Would you have ever expected Alex to make a video about making a bike SLOWER? 🤣 Let us know in the comments down below. What else would you like to see Alex try? 🤔
@@brotoaster9956 it's very hard to get traction on the rear wheels as is in very low gears on climbs. That's a great way to do fun/slow burnouts though😂
(Richard here) Now go climb a steep hill. Guess what....you will now have a good country hill bike. I run a 34 front and 11/48 rear on both my ATB and my gravel bike. Tire width from 32mm to 48mm and I can be comfortable on just about anything around. Speed is not the important factor. Being comfortable and able to climb the biggest hills is paramount. Climbing speeds of 4.5-5mph are not unusual. This is how you set up your bikes when you are 83!
Most people are not comfortable though but would sooner grind and suffer versus fitting easier gearing 🤷🏼♂️it’s easier gears for climbing for everybody and anybody 🥳👍🏻
@@pedallinraw but then you couldn't cycle at 45km/h without spinning out! and everybody knows doing 45km/h for prolonged periods happens more often than climbing a hill :D
@CrankyNebelung There's a lot more than friction shifters in the non-competitive side of cycling. It's about the wierd, the unique, the fun. We're here because of how bikes make us feel, not to get the best PR and weight to watt ratio. Don't look down on people's passion.
Seth from Berm Peak built a 75 tooth rear cog. Other mods that increase drag and lower speed: butyl tubes, cheaper more draggy tyres, wide bars, bar bag and other accessories. I think the ability to trackstand is also vital for the slowest hour record.
at slow speeds all these make no difference. as aerodynamic drag, and rolling resistance is not holding you back, nor helping you go slower (unless you glue your tire to the ground, or weld the bearings). you have a plenty of torque with such rear ratios, even to move tons of weight. It's your balance is the one that till make you stop/fall.
They should change this to Second Slowest (maybe) but probably not, because we just used off the shelf parts that other people already use. I wasn't aiming for slow, but I have 30:50 on my 26" MTB, and the smaller wheels will give lower distance per pedal stroke.
I built my monster cross bike with a 20T smallest chainring over 12 years ago along with an 11-36 cassette. Later went to an 11-45 cassette back in 2020. That gives me a 0.44 ratio or 12 gear-inches and with the triple up front, a 900% gear range from low to high. I love the low gearing, riding at walking pace is handy when you come up behind hikers on a narrow single track trail while waiting for room to pass. Also makes climbing steep hills a lot more enjoyable. Video title: "Adding a 10sp 11-45 Cassette to the Bike "
Then you might avoid the problem by removing it, the chain wouldn't have much tension, but it would let you go virtually with any wheelset whose circumference is bigger than the 52t cog @@feedbackzaloop
@@claudiofiero8523 I believe you don't fully understand what derailleur cage does. It contains the free length of the chain. So if not the cage be hitting ground, then the chain itself be dragging. Now, going single speed - that's the whole different scenario.
Perhaps put a small 20" wheel on the front and shorter cranks. Then the bike can stay closer to level when going up a steep hill. The shorter cranks would keep the cranks from scraping on the pavement.
Also a smaller rear wheel would help with reducing speed. The smaller the wheel, the shorter the distance it travels with each rotation. Maybe try this challenge with a Brompton....
As I'm riding bikes in-campus for commuting between classrooms, riding slowly is very useful if you want to talk with your buddies while they're walking.
The lowest gear I’ve used is 16 gear inches and it’s a dream to cycle up hill. I can’t wait to see you explore this idea! So many people would benefit from winching themselves up steep gradients.
Hi Alex. My Steel Tourer has a tripple with 42/32/24 and a Nexus 8 speed hub gear with a 23 tooth sprocket. Cioncidentally it gives the same lowest ratio as your set up. If you change your crank to a 4 bolt 104/64 PCD you too can have my gearing "off the shelf", or even as small as 21 teeth. I regularly use this up hills as steep as 15%, steeper and I walk, but my bike weighs twice yours and I'm approx twice your age. However I still manage 3-4 mph up such hils. Incidentally, a tripple with a hub gear means no cross chaining so all gears are available and I can select a front ring to suit the terain and then ride as though on a one by wih no dropped chains and changes even at "struggle speed". Surely to get your record you just need a very long track stand!
An AliExpress company called STONE make a 18t GXP Chainring and those super cheap SENIEX "DUB" cranks use the GXP mounting system. I was almost positive I'd seen a 54T cassette on there too but I cant find it so maybe not🤷♂ FYI: STONE make really high quality ROTOR-esque CNC aircraft grade Alu' chainrings, not your usual Ali-Ex fodder, had their simple but clever 46-32! 110 BCD 4-bolt double on my Gravel bike for about 10,000 km so far.
I went to the KOM Berlin last year on a Schindelhauer that had a pinion P1.18 and a Rohloff installed. 39 in the front, 24 in the rear. It made for good climbing at a decent cadence of 90rpm, as well as drafting a car on the way home without the need to change the bike. Just a few turns on each twist shifter.
Great video, love the idea of trying the steepest gradient. Tbh, that’s what I thought you were going to do, after seeing the thumbnail. I’m fascinated to see what the gradient limit is
Love love love normalizing easier gear ratios. It's always better to have an easier gear or two than spin out that extra 7km/h. Unless you're racing, but most people don't. My hardest gear is 3.3, my easiest is 0.67. 55km/h is good enough. Just wish I could put a front derailleur on my bike.
I feel attacked as someone who uses 28T -> 10-52 Cassette on my mountain bike. It's actually crazy how easy and chill you can climb steep uphills with it. And the largest gear is quick enough, so ...
When we were in school, we used to have the race for the slowest on bike, and the referees used to disconnect the brakes at the start line. It was really fun. 🤓🤓
I like the gear inches measurement, it is constand and gives a relatable idea of the real gearing. A super long rear triangle, low tire pressure and lowest possible gear whoul all help.
I was screaming at the tv for Ollie to have done this for his Italian steepest climb challenge!! I guess they were trying to show some love (aka get paid) by campy. Seemed so silly to build a purpose built climbing bike with Ollie bottomed out in the lowest gear and it still wasn’t adequate 😂
In the '70s and years before MTBs, there was a touring cyclist in Melbourne, Australia (Ron Shepard) who advocated triple chainwheels and extra low gears for touring. He used to put out a small magazine called the 'Low Gear Bulletin'. The gearing he recommended would get you up almost any hill, with a fully loaded touring bike. Back then we measured gear ratios in inches, and a one to one was 27 inches, ie as in a 27 inch diameter wheel. Some of his gearing got down as low as 20 inches!
Good idea heading out to tough climbs with a special gear ratio. Maybe give your friend, the giant body builder, a better chance of finishing that climb that he had to rest several times to complete.
I put an eagle axs derailleur and cassette matched with rival shifters on my gravel bike a long time ago albeit with a 36t chainring. I live behind mountain bike trails too steep for regular gravel gears like a 44t. Works great!
Finally something that makes complete sense to me. My Road/gravel bike is setup with 40T largest cog in the back and 26 smallest chainring in front. So 1: 0.65 ratio or 17 gear inches. Not setup for records, but for easy climbing.
With a 11t sprocket you should still be able to ride fairly fast. My MTB has 42x12 and It went over 50km/h. Your bike should be spinning out at like 53, which is plenty for actual off road...
@@vittocrazi Well, I don't have 11t sprocket. My cassette is 14-40t and two by cranks in front 26t and 46t. Theoretically should spin out around 45km/h, but at that speed I usually use brakes :)
Once I converted a rusty old specialized mtb into a fixed gear with 22:56 gears. The 22 was just the granny gear from a triple crankset. The 56 was mounted onto the rear with a front hub ISO disk mount. It had to be a front hub dished way to the left because of the width. Otherwise the sprocket would hit the chainstay. Benefits? Spinning practice. Climbing anything. Literally could be ridden straight up stairs. Be careful not to loop out. Top speed was about 3.5 mph. Was never able to learn to balance backwards.
At least with your attempt on the record it wasn't down to how well you could 'track stand' while keeping a little movement! Seeing what sort of hills you could get up and power needed compared to a more standard bike would be interesting.
It was available on a mountain bike at least 2 decades ago. My old bike's smallest chain ring was 24 and my largest sprocket was 34. There was no need to modify anything. There are 3 chain rings up front 24/36/44.
I’ve been frustrated with the standard gear ratios on my Trek gravel bike as I ride up 8+ degree hills. Yes, I could lose weight, but how about I just change my gear ratios? Perhaps I could enjoy more rides than my 60 year old heart can presently handle! I’d love to see you explore the applications for the bike you ride in this video.
Take a „normal“ non ex-pro from the office and find out what‘s the steepest gradient this person can go up in zone 2. This is something we normal people struggle with.
Thanks guys, you’ve given this 69yo cycling geek a new challenge to shoot for! I haven’t researched the record requirements yet, but I suspect that track stands and reversing are not allowed: two of my favorite tricks on a bike. As to lowering the gear ratios, I think I’d choose something like 1:1.75 or so for the record attempt. All I’d want the driveline to do would be to provide enough torque to move the bike forward easily from a standstill without accelerating too quickly to speeds above 0.9kph. Thanks again: for the first time in decades, I actually believe I could set a world record on a bicycle!😎❤️
I had a triple on the old mtb, and upgraded the rear casette, with a 22t front and 42t rear, on a 26" wheel, I once watched a friend walk his bike past me as I pedaled up a hill. I could climb about any slope that was paved if I dropped the tire pressure enough, but the angle of leaning forward required meant significantly increased danger to my junk...
can't wait for a video climbing the steepest hills. The other day on my hybrid 36-51T bike I got to a place with a 42% gradient at some point and I survived without falling. However, my tyres (Shwalbe G-One Bite 40mm) have little studs. Without that I could never make it imho on slick tyres
I worked with the local Trek store to create a 2-by Trek Farley fat bike this past year. It has a 24/34 up front, and 10/52 in the rear (0.46 glimbing gear). It climbs the local hills like a billygoat... but it was still a bit of a struggle-fest ascending the Fire Tower climb at the Chequamegon bike race... which has some portions punching above 20% grade. 😂
I use extreme drivertrain combos, with 180mm cranks, that get me down around 10-12 gear inches. Tried 13x50 with my 36er using a cassette cog to granny ring adapter I made. Now on my 36 inch wheel mountain bike the lowest gear is 19x54t with a very straight chainline. The 19t 58mm granny ring and the 54t cog are custom. The 9 speed gears run 13-15-18-22-28-34-40-46-54. The 29x13 high gear will get me there. On my vintage 26er, a Bridgestone MB-1, I have a 17x42 combo that's about 10.3 gear inches, which is right at the physical limit of low gearing, as discovered by the people who made the Mtn Tamer Triple, Mtn Tamer Quad and Mtn Tamer Quad Plus Adapters and the White Industries Limbo Spider, in the 1980's. The Mtn Tamer company put out a gear chart with one of their adapters that showed a 16x38. Must have used a threaded 16t cog with a 38t Suntour freewheel. The last ride I did on the vintage 26er,, I used my 17x42 to go 1.4 to 1.6 mph up a 9% grade at a breath-saving rpm rate. I use close range triples with a small granny ring to get the advantages of a 1x drivetrain but I still keep the granny and big ring for the range. One 3x9 goes 17/28/39x12-14-16-17-18-21-25-32-39. The 1 tooth gaps are for road commuting and the other gears are for off road riding.
I now have a 22 Surley chainring on my Moonlander and just put a cassette with a 51 on the back. It works and cranks it out on steep trails in the woods. I did have to forgo the large chainring.
Yes, that's what I've been thinking the whole time! Attempt the steepest road you can find and see if it's actually more convenient to ride it like that! And yes, push that idea to the extreme😎
There may be an even lower-geared bike. (From a decade+ ago) A specialized bike made for ascending straight up an extremely steep street in the area of Los Angeles, California - an annual competition. Uses a triple-chainwheel gear reduction configuration. The 2nd (left side) and 3rd (right side) chainwheels being fixed on the seat tube, connected by a common axle. These are set above the normal pedal crank chainwheel, which is on the bike's left side. Saddle is mounted on a forward-tilted seat post to have the rider sit in a normal horizontal position while ascending. This gearing configuration is similar in concept to John Howard's Bonneville speed record bike, which had a gear increase using triple chainwheels.
Loving your work again Brian, if the route is gently downhill you could go slower by doing it the other way round. Also, how thirsty were you after that ride ? 2 coffee's!
Slowest hour record? I can trackstand for an hour, easy. Also, FYI, plenty of TH-camrs in the MTB/trials world have tested the maximum gradient possible, and they all run out of tyre grip beyond about 45 degrees (100% gradient) even if they can get their weight forward of the back wheel. Those 100% gradient results are usually using grip-tape covering wooden ramps with the softest compound tyres, too.
Or you could mount a toothed belt on the rear tire inside out and inflate the tire to grip the belt. Then, lay down some corrugated surface on the road to engage the teeth.
When I was a kid, a friend and I made "the underdrive" It had such a low ratio we almost couldn't get moving without losing our balance and falling off. Good times.
That gearset would be AWESOME for hill climbing. No way you couldn't make it up some insane hills with that. My old 1991 Pondo mountain bike had some insanely low gears. I know I had ridden up some very steep climbs on it very effortlessly.
Maybe try to see when steep climbs break spokes not on high end wheels but on the entry level wheels most bikes have. I have a hill that varies from 11-15% nearby, and two bikes I have broke the drive-side spokes on the rear wheel during the climb. My bike mechanic said that the forces through the wheel during the climb were responsible. So most bicycle wheels aren't really capable of doing any steep climbs, apparently.... Also, I was not racing up this hill, just trying to survive the climb in the lowest gear, and I weigh only 158 lbs.
I want to see you mod a cheap bike to have a super slack steerer tube and try it again. I bet you could comfortably go REALLY slow with that kind of stability.
A few years ago I failed miserably at the Kentish Killer, being 100kg uphill is not my friend. So this has given me some inspiration to try again. I have a question, I currently have a 11-32T SRAM PG1130 cassette, if I bought a PG113O 11-42T would that work on my medium rear mech, or would I need a long one ?
You couldn't find anything smaller than 28T off the shelf? My fat bike for the last few winters has a 22x42 low gear, giving a 1:0.53 ratio. Great for climbing steep hills in deep snow.
Companies like Xometry can laser cut you sprockets to any specification you require. (just need an accurate CAD drawing) The smallest practical front sprocket is likely to be limited by the axle diameter, and the largest rear by the rim size. But I can imagine 14 front and 175 rear being achievable, for a ratio of 0.08.
Just a thought...what about having a tiny back wheel like a Moulton wheel? So if the circumference is half of a normal wheel, for every revolution of the pedals, you only travel half the distance.
You could get your gearing a lot lower than that just with proprietary (albeit old) components. Back in the early/mid 90s you could get some sort of adapter called a Mountain Tamer which enabled you to use 18 or 20-tooth cogs on a 'compact triple' (42-32-24) chainset. I'm fairly sure some compact triples came with a 22t granny ring anyway. Then you can get Sturmey Archer hub/ cassette combinations which enable you to drop whatever derailleur gear you are running by 25%... and if you're feeling really adventurous maybe you could weld a 13 or 14t steel track cog onto a 24mm Hollowtech axle - not sure what your chainline would be like with that one though...
+1 on the Sturmey Archer hub. I have one of those on my touring bike. 60 ratios ranging from 1:6.4 down to 1:0.71 all just from swapping a wheel onto a fairly standard mullet drivetrain.
@@The1trueDave It's a Giant Defy with a slightly modified drivetrain. It normally runs 53/34 chainrings and an 11-36 cassette. I swapped the small chainring to a 34t and made minor adjustments to the stock Shimano front derailleur. Shifting requires a bit more attention, but it's not noticeable once you're used to it. For the rear, I wanted an 11-36 cassette, which necessitated the use of an M592 mountain bike derailleur. Despite being designed for mountain bikes, it has a 1:1 pull ratio, making it compatible with my 10-speed brifters. This setup provides excellent gear range for exploring without sacrificing climbing ability. When touring, I simply swap the rear wheel with one equipped with an internally geared hub and add a handlebar-mounted shift lever. This allows me to easily switch to touring mode without major modifications. The top gear (53 x 11 x 1.33) has only been used once, during a 40mph tailwind in Kansas. However, the added low gearing is invaluable for climbing with a loaded bike. This setup suits my needs perfectly. I can easily transition to touring mode without the expense or hassle of a dedicated touring bike, which wouldn't get ridden very often. Plus, maintaining the same geometry across my road bikes ensures a consistent and comfortable ride. I hope this explanation is helpful! I'm quite proud of this build and how seamlessly it transitions between road and touring configurations.
at around 35% you already have to lean way over your handle bars to not make a wheelie, which reduces the grip of your back tire a lot. so i think depeinding on your balancing skills between 35% and 40% would be the max you can go uphill (without accelerating into the climb beforehand obv)
Don’t get a custom chainring, make a way to mount the huge chainring on the rear wheel and use an internal hub. And a tiny wheel. And if you do a hill grade test, please include adding weight to lower the centre of gravity.
Would you have ever expected Alex to make a video about making a bike SLOWER? 🤣 Let us know in the comments down below. What else would you like to see Alex try? 🤔
what was the cadence and average watt?
I think all the steepest hills are now a piece of cake! Like that at 6:23?
It would be hilarious to see all the presenters make their bikes slow and have them race against each other. *Que the Benny Hill theme song 🤣🤣🤣
Collaborate with the "Stuff Made Here" channel! That wacky engineer made the World's Smallest Bicycle (which goes awfully slow).
Would be cool if Classified would be able to accept that cassette, then you would go even slower!
GCN discovers low gearing! Now they can remake all their climbing videos!
Wait until we discover big gearing. Descending here we come!
let's see them throw bikepacking equipment up front, weigh down the front
@@brotoaster9956 it's very hard to get traction on the rear wheels as is in very low gears on climbs. That's a great way to do fun/slow burnouts though😂
Unironically created a good MT Washington bike
I've been riding the world's slowest bike for years......
What a *long* way we have come!
No sir, I have,
I must have the same bike!
So that's you who has been passing me all this time?
You missed an important advantage. Security! You can leave your bike unlocked, have a coffee and then catch up with the thief at a slow walking pace.
Until the thief just picks the bike up and carries it.
So you made a mountain bike with skinny tires. Neat. 👍
Is that not a gravel bike.
@@ebikescrapper3925you- jumps into the arms of the crowd while they yell ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
@@ebikescrapper3925No..? Gravel bike is a road bike with thick tires. 😜
@@ebikescrapper3925 Exactly my point. Gravel bikes were the answer to a question nobody asked.
Looks like a road bike with low gear ratios to me.
(Richard here) Now go climb a steep hill. Guess what....you will now have a good country hill bike. I run a 34 front and 11/48 rear on both my ATB and my gravel bike. Tire width from 32mm to 48mm and I can be comfortable on just about anything around. Speed is not the important factor. Being comfortable and able to climb the biggest hills is paramount. Climbing speeds of 4.5-5mph are not unusual. This is how you set up your bikes when you are 83!
The annoying thing is that they could have easily made an "even slower bike" by using Shimano Cues :D
Most people are not comfortable though but would sooner grind and suffer versus fitting easier gearing 🤷🏼♂️it’s easier gears for climbing for everybody and anybody 🥳👍🏻
@@pedallinraw but then you couldn't cycle at 45km/h without spinning out!
and everybody knows doing 45km/h for prolonged periods happens more often than climbing a hill :D
@@KNURKonesur99% of riders though are not spinning out there 53-11 🤣😉
The side shots are the funniest, watching you slowly cycle across the screen was awesome.
This one is for Path Less Pedaled
One of the best cycling channels around
HAHA THIS IS TRUE
@@guardian_ironworksenjoy your friction shifters lol
@CrankyNebelung There's a lot more than friction shifters in the non-competitive side of cycling. It's about the wierd, the unique, the fun. We're here because of how bikes make us feel, not to get the best PR and weight to watt ratio. Don't look down on people's passion.
@@guardian_ironworks whaaaat? cycling can be non-competitive?! someone needs to tell GCN :P
Seth from Berm Peak built a 75 tooth rear cog.
Other mods that increase drag and lower speed: butyl tubes, cheaper more draggy tyres, wide bars, bar bag and other accessories.
I think the ability to trackstand is also vital for the slowest hour record.
at slow speeds all these make no difference. as aerodynamic drag, and rolling resistance is not holding you back, nor helping you go slower (unless you glue your tire to the ground, or weld the bearings). you have a plenty of torque with such rear ratios, even to move tons of weight. It's your balance is the one that till make you stop/fall.
They need to see if they can get the 75t rear cog and the 28t chainring. Gear ratio would drop to just under 0.4
Immediately thought of Seth's video once I saw this.
Exactly. GCN always actin like there the first for everything
They should change this to
Second Slowest (maybe)
but probably not, because we just used off the shelf parts that other people already use.
I wasn't aiming for slow, but I have 30:50 on my 26" MTB, and the smaller wheels will give lower distance per pedal stroke.
One of the funniest videos I’ve seen at GCN. The shot of Alex rolling out of the park in the beginning had me dying! lol😂
I built my monster cross bike with a 20T smallest chainring over 12 years ago along with an 11-36 cassette. Later went to an 11-45 cassette back in 2020. That gives me a 0.44 ratio or 12 gear-inches and with the triple up front, a 900% gear range from low to high. I love the low gearing, riding at walking pace is handy when you come up behind hikers on a narrow single track trail while waiting for room to pass. Also makes climbing steep hills a lot more enjoyable.
Video title: "Adding a 10sp 11-45 Cassette to the Bike "
This
You could probably fit 650b wheels too. Smaller circumference = less distance per revolution = slower
Or even smaller. As you're running disc brakes 20". You might need shorter cranks to stop them hitting the floor
@@TrevorCoxAcoustics the derailleur cage might catch the ground at 24" already
Then you might avoid the problem by removing it, the chain wouldn't have much tension, but it would let you go virtually with any wheelset whose circumference is bigger than the 52t cog @@feedbackzaloop
@@claudiofiero8523 I believe you don't fully understand what derailleur cage does. It contains the free length of the chain. So if not the cage be hitting ground, then the chain itself be dragging.
Now, going single speed - that's the whole different scenario.
@@feedbackzaloopwhy needs a derailleur in the 1st place? 😄
At least your camera operator didn't require a chase vehicle. They just had to slowly walk alongside of you.
That bike is now geared for a great bikepacking adventure.
Perhaps put a small 20" wheel on the front and shorter cranks. Then the bike can stay closer to level when going up a steep hill. The shorter cranks would keep the cranks from scraping on the pavement.
Also a smaller rear wheel would help with reducing speed. The smaller the wheel, the shorter the distance it travels with each rotation. Maybe try this challenge with a Brompton....
As I'm riding bikes in-campus for commuting between classrooms, riding slowly is very useful if you want to talk with your buddies while they're walking.
The lowest gear I’ve used is 16 gear inches and it’s a dream to cycle up hill. I can’t wait to see you explore this idea! So many people would benefit from winching themselves up steep gradients.
Hi Alex. My Steel Tourer has a tripple with 42/32/24 and a Nexus 8 speed hub gear with a 23 tooth sprocket. Cioncidentally it gives the same lowest ratio as your set up. If you change your crank to a 4 bolt 104/64 PCD you too can have my gearing "off the shelf", or even as small as 21 teeth.
I regularly use this up hills as steep as 15%, steeper and I walk, but my bike weighs twice yours and I'm approx twice your age. However I still manage 3-4 mph up such hils.
Incidentally, a tripple with a hub gear means no cross chaining so all gears are available and I can select a front ring to suit the terain and then ride as though on a one by wih no dropped chains and changes even at "struggle speed".
Surely to get your record you just need a very long track stand!
An AliExpress company called STONE make a 18t GXP Chainring and those super cheap SENIEX "DUB" cranks use the GXP mounting system. I was almost positive I'd seen a 54T cassette on there too but I cant find it so maybe not🤷♂
FYI: STONE make really high quality ROTOR-esque CNC aircraft grade Alu' chainrings, not your usual Ali-Ex fodder, had their simple but clever 46-32! 110 BCD 4-bolt double on my Gravel bike for about 10,000 km so far.
Shimano Cues has a 2x crank with a 22T chainring as well
I went to the KOM Berlin last year on a Schindelhauer that had a pinion P1.18 and a Rohloff installed. 39 in the front, 24 in the rear.
It made for good climbing at a decent cadence of 90rpm, as well as drafting a car on the way home without the need to change the bike. Just a few turns on each twist shifter.
Great video, love the idea of trying the steepest gradient. Tbh, that’s what I thought you were going to do, after seeing the thumbnail. I’m fascinated to see what the gradient limit is
You’ll need weight added to the front wheel. Otherwise, it will tip easily.
Love love love normalizing easier gear ratios. It's always better to have an easier gear or two than spin out that extra 7km/h. Unless you're racing, but most people don't. My hardest gear is 3.3, my easiest is 0.67. 55km/h is good enough. Just wish I could put a front derailleur on my bike.
You've built it, now definitely ride up the steepest grade you can find.
Now to take on some HUGE climbs!
The music with the riding, perfect
I feel attacked as someone who uses 28T -> 10-52 Cassette on my mountain bike. It's actually crazy how easy and chill you can climb steep uphills with it. And the largest gear is quick enough, so ...
Same! I have that exact setup on both my full suspension bike, and my fat bike!
Thanks Alex , and crew . The shot at the start , with the elevator music ? Classic ! Be well , eh?
Now this is the quality content I want from Alex.
When we were in school, we used to have the race for the slowest on bike, and the referees used to disconnect the brakes at the start line. It was really fun. 🤓🤓
One man's "world's slowest bike" is another man's "ultimate hill destroyer"
I like the gear inches measurement, it is constand and gives a relatable idea of the real gearing. A super long rear triangle, low tire pressure and lowest possible gear whoul all help.
I was screaming at the tv for Ollie to have done this for his Italian steepest climb challenge!! I guess they were trying to show some love (aka get paid) by campy. Seemed so silly to build a purpose built climbing bike with Ollie bottomed out in the lowest gear and it still wasn’t adequate 😂
I felt similarly myself.
In the '70s and years before MTBs, there was a touring cyclist in Melbourne, Australia (Ron Shepard) who advocated triple chainwheels and extra low gears for touring. He used to put out a small magazine called the 'Low Gear Bulletin'. The gearing he recommended would get you up almost any hill, with a fully loaded touring bike. Back then we measured gear ratios in inches, and a one to one was 27 inches, ie as in a 27 inch diameter wheel. Some of his gearing got down as low as 20 inches!
That voiceover segue to Alex watching the rear wheel rotate half a revolution made my day.
Good idea heading out to tough climbs with a special gear ratio. Maybe give your friend, the giant body builder, a better chance of finishing that climb that he had to rest several times to complete.
he'd probably spin out and get tired even faster dute to lack of cardio training
I put an eagle axs derailleur and cassette matched with rival shifters on my gravel bike a long time ago albeit with a 36t chainring. I live behind mountain bike trails too steep for regular gravel gears like a 44t. Works great!
Finally something that makes complete sense to me. My Road/gravel bike is setup with 40T largest cog in the back and 26 smallest chainring in front. So 1: 0.65 ratio or 17 gear inches. Not setup for records, but for easy climbing.
With a 11t sprocket you should still be able to ride fairly fast. My MTB has 42x12 and It went over 50km/h. Your bike should be spinning out at like 53, which is plenty for actual off road...
@@vittocrazi Well, I don't have 11t sprocket. My cassette is 14-40t and two by cranks in front 26t and 46t. Theoretically should spin out around 45km/h, but at that speed I usually use brakes :)
Half my bikes are geared about as low as this. I’ve got a 28/51, a couple 30/51’s, a 24/42, a 22/36 with 26” tires, and a 36/51 with 26” tires.
Nice video Alex!! Please try some super steep hills with it
Once I converted a rusty old specialized mtb into a fixed gear with 22:56 gears. The 22 was just the granny gear from a triple crankset. The 56 was mounted onto the rear with a front hub ISO disk mount. It had to be a front hub dished way to the left because of the width. Otherwise the sprocket would hit the chainstay.
Benefits? Spinning practice. Climbing anything. Literally could be ridden straight up stairs. Be careful not to loop out. Top speed was about 3.5 mph. Was never able to learn to balance backwards.
At least with your attempt on the record it wasn't down to how well you could 'track stand' while keeping a little movement! Seeing what sort of hills you could get up and power needed compared to a more standard bike would be interesting.
It was available on a mountain bike at least 2 decades ago. My old bike's smallest chain ring was 24 and my largest sprocket was 34. There was no need to modify anything. There are 3 chain rings up front 24/36/44.
I’ve been frustrated with the standard gear ratios on my Trek gravel bike as I ride up 8+ degree hills. Yes, I could lose weight, but how about I just change my gear ratios? Perhaps I could enjoy more rides than my 60 year old heart can presently handle! I’d love to see you explore the applications for the bike you ride in this video.
I agree. My gravel bike has a 51t gear and 34t chainring. It was a game changer for my heavier frame.
Would be a handy gear ratio for the Fred Whitton 😉
Take a „normal“ non ex-pro from the office and find out what‘s the steepest gradient this person can go up in zone 2. This is something we normal people struggle with.
Push it push it! I wanna see a 30% grade climb on such a bike…40%?
Gcn should go back to Scanuppia Italy with this bike.
The point at which you started pedalling was comedy gold. 😂😂😂
Loved this. Yes, let’s see it conquer some steep stuff!
Thanks guys, you’ve given this 69yo cycling geek a new challenge to shoot for! I haven’t researched the record requirements yet, but I suspect that track stands and reversing are not allowed: two of my favorite tricks on a bike. As to lowering the gear ratios, I think I’d choose something like 1:1.75 or so for the record attempt. All I’d want the driveline to do would be to provide enough torque to move the bike forward easily from a standstill without accelerating too quickly to speeds above 0.9kph. Thanks again: for the first time in decades, I actually believe I could set a world record on a bicycle!😎❤️
I had a triple on the old mtb, and upgraded the rear casette, with a 22t front and 42t rear, on a 26" wheel, I once watched a friend walk his bike past me as I pedaled up a hill. I could climb about any slope that was paved if I dropped the tire pressure enough, but the angle of leaning forward required meant significantly increased danger to my junk...
can't wait for a video climbing the steepest hills. The other day on my hybrid 36-51T bike I got to a place with a 42% gradient at some point and I survived without falling. However, my tyres (Shwalbe G-One Bite 40mm) have little studs. Without that I could never make it imho on slick tyres
Scraping the bottom of the barrel here. Would have been cool to see some steep gradients without just talking about it. I guess this is a teaser.
Awesome! 👍 Slow Races are a norm in dirt bike drills
I worked with the local Trek store to create a 2-by Trek Farley fat bike this past year. It has a 24/34 up front, and 10/52 in the rear (0.46 glimbing gear). It climbs the local hills like a billygoat... but it was still a bit of a struggle-fest ascending the Fire Tower climb at the Chequamegon bike race... which has some portions punching above 20% grade. 😂
it must be great to see a sprint,only 150 meters, with the top sprinters nowadays and see who wins.
I use extreme drivertrain combos, with 180mm cranks, that get me down around 10-12 gear inches. Tried 13x50 with my 36er using a cassette cog to granny ring adapter I made. Now on my 36 inch wheel mountain bike the lowest gear is 19x54t with a very straight chainline. The 19t 58mm granny ring and the 54t cog are custom. The 9 speed gears run 13-15-18-22-28-34-40-46-54. The 29x13 high gear will get me there. On my vintage 26er, a Bridgestone MB-1, I have a 17x42 combo that's about 10.3 gear inches, which is right at the physical limit of low gearing, as discovered by the people who made the Mtn Tamer Triple, Mtn Tamer Quad and Mtn Tamer Quad Plus Adapters and the White Industries Limbo Spider, in the 1980's. The Mtn Tamer company put out a gear chart with one of their adapters that showed a 16x38. Must have used a threaded 16t cog with a 38t Suntour freewheel. The last ride I did on the vintage 26er,, I used my 17x42 to go 1.4 to 1.6 mph up a 9% grade at a breath-saving rpm rate. I use close range triples with a small granny ring to get the advantages of a 1x drivetrain but I still keep the granny and big ring for the range. One 3x9 goes 17/28/39x12-14-16-17-18-21-25-32-39. The 1 tooth gaps are for road commuting and the other gears are for off road riding.
I now have a 22 Surley chainring on my Moonlander and just put a cassette with a 51 on the back. It works and cranks it out on steep trails in the woods. I did have to forgo the large chainring.
Yes, that's what I've been thinking the whole time! Attempt the steepest road you can find and see if it's actually more convenient to ride it like that! And yes, push that idea to the extreme😎
There may be an even lower-geared bike. (From a decade+ ago) A specialized bike made for ascending straight up an extremely steep street in the area of Los Angeles, California - an annual competition. Uses a triple-chainwheel gear reduction configuration. The 2nd (left side) and 3rd (right side) chainwheels being fixed on the seat tube, connected by a common axle. These are set above the normal pedal crank chainwheel, which is on the bike's left side. Saddle is mounted on a forward-tilted seat post to have the rider sit in a normal horizontal position while ascending. This gearing configuration is similar in concept to John Howard's Bonneville speed record bike, which had a gear increase using triple chainwheels.
I thought this was a parody of a GCN video at first!
Glad to remembered your water bottle for this effort.
Definitely get this on some epic climbs!
Alex dressed for aero, but should have went for comfy! haha
Loving your work again Brian, if the route is gently downhill you could go slower by doing it the other way round. Also, how thirsty were you after that ride ? 2 coffee's!
The SLOWEST I've seen has to be guy who put Pinion + Rohloff on same bike for 3000% gear range
"They were so preoccupied with whether they could, they never stopped to consider whether they should"
for the largest gradient you need to have a front wheel of smaller diameter than the rear
Slowest hour record? I can trackstand for an hour, easy.
Also, FYI, plenty of TH-camrs in the MTB/trials world have tested the maximum gradient possible, and they all run out of tyre grip beyond about 45 degrees (100% gradient) even if they can get their weight forward of the back wheel. Those 100% gradient results are usually using grip-tape covering wooden ramps with the softest compound tyres, too.
I'm sure you could go steeper with adhesive 😂
Go for that record!
Or you could mount a toothed belt on the rear tire inside out and inflate the tire to grip the belt. Then, lay down some corrugated surface on the road to engage the teeth.
Did any of them try a reverse mullet setup (i.e. bigger wheel at the back, smaller wheel at the front)?
This is the perfect opportunity for GCN’s official penny farthing. Go for it!!
lmao, hilariously good. This is the content I sub for. Next time do a huge, steep hill.
GCN: " We Created The World’s Slowest Bike "
Granny-Gear Community: "Very fast up Mnt Ventoux"
Great bike for climbing the steepest hills and ‘maybe’ set new PB’s!
When I was a kid, a friend and I made "the underdrive" It had such a low ratio we almost couldn't get moving without losing our balance and falling off. Good times.
It is a magical place. Been there many times to ride both road and MTB. It is a must ride destination!!!
That gearset would be AWESOME for hill climbing. No way you couldn't make it up some insane hills with that. My old 1991 Pondo mountain bike had some insanely low gears. I know I had ridden up some very steep climbs on it very effortlessly.
I would love to see you tackle some super steep climbs with your new lower gearing ⚙️
Hilarious !! Well done Alex
Love the mad scientist experiments
Maybe try to see when steep climbs break spokes not on high end wheels but on the entry level wheels most bikes have. I have a hill that varies from 11-15% nearby, and two bikes I have broke the drive-side spokes on the rear wheel during the climb. My bike mechanic said that the forces through the wheel during the climb were responsible. So most bicycle wheels aren't really capable of doing any steep climbs, apparently.... Also, I was not racing up this hill, just trying to survive the climb in the lowest gear, and I weigh only 158 lbs.
We need you guys to test your KOMs (steep climbs only) with these smaller rings spinning @ 90-100 rpms
Guinness stopped tracking the slowest bike ride a long time ago, when a guy didn't move for over 8 hours.
Would have liked to see what the chain looked like on the small cog.
I want to see you mod a cheap bike to have a super slack steerer tube and try it again. I bet you could comfortably go REALLY slow with that kind of stability.
fit a 26" back wheel - lower the gears and slacken it off at the same time
A few years ago I failed miserably at the Kentish Killer, being 100kg uphill is not my friend. So this has given me some inspiration to try again. I have a question, I currently have a 11-32T SRAM PG1130 cassette, if I bought a PG113O 11-42T would that work on my medium rear mech, or would I need a long one ?
You couldn't find anything smaller than 28T off the shelf? My fat bike for the last few winters has a 22x42 low gear, giving a 1:0.53 ratio. Great for climbing steep hills in deep snow.
Kudos for been a real riding record attempt. Usually it is just trackstand.
Could have been an "even slower" bike with a Shimano CUES, they have a 2x chainset with a 22T chainring
The side shot from 4:55 is one of the funniest things I've ever seen.
Companies like Xometry can laser cut you sprockets to any specification you require. (just need an accurate CAD drawing)
The smallest practical front sprocket is likely to be limited by the axle diameter, and the largest rear by the rim size.
But I can imagine 14 front and 175 rear being achievable, for a ratio of 0.08.
Alex's Ultimate climbing solution.
Just a thought...what about having a tiny back wheel like a Moulton wheel? So if the circumference is half of a normal wheel, for every revolution of the pedals, you only travel half the distance.
you forgot to put a flywheel to the cranks for stability btw
How good is this testing, isn't it? Amazing lowest speed ever....even though being dressed up just like a real race. Bravo! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
For heavy load bikepacking on a MTB in the Rockies or the Alps, I'm going with that gearing or better yet a 2X with that as the low chainring.
That was funny 😂😂 all the gear on.
You could get your gearing a lot lower than that just with proprietary (albeit old) components. Back in the early/mid 90s you could get some sort of adapter called a Mountain Tamer which enabled you to use 18 or 20-tooth cogs on a 'compact triple' (42-32-24) chainset. I'm fairly sure some compact triples came with a 22t granny ring anyway.
Then you can get Sturmey Archer hub/ cassette combinations which enable you to drop whatever derailleur gear you are running by 25%... and if you're feeling really adventurous maybe you could weld a 13 or 14t steel track cog onto a 24mm Hollowtech axle - not sure what your chainline would be like with that one though...
+1 on the Sturmey Archer hub. I have one of those on my touring bike. 60 ratios ranging from 1:6.4 down to 1:0.71 all just from swapping a wheel onto a fairly standard mullet drivetrain.
@@stevewindisch2882 1:6.4 seems insanely high, is it a Brompton or something?
@@The1trueDave It's a Giant Defy with a slightly modified drivetrain. It normally runs 53/34 chainrings and an 11-36 cassette. I swapped the small chainring to a 34t and made minor adjustments to the stock Shimano front derailleur. Shifting requires a bit more attention, but it's not noticeable once you're used to it.
For the rear, I wanted an 11-36 cassette, which necessitated the use of an M592 mountain bike derailleur. Despite being designed for mountain bikes, it has a 1:1 pull ratio, making it compatible with my 10-speed brifters. This setup provides excellent gear range for exploring without sacrificing climbing ability.
When touring, I simply swap the rear wheel with one equipped with an internally geared hub and add a handlebar-mounted shift lever. This allows me to easily switch to touring mode without major modifications. The top gear (53 x 11 x 1.33) has only been used once, during a 40mph tailwind in Kansas. However, the added low gearing is invaluable for climbing with a loaded bike.
This setup suits my needs perfectly. I can easily transition to touring mode without the expense or hassle of a dedicated touring bike, which wouldn't get ridden very often. Plus, maintaining the same geometry across my road bikes ensures a consistent and comfortable ride.
I hope this explanation is helpful! I'm quite proud of this build and how seamlessly it transitions between road and touring configurations.
@@stevewindisch2882 sounds great!
I needed this gearing for the Mt Washington hillclimb (iykyk)
at around 35% you already have to lean way over your handle bars to not make a wheelie, which reduces the grip of your back tire a lot. so i think depeinding on your balancing skills between 35% and 40% would be the max you can go uphill (without accelerating into the climb beforehand obv)
Don’t get a custom chainring, make a way to mount the huge chainring on the rear wheel and use an internal hub. And a tiny wheel. And if you do a hill grade test, please include adding weight to lower the centre of gravity.
see GMBR on the slab
11 minutes, then a coffee shop. Why doesn’t this surprise me?