Originally Posted by
LarrySellerz
Sup guys. People I ride with have told me that I should never be leaving the big ring on the terrain we do. Its mostly flat with rolling hills. How long does a climb have to be before you downshift and spin up it? They tell me to just put down more power. I only have 6 rings in the back and the bike doesn't seem to like being in the smallest two when in the big chainring
It's more about how steep the climb is for me unless you can climb it in the big ring entirely from your momentum i.e. a very short climb. Otherwise I use whatever gear gives me a comfortable cadence. Unless you are actually spinning out you will not be power limited in a lower gear. With the benefit of a power meter I often see higher power in a lower gear when climbing, even if it doesn't feel like it.
Telling you to just put down more power is not very useful if you are already putting down whatever power you feel is at your limit. Especially if you are already grinding at that point.