Originally Posted by
ulstoft
Yes that is what I meant sorry and why I kept increasing the cassette on my old Cyclocross from 11/32 all the way up to 11/36. But even with 50/34 and 11/36 I felt I was expending more energy than necessary on steep weighted climbs.
With this new bike I was offered two 10 speed configurations:
44-32-22t with a 12- 30t or 11-34t
I initially said that I would like to error on the side of easier climbing so the builder selected the 11-34 cassette for me. But I am not sure now. I hope this isn't a dumb question, but the 44/32/22 12/30 provides more 'free spin' on climbs than the 50/34 11/36, right?
I am thinking that I would like the extra top end speed for my city commute and maybe the 11/34 is OTT?
I was trying to avoid the custom frame to save money, but after discussing the bike here on this forum I tend to ask about getting a frame that can take either brakes.
What would the bike feel like if you turned it and it did not have enough torque? I am curious because I have already test rode this bike.
50lb with 35mm is plenty big. 👍
Scratches is the small issue. A bigger issue is you will spend more time loading and unloading because you'll have to balance the bike every time.
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The lower the ratio, the more spin you have. Just key in all the sprocket sizes in a calculator and you'll have the numbers.
Don't worry about top end. 44x11 gives 108 gear inches. Plenty. In my unloaded road bike with 32mm tires, i only went up to 44x13 (91.4 gear inch). Now it has 38x11 top gear (93.3 gear inch). Good enough for me. In my cargo bike with 26x2.0 tires, loaded or unloaded, i rarely go beyond 65 gear inch.
Turning would take more effort, steering overcorrections. Just like gearing, better have more torque than less.