Have bike, will travel
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Lake Geneva, WI
Posts: 12,284
Bikes: Ridley Helium SLX, Canyon Endurance SL, De Rosa Professional, Eddy Merckx Corsa Extra, Schwinn Paramount (1 painted, 1 chrome), Peugeot PX10, Serotta Nova X, Simoncini Cyclocross Special, Raleigh Roker, Pedal Force CG2 and CX2
Mentioned: 46 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 910 Post(s)
Originally Posted by
Classtime
Saturday, I started with the local training ride which is attended by many accomplished and current 50 and 60+ National Champions. Of course, most have new bikes with electronic shifting and disk brakes. But what struck me was that most of these guys and gals had huge cogsets. Many of them went to 34! Now compact cranksets have been popular for some time but 34 tooth cogs on a road racing bike? Makes me think of doing that to my modern bike.
I'm using a 50&34 crank with an 11-32 cassette on my lightweight road bike and this provides me the ability to climb at 5 mph with a 50 rpm cadence. On pavement, that's as big a cassette I need.
On my gravel bike I have a 46&33 cyclocross crankset with an 11-36 eleven speed cassette. I can climb a 20% grade on gravel and stay seated with a 40 rpm cadence.
__________________
When I ride my bike I feel free and happy and strong. I'm liberated from the usual nonsense of day to day life. Solid, dependable, silent, my bike is my horse, my fighter jet, my island, my friend. Together we will conquer that hill and thereafter the world.
Last edited by Barrettscv; 08-19-22 at 03:11 PM.