Originally Posted by
davester
I'm 65, in excellent shape, ride hills and think that riding a 53-39 is dumb for this application. That chainring setup was designed for one thing...racing, by young people. (although it can be useful for flatlanders too).
...
I stuck with 52-42 through my late 50s, which was a mistake waiting so long.
I can't say. I'm still in the early 50's, and ride a variety of configurations. I can still stand and pull up hills.
Over the last 5 years, I think I've been evolving to a higher cadence and lower gears.
But, changes in cassettes have also made a big impact.
Say the old bike was:
54/42 X 13/23
Newer cassettes give more sprockets on both ends.
11/30? 11/32?
The higher gearing in the cassettes makes the 53/39 or 54/42 less relevant.
The lower gearing? Heck if I know, I haven't gone down that path yet, except with cargo.
Still, I'd look at a 50/34, or even 48/30 crankset.
Actually, I've gone to a custom wide crankset (53/34) on my road bike, and like the gearing options.