spdntrxi

I did Eroica with a 41/26 low... I was walking on a few occasions.

My best advice is make sure your brakes are tip top and you can apply with ease with your bar position. The gravel descents are nothing to joke about.

gugie 

I saw more than a handful of people walking DOWN the backside of Cypress Mountain.

gaucho777 

As others have said, the NR derailleur can handle 28t in the rear (rated to 26). The issue you will have with the proposed triple in front is the chain wrap (difference between the high and low gear). I rode Eroica CA with a 14-26 freewheel and 36/53 TA Cyclotouriste crankset up front. In my experience, that's about the limit you'd want to run in terms of chain wrap. I can use the big-big 53x26 gear without exploding anything, while the small-small, 14x36 gear works bt has a little more slack than is desirable. 14-28 x 36-53 could work, too, if you aren't tempted to cross-chain the big-big combo.

Also (in case you didn't already know), you'll need a longer BB spindle to run a triple.

This is my Eroica bike with a 14-28 x 36-53 setup. I had to remove the dropout screws and pull the wheel all the way to the back of the dropouts for the upper pulley to clear the largest cog.

non-fixie 

My vanity prohibits the use of a long cage on a racing machine, so it's usually 14-28 and something like a 50/36 ....



... or a 49/36:



And yes, I did have to walk occasionally.

Salamandrine 

How steep are the grades on Eroica anyway? On the off chance that I make it to the ride this year, it might have to be on my old Masi, probably with the same old gears I used to ride. Maybe I'd put a 14-26 on there. Don't really want to pull the dropout screws. I'm still a reasonably decent climber, despite no longer being exactly a spring chicken. Main difficulty with bigger gears on gravel climbs is keeping the back wheel from slipping.

Salamandrine 

Duh, I looked at the published route map. Mostly usual coastal California 5-8% stuff, a few small bits peak at 10-12%. Seems just doable within the natural range of campy stuff. Some suffering required.

I do like the classic alpine setup of a Campy with an extension cage with a TA crankset. I remember Spence Wolfe bikes were often set up this way.

spdntrxi

there is some sustained 12-13% + areas climbing wise.. I did coastal. Some of it on gravel so you really can't stand up... downhill I remember seeing even steeper numbers on the garmin 14-15%.. again on gravel. Not sure how the route will change for 2019 though.

davester

Just from personal experience riding common 15%+ grades around my neck of the woods, there are definitely parts of Cypress Mountain on Eroica that exceed that. In fact, I just reviewed my Strava track of Cypress Mountain and there were a few segments that exceeded 17%, and they occur at the tail end of about a half hour of very hard climbing. Not to mention that this is all on dirt, which makes it difficult to strike a balance between front wheel lift and rear wheel spinning. I've ridden the whole climb three times without stopping, but that's with difficulty and using a triple.

Classtime 

Since 2016, I've been telling myself to work on maintaining seated speed on the gravel/dirt climbs and getting strong enough to put steady power to the pedals so that there is no slippage I'll probably walk several sections this year again with a 42-24.

unterhausen

I rarely can stand up successfully on gravel climbs. Have to stand up further back than normal, and even then there can be wheel slippage

Slightspeed

In 2016 I rode Eroica CA on my '64 Legnano with an original Gran Sport Campy shifting a 6 speed 28t rear, no problems. The front was a newer Campy 52/42. I walked 3 hills. This year I built a Raleigh Super Course with a Megarange 34t 6 speed shifted by a Suntour VGT Luxe. The front is a Suntour AT triple, 50/40/32. I still walked 3 hills, but got further along before I bailed. Good luck with yours, but expect to walk whatever your set-up.



Moving the wheel back in the dropouts gave me a better chain angle around the jockey wheel.

Flying G

Thanks to everyone for the responses, comments, and of course, the photos of the various steeds! I never knew that Soma sold rear cage extensions - something that I'm going to look seriously at for the Gitane Super Corsa build-up.

On a related note, I've really enjoyed the Eroica the last two years. For the first year, I rode my old Interclub with a 2x6 combination (Simplex Prestige up front - original to the 1974 bike and a Simplex SLJ in back). Some ghost shifting on the steep parts kicked my sorry ass and noodly legs out of the saddle.

Last year, I built up a Gitane Tour de France with a 3X5 combo (SLJ upfront driving a Red Clover inspired triple and a SunTour VGT-Luxe in back). Less walking but still some hiccups shifting into the granny up front on Kiler Canyon. Had to go downhill to kick it into the granny and then do a U-turn to go up the hill - not very heroic! Photo at the top of Santa Rita include above.

For this coming April, my goal is to try to keep the Super Corsa as original as possible and just hope that the Soma add-on doesn't attract too much attention.

jeirvine 

Nice setup - just like my Moto Grand Record. Though if staying with a 14-28 in back, why not a smaller big ring in front, which would allow for a smaller small ring with the same chain wrap. Something like 32/49. A NR could certainly handle that chain wrap, and it give an overall lower low for the steep stuff.

63rickert