Beneficial Ear

From
11,13,15,17,20,23,26,30
to
12,13,14,15,17,19,21,23

I have 50/34 up front. Also swapped the chain to a Sram PC-890 (cassete PG-850).

That the 20/17/15 combo made it a real PITA to get going, it was either spin like crazy for a second before the shift or lug the engine after... I'd like a 16 in there, but the 19/17 shift is WAY easier than 20/17 shift and since its consistent spacing to the next gear it feels a little easier to "groove" up to speed... and where I used to really hate going past that 15 gear because the jump to 13 typically caused me to fall out of my optimal cadence range and end up working extremely hard to barely accelerate, then once I was up to speed I was that much more fatigued... the 15/14 combo is amazing! I've never gotten up to and held 25mph so "easily". I thought the wind was helping me, but it was much lighter than I thought and then on the way back I was hitting the same speeds with just a bit more effort - the tighter gearing made life so so so much easier to accelerate into the wind so I could just focus on getting into a good position/rhythm.

The new cassette is also in the area of 150g lighter (chain is almost the same), enough for me to feel the difference in weight distribution when I carry the bike up the stairs. I'm not sure how much this plays into things but I know it doesn't hurt!

Considering swapping to a 52/39 crank thats 175mm (have 170mm now)... I think the 39/23 will be plenty for a flatlander and the bit more top speed + longer cranks (to match my relatively long legs) should make it so I have a satisfactory drivetrain to swap into a larger/stiffer frame than my current 54cm steel. Then lighter weight/more aero wheels... all the while never losing focus on the engine...
This seems like a never ending process?

Homebrew01

Having the right gearing makes all the difference.

datlas 

I love love LOVE tight gearing.

Currently running 39/53 with 12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-21-23.

It's perfect except when the grade exceeds 15% or so.

Beneficial Ear

Wow that has to be awesome! Gotta be good to have such small jumps in cadence for each gear change. I can see the 16 and the 19 making the difference in some conditions. Have you ever wished you had an 11 back there?

ThermionicScott 

Before you get too excited about the weight savings, remember that the 175mm standard crank might cancel out some of that. Tighter gearing can be nice, though.

BoSoxYacht

This is the setup I'm using now, and I never miss the 11t.

After I hit 40mph, I rarely keep pedaling.

Beneficial Ear

Thats what it seemed like watching the pros go at it on a nice decent... I've read that in the 40mph range is when aerodynamics are so important that someone in any position they can pedal in will get dropped by someone who is in a super aero duck thats impossible to pedal in... and I don't know how often a race holds 40+mph on a flat??

Upon closer inspection it looks like 110rpm for 36mph in a 50/12 gear... I can hold 110 cadence for an hour and 120 for at least a few mins... a 52 chainring gets me to 105 for the same speed, and a 53 is just a small change. When I start getting into races that hold 32mph+ for any period of time maybe it'll be worth it, but I bet I should just stick with what I have and get everything running in top condition (including the engine) before making it slightly easier to get to a currently unachievable on a flat without major wind help speed.

I can probably just grab some longer cranks before I bother with everything else, but I'm not really "unhappy" now... its just like with lightweight/aero wheels - I'm just not sure what I'm missing

E.S.

Nice choice. Us amateurs really don't need the 11 cog in most road riding, except if you really need to be able to fly down the descents, but I found that I after spinning out of 50-12 I might as well just tuck and coast.

My experience is similar to yours. I had a 9spd 12-25 (12,13,14,15,17,19,21,23,25) with 50/39/30 triple. Very low gearing for the hills but sucked on the flats when I wanted slight changes in effort. My new bike has a 50/34 double and would have come with a 10spd 11-28 but I opted to swap to a 12-23.

Now I get: 12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,21,23. And I'm loving it. Haven't taken this setup on any serious climbs yet, although I'm sure that if I keep losing weight and improving my technique it won't be so hard. I don't miss the triple because 1) my 50 chainring is better centered with the mid/mid-low range of the cassette so it is smoother, and 2) I can only remember a couple times where I NEEDED the 30 chainring, and I wasn't as experienced or fit as I am now. The 39-25 was apx equal to my 34-23.

I would go with a 12-25, 12-26, or 12-27 to get slightly lower gearing but now I see that the 16 and 18 cogs really are awesome, and you lose one, or both on anything lower/fewer gears than a 12-23.