Originally Posted by
mstateglfr
- Does your son ride a lot? If not- that's most likely the actual answer to all this. Experience and practice builds muscle and ability.
- How steep is this 600' climb and how long is it? 600' of straight climb is nothing to scoff at, but if its 10mi long thats a lot different than if its 4mi long.
600' of straight climb though...thats tough. Its especially tough on gravel/dirt.
- If you change to 3x, then you need new shifters too. Also a new front derailleur and maybe a new rear derailleur(depending on what model is on there).
Not cheap.
Last year, as he gained his independence or something, he started riding to school (about 4 miles). I think he will ride to school next year, and I hope to do some bike camping with him. So, he's ramping up a bit. I think he mainly wants to be able to ride down the hill and get tacos. The 600' climb may be more like 400', in about 1.5 miles.
Originally Posted by
PDKL45
Look for a Sunrace 8 speed 11-40 cassette and an 8 or 9 speed Shimano Altus or Alivio rear derailleur with a total capacity of 45 teeth. You can check the exact derailleur model name on the Shimano information portal.
The existing 8 speed shifters should work just fine with the new derailleur, but check to see if they're Shimano before you go spending any money. Also remember to get a new chain to go with the new cassette so the old elongated one doesn't skip over the new cassette teeth.
Good stuff, thanks. The shifters are Claris, I believe, but I will have to check.
Originally Posted by
berner
Bicycle Gear Calculator The link is for a mini-program that graphically shows the effect of changes in gearing in gear inches. For example, my bike is a triple with a small chain ring in front of 26T. The cassette has a largest gear of 30T. This produces gear inches of about 22. It is very easy, in the program, to slide various gears and chain rings around to get the right combination. He will get stronger and eventually you will be back asking about gear changes for yourself.
Thanks! I need to graduate from the tattered piece of paper I have in my tools.
In general, a Claris FD should handle this, correct?