14 vs. 16 vs. 18 speed
#1
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14 vs. 16 vs. 18 speed
Hello, I'm looking for my first road bike. For same model bike with 14, 16 and 18 speed options, what would be the difference? Would the smallest back gear be the same on all 3, resulting in same top speed? Would the difference be that with less options at middle gears, I would have to work harder uphill?
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It's more proper today to just refer to the speeds of a bike as the number of cogs on the rear.
So you are talking about bikes with 7, 8 and 9 speed rears? Why? Why not get a more current 11 speed bike?
Essentially you need to state how much money you are budgeting for a bike. And will you budget more for a new bike under warranty?
You can go up a hill on a 7 speed bike just as well as a 11 speed bike. Providing they have the same low ratio gears. More speeds give you more options in between the low ratio and high ratio.
So you are talking about bikes with 7, 8 and 9 speed rears? Why? Why not get a more current 11 speed bike?
Essentially you need to state how much money you are budgeting for a bike. And will you budget more for a new bike under warranty?
You can go up a hill on a 7 speed bike just as well as a 11 speed bike. Providing they have the same low ratio gears. More speeds give you more options in between the low ratio and high ratio.
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Hello, I'm looking for my first road bike. For same model bike with 14, 16 and 18 speed options, what would be the difference? Would the smallest back gear be the same on all 3, resulting in same top speed? Would the difference be that with less options at middle gears, I would have to work harder uphill?
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OP has been riding a hybrid for 15 years and doesn't understand gears, oh boy. Look, not my intention to shame someone for asking questions in order to learn, but there's a lot of concerning flags with the type of questions you're asking that you should not be picking up a first road bike by looking for online bargains from no-name brands.
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Find the bike you want and if it doesn't have a low enough gear, you can change it. The dealer might help with that. Most likely any new bike you buy will have enough gear range for most riding, unless you have special needs.
The number of gears is not necessarily a concern as long as you have a high enough and low enough gear for your needs.
Bikes with the same number of gears might have very different ratios.
The number of gears is not necessarily a concern as long as you have a high enough and low enough gear for your needs.
Bikes with the same number of gears might have very different ratios.
#6
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OP has been riding a hybrid for 15 years and doesn't understand gears, oh boy. Look, not my intention to shame someone for asking questions in order to learn, but there's a lot of concerning flags with the type of questions you're asking that you should not be picking up a first road bike by looking for online bargains from no-name brands.
#7
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Now, I saw a same model bike online with 14, 16, and 18 speeds, and simply wondered if that means that the difference between a 14 and an 18 is that there are fewer middle gears on the back cassette, or the difference is that the 18 speed has 2 more smaller gears, resulting in higher top speed.
I think back to my old 70s-era 10-speed bike (2x5) and it really didn't do much very well; there was no granny gear for hill climbing, and even the smallest (fastest) gear wasn't really very fast (which found me riding in "10" most of the time). Nowadays I ride a 2x9 bike and it has plenty of hill climbing gears and the fastest gear is more than fast enough; hard to pedal actually unless I am really flying. But even this bike is considered obsolete compared to the 2x11s out there now.
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So in reality, my question was not about how gears affect speed, but which gears manufacturers typically skip on in same model bike with less speeds. I tried going to a local reputable bike store to explore bikes, but they're not very friendly, they have this "block post" at the door, a retractable line that doesn't let you cross, a temperature check, a name sign in sheet, an empty store, and staff that wants to get you out of there as quickly as possible, cuz the store is virtually empty and you're not gonna buy anything, they are just there to service customer's bikes nowadays. I spend under a minute there, it was clear they wanted me to leave as they had no inventory. That's why I came on here.
Not sure what you want us to tell you about all those missing in-between cogs. For me, the more selection of in-between gears I have will allow me to find a ratio that gives me the most comfortable cadence at a sustainable power when having to pace at the speed of others. When I don't ride with others, what ever gears I have I can find a comfortable cadence for a sustainable power output.
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Hello, I'm looking for my first road bike. For same model bike with 14, 16 and 18 speed options, what would be the difference? Would the smallest back gear be the same on all 3, resulting in same top speed? Would the difference be that with less options at middle gears, I would have to work harder uphill?
It's possible one might have better climbing gear than others. Assuming they all have a 34T small chainring, one might have a 30t big cog, while the others might have 26t. The one with the 11-30t cassette in back will have an easier climbing gear.
If all three are 50/34 x 11-28 then the only difference will be how many gear options between top and bottom.