sdn40

You are losing loads of time carrying that stick with a hook on it because otherwise there's no way to reach those shifters

C9H13N 

When you are uploading the images on the bottom right it says “actual size”, click there and there are other options like “medium” and “large”.

Also if the images are rotated/wrong orientation after you upload them, try making some kind of small edit to them like a crop or something and then re-upload and it should be fixed. The orientation is determined by the image metadata generated by your camera and editing it will reset it.

SurferRosa

Cool. Yeah, okay. I like what I'm hearing so far.

Uhhhh... Okay... Well, gearing does often work like that.

Wait... What??

Tango1

As soon as I drop to 42 it feels like I’ve lost my power. I don’t know how else to describe it - on my MTB I can cruise up the same hill but obviously with different gearing. On this bike it just feels like I no longer have any gas in the tank, even if I stand and mash it just feels like I’m going nowhere - which is why I’ve started riding on the 52 almost exclusively because at least when I stand up and grind through I feel like I’m actually moving.

DanseMacabre

It sounds like using force.
What is more efficient is using a smaller cadence while also trying to use the whole round (or most of it) of the pedal stroke to give energy.

It gives a really different feel. When I notice I don't give power on the whole pedal stroke, but only between 2 and 4 o'clock, and I do switch to more pushing it round, I notice I go faster and I need more oxigen, while feeling less strain in my legs.

Problem with starting a climb on a big gear, is that there is no going back to a small gear with a full-round efficiency. You have to start at the bottom of the climb, take some time to feel the rythm and only when feeling the rythm in the legs, it is time to speed up and find the limit.

jonwvara 

All 52-42 cranksets should be triplized without delay.

ollo_ollo

As you age out, expect to spend more time in the 42. I'm closing fast on the big #82, and have several bikes with 52-39's, 2 compacts (50-36, 48-36) plus a few triples. Recently acquired a Zeus with an "Alpine" 52-42-36 and 12-24, and it's challenging on long climbs. Don

repechage

Biopace I think encourages a lower cadence. I have them on my mtb, but the big ring there is round.

Pompiere

When I got a new bike a few years ago, I had to learn how to use the modern 50-30 crank, since I had always had 52-42. For 52-42, I prefer a 14-16-18-21-24-28 freewheel. It has evenly spaced ratios on both rings, and they are staggered so that if one ring is too high or low, I can switch rings and find a better choice.

SurferRosa

I've never heard of this problem.

I'm sure some of your gears overlap a little bit between the two chainrings. Enter your ring/cog tooth count information in an online gear calculator, and that may help you understand how to shift your bike more efficiently.

If you do not require that wide cluster in the rear, change it to something more narrow.

tkamd73 

Nice Bike, I too like the blue tape, gonna try that. You already have a 28t rear cluster, so as previously suggested try go with a 39t small chain ring, might have to ditch the biopace for that, not sure, and if your going to worry about the numbers so much, get a modern bike, most of CV doesn’t care.
Tim



28t rear cog, 39-53t upfront

SurferRosa

How does that help someone that feels like he's "going nowhere" using a 42t ring, so instead he just leaves it in the big 52t ring "almost exclusively"?

beng1

I run old ten-speed road-bikes a lot, and for most riding I can keep on the big front chainwheel and on the middle rear cog. If I come to a really steep hill I simply make sure I am in first gear before I get to the steep part, that is what first gear is for. The only time I ride on flatter roads with the small front chainwheel is if I am not training, or I am going slow in the city downtown traffic looking for a place to eat etc. sightseeing, or I am so tired after training hard I have to use it to get up to speed before I get back on the big wheel. The other day I was in eighth gear about to hit a really big long hill and was thinking of getting it down into first when a blonde chick pulled out in front of me so I had to swerve around the front of her car, this threw me off and I went onto the hill in eighth gear and just went with it, having to stand up a lot of the way, and that was absolutely the wrong thing to do, it is way less efficient than staying seated in a low gear, and because I had already been riding very hard it put me over the edge and I felt sort of crappy the rest of the day. If you can get in the right gear you can go a lot better up hills in the saddle.

You also seem like you are a bit out of shape, I agree with throwing the tech crap out for a while or forever, and just ride a lot easy and have fun until you get more in shape. If you can ride a hundred miles a week or so, you will be amazed in a few months how you don't need to use so many gears to ride. On my MTB I usually just use one rear cog and just shift up and down the triple front to suit different grades, and with the road bikes, which have 13 or 14 to 24 to 26 teeth ranges, I usually just use first, eighth or ninth depending on the bike and grade. When I was out of shape last year after a heart-attack/surgery, yes I had to use much more of the gearing.

Tango1

out of shape isn’t wrong - kids and the pandemic haven’t helped my waist line which I’m hoping to rectify.

t2p

I don't understand this gearing

t2p

agree

unless you want to climb

ollo_ollo

A Zeus triple crank (1st one I've ever seen) up front with 52-42-36 rings paired with a 12-24 Zeus freewheel. Considered "Alpine" gearing for competition BID. Means my lowest gear is a 36 front chainring with a 24 tooth rear cog. A fit, young guy can push this combo up steep hill, but it's definitely challenging for a fit octogenarian. Don

ollo_ollo

I can grind this low combination up a mile long, 6% grade, but am at my strength limit, at a crawl, all the way up, not getting any younger. The Zeus freewheel tool I have does not fit the Zeus freewheel on this bike. Don't want to destroy a rare part. Will probably substitute another, non-Zeus, rear wheel with a14-28 or 14-34 freewheel to deal with steep hills. Was just trying to say expect to gear lower as your age goes up.

shoota 

I can't for the life of me figure out what you're saying. At first I thought you were saying the 42 causes you to spin too fast, therefore losing power and speed, but then you follow up with "even if I stand and mash it just feels like I’m going nowhere". It makes no sense. And I can't figure how putting it in the 52 helps. This is totally bizarre.

52telecaster

I'm with you on this. Frankly 52s are almost extinct at my house.

DMC707

There are zones 1-5 with zone 1 being your "Walking to the mailbox" heart rate, and zone 2 being somewhat higher -- calculated by subtracting your age from 180 (not 220 - thats a different algorithm) -- so for me at 50y/o - my zone 2 is in and around 130-135ish and its widely supported that zones 1 and 2 are your pure fat burning zones. -- You literally have to work hard to keep your HR down in that range

You can burn more total calories in the higher intensity zones, but a far less favorable percentage of fat, as you begin to butn glycogen (sugar) above zone 2

Zone 3 is Tempo - and for me only is 135- maybe 150-155ish - and a lot of my rides stay here as its an easy pace to run all day,

Zone 4 is 155-175

Zone 5 is anything over 175 - and my max HR is 190. I cant hit that on a bike, but can while running on a treadmill

genejockey 

Someone up above said to ditch cadence monitoring, but I'd actually disagree with that. If you're just getting into cycling, you'll probably tend to mash, rather than spin, and riding exclusively in the 52 confirms that. Having a cadence counter will allow you to train yourself to ride at higher cadence. When I started out, I had to concentrate to maintain 90 rpm, but now, years later, I find myself just naturally spinning around 100 a lot of the time - that is, I'm spinning at what feels like a comfortable cadence at an exertion level and speed that I want, and I look down and I'm spinning between 97 and 103. On hills, I find myself going more for the high 80s/low 90s. Once you accustom yourself to the higher cadence, and if you shift one cog smaller in the back when you go to the small ring, it should feel a lot better.

repechage

I suggest if over 50, consider a work up by professionals in the sports medicine practice.
I set aside a treadmill evaluation, put me on a bicycle ergometer, with proper pedals and crank length, saddle.
The Dr., after some discussion agreed. Was not "cheap" but useful.

t2p

the 36-24 low combination does not provide a real low gear (often provided by a triple) - almost defeats the primary purpose of a triple

for example - a double with a 39/28 provides a lower gear
.

t2p

some spinning technique instruction might be in order ?