal up a
steep hill than what a 24 front chainring and 32 rear cog
would be. I thought it'd be noticeable but he's not sure
because it's only 6teeth difference on the front. He's read
somewhere that it takes a lot more teeth on the front to make
a difference than it does on the rear.

Like Andrew said, I think the difference would be big enough
to be noticeable although the 30- 32 is 25.3 gear inches and
the 24-32 is 20.3 gear inches.

BTW, is the small difference in gear inches between a 30 and
24 chainring with the SAME rear cog the reason most racing
tripls have a 30 teeth chainring as their smallest ring?

Cheers


I switched from a 53/39 chain ring to a 52/36. With an 11-28T
on both, I can notice the difference on a steep enough climb.
How much it matters is hard to quantify.

Thanks people.

I'm tsaking the guy out for a 60 km ride soon and there are a
few pretty steep hills in that area. I figure the 24 teeth
chainring bike would be the better choice for him as he's not all
that used to steep hills.

I'll show him the replies from here too.


It also depends on his age. I used to climb steep hills in Eastern
Belgium using a corncob cassette because that's all that was
available back then. 42-21 was the lowest gear. No problem. Fast
forward 35 years, similar hills in California and I had to walk
some of them. Then I hacked an MTB cassette and that got me down to
42-28. Still huffing and puffing on some hills and after installing
42-32 it's now very manageable. The difference between the 28 and
32 sprockets in the back can be a profuse sweat versus easy
spinning.

60km is a normal errand run to the valley for me. When getting back
up the foothills at the end with some load on the bike that 32T
sprocket sure is a relief on some of the hills.


I have triples on my bikes but only in emergencies do I use the 30.
And with all of the lack of riding the first of this year I've been
having a lot of emergencies.


After a 15 year cycling hiatus I was surprised how much muscle power
and endurance I had lost. It's all back now though. At first I lost
about 25lbs and then 10lbs came back one but sans waste line. That all
leg muscles.

When I ride a whole lot I feel I can go up some steep hills comfortably
in 42-28 while in weeks with less miles I need 42-32.


A friend of mine had a 24 on her triple and used it often on steep
sections. But I've had trouble with my 30 because you are going so
slow that you are more tired when you get to the top than if you use
a 39-29.


Same here. I have no triple on the road bike but on the MTB. I probably
should use it more often because mashing wrecks BBs, pedals, chains and
other stuff.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
  #14  
Old May 24th 17, 06:17 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
JBeattie
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 5,870
Default Noticeable difference on steep hill 20.3 vs 25.3 gear inches?

On Wednesday, May 24, 2017 at 6:37:49 AM UTC-7, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-05-23 13:09, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 3:47:02 PM UTC-4, Duane wrote:
On 23/05/2017 3:32 PM, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 1:48:12 AM UTC-4, Sir Ridesalot
wrote:
So what do you people think?

On a steep hill would there be a noticeable difference between
20.3 gear inches and 25.3 gear inches?

Cheers

Addendum

My friend has two bikes. One has a 30 teeth inner ring and the
other has a 24 teeth inner ring. He's wondering if a 30 front and
32 rear cog would be that much harder to pedal up a steep hill
than what a 24 front chainring and 32 rear cog would be. I
thought it'd be noticeable but he's not sure because it's only
6teeth difference on the front. He's read somewhere that it takes
a lot more teeth on the front to make a difference than it does
on the rear.

Like Andrew said, I think the difference would be big enough to
be noticeable although the 30- 32 is 25.3 gear inches and the
24-32 is 20.3 gear inches.

BTW, is the small difference in gear inches between a 30 and 24
chainring with the SAME rear cog the reason most racing tripls
have a 30 teeth chainring as their smallest ring?

Cheers


I switched from a 53/39 chain ring to a 52/36. With an 11-28T on
both, I can notice the difference on a steep enough climb. How
much it matters is hard to quantify.


Thanks people.

I'm tsaking the guy out for a 60 km ride soon and there are a few
pretty steep hills in that area. I figure the 24 teeth chainring bike
would be the better choice for him as he's not all that used to steep
hills.

I'll show him the replies from here too.


It also depends on his age. I used to climb steep hills in Eastern
Belgium using a corncob cassette because that's all that was available
back then. 42-21 was the lowest gear. No problem. Fast forward 35 years,
similar hills in California and I had to walk some of them. Then I
hacked an MTB cassette and that got me down to 42-28. Still huffing and
puffing on some hills and after installing 42-32 it's now very
manageable. The difference between the 28 and 32 sprockets in the back
can be a profuse sweat versus easy spinning.

60km is a normal errand run to the valley for me. When getting back up
the foothills at the end with some load on the bike that 32T sprocket
sure is a relief on some of the hills.


Apart from age and the passage of time, people just don't use corncobs anymore. The age of macho is gone, and even serious racers use lower gears. Spin is in, although I still tend to grind -- and my knees pay the price.

-- Jay Beattie.
  #15  
Old May 24th 17, 06:45 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Joerg[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 6,016
Default Noticeable difference on steep hill 20.3 vs 25.3 gear inches?

On 2017-05-24 10:17, jbeattie wrote:
On Wednesday, May 24, 2017 at 6:37:49 AM UTC-7, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-05-23 13:09, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 3:47:02 PM UTC-4, Duane wrote:
On 23/05/2017 3:32 PM, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 1:48:12 AM UTC-4, Sir Ridesalot
wrote:
So what do you people think?

On a steep hill would there be a noticeable difference
between 20.3 gear inches and 25.3 gear inches?

Cheers

Addendum

My friend has two bikes. One has a 30 teeth inner ring and
the other has a 24 teeth inner ring. He's wondering if a 30
front and 32 rear cog would be that much harder to pedal up a
steep hill than what a 24 front chainring and 32 rear cog
would be. I thought it'd be noticeable but he's not sure
because it's only 6teeth difference on the front. He's read
somewhere that it takes a lot more teeth on the front to make
a difference than it does on the rear.

Like Andrew said, I think the difference would be big enough
to be noticeable although the 30- 32 is 25.3 gear inches and
the 24-32 is 20.3 gear inches.

BTW, is the small difference in gear inches between a 30 and
24 chainring with the SAME rear cog the reason most racing
tripls have a 30 teeth chainring as their smallest ring?

Cheers


I switched from a 53/39 chain ring to a 52/36. With an 11-28T
on both, I can notice the difference on a steep enough climb.
How much it matters is hard to quantify.

Thanks people.

I'm tsaking the guy out for a 60 km ride soon and there are a
few pretty steep hills in that area. I figure the 24 teeth
chainring bike would be the better choice for him as he's not all
that used to steep hills.

I'll show him the replies from here too.


It also depends on his age. I used to climb steep hills in Eastern
Belgium using a corncob cassette because that's all that was
available back then. 42-21 was the lowest gear. No problem. Fast
forward 35 years, similar hills in California and I had to walk
some of them. Then I hacked an MTB cassette and that got me down to
42-28. Still huffing and puffing on some hills and after installing
42-32 it's now very manageable. The difference between the 28 and
32 sprockets in the back can be a profuse sweat versus easy
spinning.

60km is a normal errand run to the valley for me. When getting back
up the foothills at the end with some load on the bike that 32T
sprocket sure is a relief on some of the hills.


Apart from age and the passage of time, people just don't use
corncobs anymore. The age of macho is gone, and even serious racers
use lower gears. Spin is in, although I still tend to grind -- and
my knees pay the price.


It wasn't so much a macho thing in the past, it was that at least in
Europe one could not get anything other than corncob for Shimano 600. On
my cheap used department store road bikes there was a freewheel and for
that I could always buy what they called a "mountain cassette". Only
problem was, going offroad on those busted the rear axles. When I wanted
to hack a cassette for the Shimano 600 road bike people told me it won't
reliably shift up to a 28T sprocket. In the end it even did to 32T
although with the wheel moved slightly forward.

Because of those restrictions in the old days I also grew to be a
grinder. It's why some call me Mr.Diesel-Legs and sometimes holler "Hey,
George, on this hill you really ought to shift".

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
  #16  
Old May 24th 17, 11:46 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Theodore Heise[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 132
Default Noticeable difference on steep hill 20.3 vs 25.3 gear inches?

On Wed, 24 May 2017 07:06:22 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:
On Wednesday, May 24, 2017 at 6:37:49 AM UTC-7, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-05-23 13:09, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 3:47:02 PM UTC-4, Duane wrote:
On 23/05/2017 3:32 PM, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 1:48:12 AM UTC-4, Sir Ridesalot
wrote:
So what do you people think?

On a steep hill would there be a noticeable difference between
20.3 gear inches and 25.3 gear inches?


Like Andrew said, I think the difference would be big
enough to be noticeable although the 30- 32 is 25.3 gear
inches and the 24-32 is 20.3 gear inches.
I switched from a 53/39 chain ring to a 52/36. With an
11-28T on both, I can notice the difference on a steep
enough climb. How much it matters is hard to quantify.
I'm tsaking the guy out for a 60 km ride soon and there are
a few pretty steep hills in that area. I figure the 24 teeth
chainring bike would be the better choice for him as he's
not all that used to steep hills.


It also depends on his age. I used to climb steep hills in
Eastern Belgium using a corncob cassette because that's all
that was available back then. 42-21 was the lowest gear. No
problem. Fast forward 35 years, similar hills in California
and I had to walk some of them. Then I hacked an MTB cassette
and that got me down to 42-28. Still huffing and puffing on
some hills and after installing 42-32 it's now very
manageable. The difference between the 28 and 32 sprockets in
the back can be a profuse sweat versus easy spinning.


A friend of mine had a 24 on her triple and used it often on
steep sections. But I've had trouble with my 30 because you are
going so slow that you are more tired when you get to the top
than if you use a 39-29.


A friend and I did Ride the Rockies a couple of times, and were
struck with how very slowly a few tandem teams climbed the passes.
Our standard quip to each other was, "How do they keep from
falling over when they go that slow!?"

--
Ted Heise Bloomington, IN, USA
  #17  
Old May 25th 17, 03:26 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Joerg[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 6,016
Default Noticeable difference on steep hill 20.3 vs 25.3 gear inches?

On 2017-05-24 15:46, Theodore Heise wrote:
On Wed, 24 May 2017 07:06:22 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:
On Wednesday, May 24, 2017 at 6:37:49 AM UTC-7, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-05-23 13:09, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 3:47:02 PM UTC-4, Duane wrote:
On 23/05/2017 3:32 PM, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 1:48:12 AM UTC-4, Sir Ridesalot
wrote:
So what do you people think?

On a steep hill would there be a noticeable difference between
20.3 gear inches and 25.3 gear inches?


Like Andrew said, I think the difference would be big
enough to be noticeable although the 30- 32 is 25.3 gear
inches and the 24-32 is 20.3 gear inches.
I switched from a 53/39 chain ring to a 52/36. With an
11-28T on both, I can notice the difference on a steep
enough climb. How much it matters is hard to quantify.
I'm tsaking the guy out for a 60 km ride soon and there are
a few pretty steep hills in that area. I figure the 24 teeth
chainring bike would be the better choice for him as he's
not all that used to steep hills.

It also depends on his age. I used to climb steep hills in
Eastern Belgium using a corncob cassette because that's all
that was available back then. 42-21 was the lowest gear. No
problem. Fast forward 35 years, similar hills in California
and I had to walk some of them. Then I hacked an MTB cassette
and that got me down to 42-28. Still huffing and puffing on
some hills and after installing 42-32 it's now very
manageable. The difference between the 28 and 32 sprockets in
the back can be a profuse sweat versus easy spinning.


A friend of mine had a 24 on her triple and used it often on
steep sections. But I've had trouble with my 30 because you are
going so slow that you are more tired when you get to the top
than if you use a 39-29.


A friend and I did Ride the Rockies a couple of times, and were
struck with how very slowly a few tandem teams climbed the passes.
Our standard quip to each other was, "How do they keep from
falling over when they go that slow!?"


It is a matter of training and what you grew up with. I grew up biking
offroad a lot since the days when mountain bikes didn't exist yet. On my
ride yesterday I tried it on a short road up to a state park entrance
station since I was early and the pub wouldn't be open before 3:00pm
anyhow. I was on the MTB, shifted way down into the granny range and
went up at the speed of an ant. No problem.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
  #18  
Old May 26th 17, 08:29 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Ned Mantei[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 81
Default Noticeable difference on steep hill 20.3 vs 25.3 gear inches?

On 25-05-17 16:26, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-05-24 15:46, Theodore Heise wrote:
On Wed, 24 May 2017 07:06:22 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:
On Wednesday, May 24, 2017 at 6:37:49 AM UTC-7, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-05-23 13:09, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 3:47:02 PM UTC-4, Duane wrote:
On 23/05/2017 3:32 PM, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 1:48:12 AM UTC-4, Sir Ridesalot
wrote:
So what do you people think?

On a steep hill would there be a noticeable difference between
20.3 gear inches and 25.3 gear inches?


Like Andrew said, I think the difference would be big
enough to be noticeable although the 30- 32 is 25.3 gear
inches and the 24-32 is 20.3 gear inches.
I switched from a 53/39 chain ring to a 52/36. With an
11-28T on both, I can notice the difference on a steep
enough climb. How much it matters is hard to quantify.
I'm tsaking the guy out for a 60 km ride soon and there are
a few pretty steep hills in that area. I figure the 24 teeth
chainring bike would be the better choice for him as he's
not all that used to steep hills.

It also depends on his age. I used to climb steep hills in
Eastern Belgium using a corncob cassette because that's all
that was available back then. 42-21 was the lowest gear. No
problem. Fast forward 35 years, similar hills in California
and I had to walk some of them. Then I hacked an MTB cassette
and that got me down to 42-28. Still huffing and puffing on
some hills and after installing 42-32 it's now very
manageable. The difference between the 28 and 32 sprockets in
the back can be a profuse sweat versus easy spinning.


A friend of mine had a 24 on her triple and used it often on
steep sections. But I've had trouble with my 30 because you are
going so slow that you are more tired when you get to the top
than if you use a 39-29.


A friend and I did Ride the Rockies a couple of times, and were
struck with how very slowly a few tandem teams climbed the passes.
Our standard quip to each other was, "How do they keep from
falling over when they go that slow!?"


It is a matter of training and what you grew up with. I grew up biking
offroad a lot since the days when mountain bikes didn't exist yet. On my
ride yesterday I tried it on a short road up to a state park entrance
station since I was early and the pub wouldn't be open before 3:00pm
anyhow. I was on the MTB, shifted way down into the granny range and
went up at the speed of an ant. No problem.


My excuse for having and often using a low gear of 24/42 on my new
mountain bike is that tomorrow I will be 73 years old and my knees hurt
all too often.

Ned


  #19  
Old May 26th 17, 02:53 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3,345
Default Noticeable difference on steep hill 20.3 vs 25.3 gear inches?

On Friday, May 26, 2017 at 12:29:19 AM UTC-7, Ned Mantei wrote:
On 25-05-17 16:26, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-05-24 15:46, Theodore Heise wrote:
On Wed, 24 May 2017 07:06:22 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:
On Wednesday, May 24, 2017 at 6:37:49 AM UTC-7, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-05-23 13:09, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 3:47:02 PM UTC-4, Duane wrote:
On 23/05/2017 3:32 PM, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 1:48:12 AM UTC-4, Sir Ridesalot
wrote:
So what do you people think?

On a steep hill would there be a noticeable difference between
20.3 gear inches and 25.3 gear inches?

Like Andrew said, I think the difference would be big
enough to be noticeable although the 30- 32 is 25.3 gear
inches and the 24-32 is 20.3 gear inches.
I switched from a 53/39 chain ring to a 52/36. With an
11-28T on both, I can notice the difference on a steep
enough climb. How much it matters is hard to quantify.
I'm tsaking the guy out for a 60 km ride soon and there are
a few pretty steep hills in that area. I figure the 24 teeth
chainring bike would be the better choice for him as he's
not all that used to steep hills.

It also depends on his age. I used to climb steep hills in
Eastern Belgium using a corncob cassette because that's all
that was available back then. 42-21 was the lowest gear. No
problem. Fast forward 35 years, similar hills in California
and I had to walk some of them. Then I hacked an MTB cassette
and that got me down to 42-28. Still huffing and puffing on
some hills and after installing 42-32 it's now very
manageable. The difference between the 28 and 32 sprockets in
the back can be a profuse sweat versus easy spinning.

A friend of mine had a 24 on her triple and used it often on
steep sections. But I've had trouble with my 30 because you are
going so slow that you are more tired when you get to the top
than if you use a 39-29.

A friend and I did Ride the Rockies a couple of times, and were
struck with how very slowly a few tandem teams climbed the passes.
Our standard quip to each other was, "How do they keep from
falling over when they go that slow!?"


It is a matter of training and what you grew up with. I grew up biking
offroad a lot since the days when mountain bikes didn't exist yet. On my
ride yesterday I tried it on a short road up to a state park entrance
station since I was early and the pub wouldn't be open before 3:00pm
anyhow. I was on the MTB, shifted way down into the granny range and
went up at the speed of an ant. No problem.


My excuse for having and often using a low gear of 24/42 on my new
mountain bike is that tomorrow I will be 73 years old and my knees hurt
all too often.


I see no problems with that Ned. And since I'm approaching 73 myself and ride with people a lot older than me I end up using what to me is a low gear of 39-29. But in a couple of case on really hot days (and it's very humid in this area) I've been forced down into a 30-29 since the sweat was pouring into my eyes and I couldn't see, trying to make an 11% climb.

All the other guys have more or less given up riding hard stuff but I have to in order to get in shape for a friend coming here in September and doing a dozen rides up in Santa Rosa.
  #20  
Old May 26th 17, 03:34 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Joerg[_2_]
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Posts: 6,016
Default Noticeable difference on steep hill 20.3 vs 25.3 gear inches?

On 2017-05-26 06:53, wrote:
On Friday, May 26, 2017 at 12:29:19 AM UTC-7, Ned Mantei wrote:
On 25-05-17 16:26, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-05-24 15:46, Theodore Heise wrote:
On Wed, 24 May 2017 07:06:22 -0700 (PDT),

wrote:
On Wednesday, May 24, 2017 at 6:37:49 AM UTC-7, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-05-23 13:09, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 3:47:02 PM UTC-4, Duane
wrote:
On 23/05/2017 3:32 PM, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at 1:48:12 AM UTC-4, Sir
Ridesalot wrote:
So what do you people think?

On a steep hill would there be a noticeable
difference between 20.3 gear inches and 25.3 gear
inches?

Like Andrew said, I think the difference would be
big enough to be noticeable although the 30- 32 is
25.3 gear inches and the 24-32 is 20.3 gear inches.
I switched from a 53/39 chain ring to a 52/36. With
an 11-28T on both, I can notice the difference on a
steep enough climb. How much it matters is hard to
quantify.
I'm tsaking the guy out for a 60 km ride soon and there
are a few pretty steep hills in that area. I figure the
24 teeth chainring bike would be the better choice for
him as he's not all that used to steep hills.

It also depends on his age. I used to climb steep hills in
Eastern Belgium using a corncob cassette because that's
all that was available back then. 42-21 was the lowest
gear. No problem. Fast forward 35 years, similar hills in
California and I had to walk some of them. Then I hacked an
MTB cassette and that got me down to 42-28. Still huffing
and puffing on some hills and after installing 42-32 it's
now very manageable. The difference between the 28 and 32
sprockets in the back can be a profuse sweat versus easy
spinning.

A friend of mine had a 24 on her triple and used it often on
steep sections. But I've had trouble with my 30 because you
are going so slow that you are more tired when you get to the
top than if you use a 39-29.

A friend and I did Ride the Rockies a couple of times, and
were struck with how very slowly a few tandem teams climbed the
passes. Our standard quip to each other was, "How do they keep
from falling over when they go that slow!?"


It is a matter of training and what you grew up with. I grew up
biking offroad a lot since the days when mountain bikes didn't
exist yet. On my ride yesterday I tried it on a short road up to
a state park entrance station since I was early and the pub
wouldn't be open before 3:00pm anyhow. I was on the MTB, shifted
way down into the granny range and went up at the speed of an
ant. No problem.


My excuse for having and often using a low gear of 24/42 on my new
mountain bike is that tomorrow I will be 73 years old and my knees
hurt all too often.



Not sure where you live and whether tomorrow is already today: Happy
Birthday!


I see no problems with that Ned. And since I'm approaching 73 myself
and ride with people a lot older than me I end up using what to me is
a low gear of 39-29. But in a couple of case on really hot days (and
it's very humid in this area) I've been forced down into a 30-29
since the sweat was pouring into my eyes and I couldn't see, trying
to make an 11% climb.


I used to have that problem a lot until I started using a sweat band
around my head, right below the helmet. My sister uses them partially
under the helmet but I find that uncomfortable. Walmart has them for
under $2/piece, they can be washed and they last at least 30 rides each
until they begin to look too funky.

On 100F plus days I have to stop every 5-10mi depending on terrain and
speed, take it off and squeeze the sweat out. Quite disgusting and I try
to find a spot for that where nobody see it. When it is super hot and
humid I carry a 2nd sweat band and alternate, hanging one on the baggage
rack to air out. Then I probably leave a stench trail behind me :-)


All the other guys have more or less given up riding hard stuff but I
have to in order to get in shape for a friend coming here in
September and doing a dozen rides up in Santa Rosa.


It's also good for your overall health. Since my hill rides became
longer I found that I can climb stairs in tall buildings pretty much as
fast as I could when I was 30. Without huffing and puffing on the 4th
floor. Many 30 year olds these days can't ...

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
 




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