Thanks for the video. As a 61 year old I still love the big hills, years ago in my twenties when I did Audax events, I used to pass many club cyclists on the hills in my low geared touring bike. I could spin away forever. Until very recently I found it impossible to replicate my old bikes gears. Thanks to your video I now know what to do.
This is the best TH-cam channel with detailed information about cycling , brilliant production and crystal clear detail about a very broad range of topics , makes me proud to be an Aussie 👍👍🏽👍🏿🇦🇺 big shout out from Port Macquarie NSW Australia.
Very excellent video and informative. I too am making some adjustments on my bike by using an 11-34 on my compact and 11-32 on my standard. I am a heavy rider so I need the lower gears to climb long steep hills. I'm a subscriber now 🖒
Great video! I've often wondered why everyone was spending so much time worrying about bike weight while ignoring gearing. With big gears you can climb anything. Sure you may start out near the middle or back of the pack but once you hit 7-8-12% grades you move up quite quickly!
Not young anymore but I ride a lot. The most important thing is to avoid an injury which might put me off the bike for months. So I go a lot further than a compact crank. A triple set with ratios from 53:11 down to 22:34 . Crazy you might say but I can keep my normal cadence on a mountain climb no matter what the grade.
smitajky I will try that~ I live here in North Italy 🇮🇹 near Piancavallo and use those areas for training~ Very steep with large sections of flats as well~
I always used triples back in the day,I see no reason not to use em now. The new shimano triple Ive got shifts great,,bam bam can drop it onto the inner 26 hard it never jumps off.It came with a 30 inner ring...... On my x-country mt bike Ive gone to an 11/40 cassette and will finagle at least a 24 on the front 2x10 crankset. We do rides where everybody ends up pushing its so steep,Id rather pedal.
I cycle in mostly low rolling hills for my daily 35-mile training rides (56 km). There aren't any long climbs but one of the short ones hits an 18% grade. I'll do several centuries each year (100 mile or 161 km) and some routes hit longer climbs but they never exceed 10%. Cycling these routes I found that I hadn't used the small chainring of my 50-34t compact chainset for a couple of years. So I switched to a 1x drivetrain at the beginning of 2016. After two seasons on a 1x with a 50t chainring at the front and an 11-28t cassette at the back, I haven't felt the need for a 2x chainset at all. I plan to switch to an 11x32t cassette next year so I can handle steeper climbs (if I ever travel to a location with them) but I've been very happy with the 1x setup. I'll be 61 years old in a few months and, according to my power meter, I can still hold a modest 400 watts uphill for a fair distance, especially if I'm pulling the pedals, and haven't had any trouble holding a cadence of 80 or better up any of the hills in my area. I rarely get out of the saddle and stay in an aero tuck position resting my arms on aerobars most of the time -- even uphill (there is a lot of wind here). Because of my forward-leaning position, I'm using a 165 mm crank arm length even though I'm 6' 2" tall (188 cm). I've heard a lot of comments from "critics" about the steps between cogs being too big on an 11-32t or larger cassette. However, I've never experienced that. Most of the time, I find myself jumping two cogs at a time whenever I shift. I remember back in the mid 1980's, my steel-frame road bike had a 2 x 6 drivetrain with much bigger jumps in gear ratios and I never had trouble with it. I still have that bike and ride it occasionally today. No problem with the steps between cogs. So I think the "too large" step complaint, though valid for some cyclists, is exaggerated for most -- especially on an 11-cog cassette. I wouldn't recommend a 1x drivetrain for everybody. But I just wanted to add a different perspective on this discussion because I think they will become increasingly popular in the future for cyclists who aren't climbing mountains.
D.Eldon , I ride an 11-32T and I think it is the ideal. The issue of missing intermediate ratios might be applicable to those planning on reaching top 10 in races, because at that level, the game is won or lost on optimization.
excellent parabens explanation, I really wanted to change my group, but here in Brazil the parts are very expensive, I'm fifty-two years old and I need to make modifications on my bike.
Thank you Uncle OZ, the compact chainset has made a big difference to my bike, and all the gears feel more natural now. Much better...and they were a bit lighter! Great video.
I ride in the Mountains with steep climbs 10%+ and long smooth fast desents with posted speed limit 55 MPH I recommend this gearing to all who ride the extream ups and downs. 52 - 34 chainrings 11 - 32 cassette www.strava.com/segments/638289 Deer Trail (to mailboxes) www.mapmyride.com/us/boulder-co/buffalo-bicycle-classic-2013-buff-epic-1-route-252315553
i have a 40 tooth casette paired with a compact on my road bike. Shifts amazing and i can go up mountains. The tricky part was finding a mechanic that knows how to calculate the length of the chain and index the gears properly (which is what i didn’t know how to do, i tried and failed). The only downside on my my bike is the rear wheel doesn’t come of easily. I highly recommend this set up for new to the sport folks until you build strength. Credits are due to Durianrider.
This is the true educational video that I have been searching for years and all serious riders should take notes on. So happy I finally find this video…. It would be much better if I learned about this a lot earlier
I use a 52-36 and an 11-34 for my casual rides or mountainous races. I can roll up a 20% grade at around 70 rpm, which is much better than the 40-50 rpm I was getting on my old 53-39 and 12-25
@@cordero852 Lol they were different bikes. The 53/39 was part of a 9-speed group on an old bike, and the 52/36 was on a newer bike with an 11-speed group.
As an older rider who has not ridden for many years I use a 1X 7 speed with 38T chainwheel and 12-32T chainwheel which gives me lots of low gears and I just freewheel downhill to catch my breath.....nice easy riding...I never have to get out of the saddle. Years ago I used to have very close ratio high gearing which I now recognise as a mistake for casual ridiing.
i personally think its all about the style of the rider. ive seen huge chain rings just killing it in uphills against high cadence riders with compact gearing.
Complete process done...and found this valuable in regard to the sitting as you climb..Had an 11/28 and swapped it out for 11/32 just to allow the uphill spin option, but surprisingly recalling the 11/28, I just had to be more focused on the climb. Age factor was big reason for the 11/32 change. At 65 I want to keep cycling, and not tire as easily..Thanks, this was a useful video
I'm 28 with an FTP of 285 and wouldn't ever change from an 11/32. I rarely use the lowest gear but when it kicks to over 10% you need them. Also on some hills even in the lowest gear and only doing around 70rpm out the saddle i still struggle to keep the watts below 300 - could still do with a lower gear.
Great job man. Very understandable for a guy like me who’s mechanically challenged. I also appreciate your humility. I’m planning on doing the Mt Washington Auto Road Hill Climb (New Hampshire, USA) 7.6 miles 12% gradient. Hope my 50-34t, 34-12t will work. Ha we will see.
Some hills need more than extra gears they need more power in the legs , I tend to come up out of the saddle athe start of a hill and then sit down once the speed has been built , I run a 53/39. And 11/32. But with 160 cranks due to my shorter leg stroke . The large spread of the gears gives me the ability to climb the steepest hills and enable a 70kph top speed without issues
Excellent, well explained video, I recently changed from compact with 11/28 cluster to 39/53 with same cluster, recently did a major hill climb, absolutely stuffed, its all about close comfortable gear ratios., not to mention the motor driving the cranks. Thanks for the information.
Round my way the climbs are short and steep, tho its mostly flat so i ride a 41/53 - 13-14-15-16-17-18-20-23-25-27 tho i can get to serious hills/mtns and I'll put a 39/50 on. Spinning is winning 👌 Love the Oz Cycling channel 😋
I took my bike for a first hills ride today, 50-34 and 11-32 and I used all of them. 34-32 not too often, but a couple of times when I needed a break. 2018 standard setup for many manufacturers seems to be 52-36 and 11-30. Based on today, for my needs, I think I'll get the shop to swap the semi on my planned upgrade bike for a proper compact set of chain rings. I don't want or need higher top end speed, but I definitely appreciate having easier gears available when climbing. Stronger riders would probably be fine, but I'm not a strong rider :-)
Yup depends how strong you are a lot of the time. 20 years ago when I was racing and training like a maniac, a 39 x 28 was more than small enough. Now that I've been off the bike for 20 years and have no legs and excess weight, I'm even having trouble with the 34 x 32 on a lot of hills lol. It's just amazing the difference the legs make, 25 kph is pacey on the flat now, but in the old days I didn't even go that slow on easy recovery rides on the flat.
Free Man Agreed, but a stronger rider is able to spin bigger gears than a weaker rider, that is what is meant. For example 20 years ago I could go up hill with 90 rpm with say a 39/23 or even bigger gear, whereas now the equivalent for going up the same hill at 90 rpm would probably be with a 34/32 or worse. On my new road endurance bike (Giant Contend) I've just put 46/30 on the front and 11/42 on the back, all for very cheap. And working excellently! Didn't even need to change any deraileurs or cranks from the stock ones! The 46/30 sub-compact chainrings have 110 BCD and costs $50, and the cassette cost $30. Plus a Roadlink which cost about $35. How's that, a cheap 110 BCD 30-tooth chainring?! I was struggling to even push the 34/32, this 30/42 is really great for me. Anyway I always want to spin, so have to get gears to fit my strength, which is weak due to illness. I refuse to grind up hill if it's within my power to lower the gearing on the bike. And who but race-speed riders need anything bigger than a 46/11 eh? That's plenty big enough for 90% of commuter road riders and is usable range. For most commuters a 50/11 is just superfluous and barely if ever used. Just not needed. But if I was racing even D and E-grade level I'd definitely need a 50/11. Probably even go with a 52 for D and E grade, but could get by with a 50. For B and C-grade you'll definitely need a 52 on the front. A-grade level you need at least 52 and preferably 53. When I was riding A-grade I had a 52 but on occasions wished for a 53 as the 52 spun out in races, and I was only an average A-grader. But I was too lazy and not serious enough to do the conversion haha. But now I suffer too much on the hills to not warrant converting to lower gears than the stock 34/32. Who would think a 34/32 on the road is too big? But for some it really is, I'm so slow I grind even with that gear. I'm bloody loving my 30/42!
@@alantaylor6691 nice read! That's an impressive range of gearing. My old bicycle has 52/40 and 28/14 and is only 12 speed lol. On the flat I'm on the 3rd cog and big ring but uphill its not easy even on lowest gears, I haven't cycled for years so that won't help. I can only imagine how slick your drivetrain must feel especially uphills!
@@TheRealD4 About a year or two ago I was speaking to someone who was running a triple chainring, with low gear being 20 on the front and 46 on the back! You may ask how do you get a 20T chainring? Well as you may know, 22 is usually the lowest gear you can get on stock triples. However you can actually buy 20T chainrings on ebay that can replace the stock 22T small ring. Then he got the back up to 46. I think that's something like an 11 inch gear. He does fireroad riding and says he uses it for that, with gravel bike type tyres of about 42mm.
I run Shimano 105 11 speed 11-32 and 50/34 feels nice to me maybe a bit to hard since i live in Austria and my commute to work is 2600 Meters with 9 Meters ascent but back home its 130 Meters ascent 108 alone for the last 900 Meters. I do like my Fatbike much more 9-46 and 32 with 4.8x26 rubber.
Your videos are refreshingly positive. No side drama, foul language and creepiness that some look that named himself after a tropical fruit exemplifies. Thx for the valuable tutorials and the good healthy energy. Happy riding and be safe out there...looking forward to your next video as I just subscribed. Aloha
5 Years later i use 46/30 cranksets on both the gravel/touring and roadbike, with 11-36 and 11-40 cassettes in the rear. top gear is still enough, especially on the fat tired gravelbike, and the low gears make it possible to basically spin up every climb with the same power and cadence i would use on the flats. the only small gripe is the 11-12-13-15 jump on the road bike where i would sometimes like a 14 in between. i still have the tighter spaced 11-30 cassette floating around but to be honest i couldnt be bothered to switch lately.
Great video, really appreciate the tips! I never cottoned on to the derailleur extension before, that will save me changing from short to long cage derailleur. Thanks
Compact is great as it is difficult to find triples,however i used a triple on zoncolan and mortirolo and found my times were better,but the kicker is that i didnt burn all my glycogen ,so you can do several mountains in one day.thank you for the info on the adapter. Your chanel has made a huge positive difference to my cycling. A compact is good for heavy riders like myself you can put the torque from a 39 to a 34 and really fly with less injury.there is no way a 39 will work on a climb like mortirolo even contador used a 34-30 and he won ! Spin to win!
Back in the Dark Ages (1970s), we called them "granny gears." The early mountain bike folks used three chain rings with large cogs in back (only five or six of them!), and they tended to blast by most of the hard core roadies with their 42-52/12-23 combos. What a wake up! Thanks for the great videos!
Good One OZ!, here is my gear ratio; I use an old crankset of 53-42 (And I love that crank) and the casette is 11t-30t. Here in Colombia we have reallly steep and long hills and never ran out of gears, even the 42t-30t is rarery used. I'm even looking for a 55 chainring for downhill stages.
Its always a pleasure to watch your videos. Its funny and a lot of tricks to keep our passion.... Road bike riding..... yeah! Thanks, Ralf/ Frankfurt/ Germany. ;-)
Compact 50/34 with 11/28 works well for most recreational riders I should think. If you want to stand up gear up and stand up. You still have choice. Downside is it limits speeds on descents but my fear/sanity factor limits that too so no problem most of the time. I don't live in the mountains though.
I have been very happy with that common compact setup for some years now. I can take on a lot of crazy climbs with what seems to me negligible top speed disadvantage. I can only think of one practical situation where my top speed gear was slightly lacking, a long, straight descent. Even then, most amateur cyclists would find this plenty fast, and working hard to push too much faster than terminal velocity downhill can be significant effort for not that much more speed gain. I have found it nice to push for whatever top speed I can handle partway down the descent, tuck in to as aero a position as possible, and save up a bit of reserves to burst up the next climb that might be ahead.
Great video as always, wish I have seen it before spending money to buy a new medium cage 105 rear derailleur & retire a working Ultegra short cage one to go up from 28 to 34 at the back:)
Good video. As long as you are not riding with the TDF, you can do a lot of experiments with your road bike. Anyhow when you are 50 up you need these gears. It's just a matter of choice and saving your knees.
that's cause Denmarks highest hill is 170m :D. remarkably flat country. Come to Austria and the Alps and you'll see that a compact crank is a good idea. to be fair a 36-32 is a good bottom gear if you don't weigh that much
Great Information Video - having Compact Chainset (50 / 34) fitted tomorrow (to work the local hills) working with a 12 - 28 Cassette. Hope it helps !!!
Excellent video..fun, simple and informative. Looking at a new bike at the moment..I do miss the compact I had from a couple of old bikes I had a few years ago when I started out. I thought I was just getting old but my very hilly rides in the Scottish highlands have been killing me with a 52/36. Back to fun I go!
Very well made video! Indeed! I do agree on that about getting up from saddle, relax back and legs! I have a bike road flat bar, steel, from 1990, still with original 7 speed material, shimano 100GS. I now have 11-13-15-17-19-21-24- and 28 out of range. Still not decided, if just swap rear shifter with one 8s, to recover the 28T on my 8s cassete, for very steep climes. if just the 8 speed flat bar shifters availabe were not ugly with gears display, and would be nice one 10S up to 30T. Can't decide myself, since only affects rare steep climes where going seated and at very low speed is not also the best...
Thanks for this great video. My all purpose bike is a crossbike with a 1x11 setup. I love riding it but I didn’t understand what exactly the advantages are. Now I do.
I live in the Uk from West Yorkshire it is all hilly here i was running a 11-21 dura ace cassette for the past 2 years and climbed up 25% gradients on it mashing on the pedals im a very light guy 5.10 and weight just 59kg i changed it last week for the 11/25 im climbing much faster its all about the cadence spinning easy gears fast up climbs and you will go much faster like you mentioned should have seen this video before i bought the cassette lol.
My Canyon Endurace came with a 52/36, but the website said it comes with a 50/34. I contacted them and they said they will send me the correct chainring, so good on them. I'll be excited to do some more climbing when it gets here.
I did a couple of time, put a MTB cassette on my road bike. As its a 30T not need for an extra hanger. Work flawlessly. I actually have a 53/39 crankset.
I hit 63 mph on my standard triple a few years back. It was a beautiful downhill near Graeagle Ca. Got a $375.00 ticket from CHP for that one! 63 in a 35.
get gearing that can keep you at or under your threshold power on long climbs with your prefered climbing cadence this will vary hugely from rider to rider based on weight ,fitness and technique
My bike came with compact and a 11 - 32 9 speed cassette. I hated the jumps between gears. Now I use 12 - 27. Still gives a low gear 2.6 m. Best thing I ever did
One thing to mention, the higher are the front chainring the shorter are the step between each gear. Very important for people who perform at a precise target cadence. I have a 52×36 and 12-25 cassette. I love the 12-25 because of the short step between each gear. But I have a too big step (10 rpm at 95-100rpm) between 52×21 and 52×19 that I have to fill with the 36×14 combination. Not very practical… (don't have Di2 to program that sequence !). After having done a Excel sheet with all the combinations ratio, the 53×39 offers me what I want. So I switched to a 53×39 . The 39×25 allows me to climb long slope of 8% max, I don't live in the mountain so it's ok. So that's it, don't look at your neighbour's equipment. Choose the one which is made for your style (spinner or smasher !) and your playground ;-)
truetierra Hi, just seen you comment. Do you run a 50-34 chainset? I want to swap out my 11-32 for a 11-34 to run with my shimano 105 Group set... any advise?
I Rigged my Newbie Clyde ‘Mate’ (180cm, 110kg.) up with even LOWER Compact Gearing. His Bike came Stock with Compact 34/50t CRs and 11-27t 9 sp. Cassette w/Sora Derailleurs and Brifters. After trying an 11-34t Cassette he STILL had to dismount and walk up any Gradient over 5-6%. So I went with the LARGEST Cassette that was Available 11-40t. Considering he’s a Newb, I DID NOT TRUST him to be able to figure out NEVER to Cross Chain. Holy Vegemite, with that Sora RD you gotta get that chain length JUST RIGHT, and I ended up CUSTOMIZING the Cassette cause the Chain sagged in 34/11t but it sagged just a TINY bit in 34/12t after I got the B screw dialed in JUST RIGHT so there was NO Catastrophic Damage done to the RD or it’s Hanger when Shifting into either 34t to 50t CR when in the 40t Cog or 2nd gear 34t to 1st gear 40t cog when in the 50t CR. I replaced the 11,13,15t Cogs with 12,14,16t Cogs. It HELPED with that Knee jerking 15-18t Jump, however the 16t to 18t Cassette shift, Sometimes when downshifting you have to give the Brifter an extra ‘half swing” to “UMPH” the chain onto the 18t cog since the ‘Hyperglide Ramps” built into the Cogs aren’t “Lined up” Correctly. The 12, 14 and 16t cogs were from another Cassette already spaced in that sequence so the cogs’ ramps lined up but NOT to the 18t Cog on the 11-40t Cassette. This gave an Decent Gearing spread of 12,14,16,18,21,24,28,34,40t on the Cassette, the 18t to 21t jump being the only issue but not TOO much like 15t to 18t. Another thing you may have overlooked is if you attach a Cheapo Knockoff Chinese ”Wolftooth Roadlink” RD Hanger Extender, then the Hanger Alignment may be OFF after installing it and you SHOULD recheck and adjust that alignment accordingly, and if you swap back the original smaller Cassette and attach the RD w/o the Hanger Extender then you have to Again readjust the Frame’s Hanger Alignment. I MUST have done this ‘Right’ since he’s YET to ‘Break’ anything with this PUSHING it to the LIMITS of the RD’s Capacity Setup.
Thanks for this video! For a while I had been fantasizing about upgrading to an 11 speed groupset that would cost an arm! Now I'm just going to replace the cassette for next to nothing and give my bike a new life.
11 speed is OVERKILL IMHO. Best stick with 8,9 or 10sp. Once you go PAST 10sp. The 11 sp. Cogs and Chain are TOO THIN and the Chainline is TOO Stretched so You end up REPLACING both TWICE as much and that gets WAY TOO Expensive Compared to 8, 9 and 10 sp. My Favorite is 8 Sp. A 12-34t Cassette with a Compact 34/50t is ALL you NEED and the Gear Spread is SUFFICIENT w/o TOO Huge Gear Jumps: 12, 14,16,18,21,24,28,34t is Good Enough!
I might be old fashioned but, in our day a Standard chainset was 52/42 not 52/39... I used to climb the 1:3 Honister Pass in the former ratio of 52/42, with whatever we used to use on the 'block' on the 42 ring, typically a maximum 23. Don't ask me how I did it but I did :) We used to call that 'fresh air'... My God, I must be getting old LOL What is that, 1:3... 30%? It was short, but my God, it was steep!! Coming out of Borrowdale via Newlands was just as steep but longer... Over the top, and down into the valley beyond.... The scenery is truly stunning!
Loving your videos. Well done. I've ridden since the 70's (as I imagine you have), when 52/42 and 13-21 or 13-23 were the norm - I can recall wondering if my chain was going to snap due to each pedal stroke being like a leg press on steep hills. Since then, the 53/39 standard seemed to be a big improvement with 11-23 or 11-25 being the norm. After riding on the newer 50/34 with 11-28 setup, I've settled on 52/36 and 11-27. A little more standing in the steepest sections, but all in all the sweet spot for me.
Although for further comment, I actually ride a vintage touring bicycle, so I have a rather strange set-up of a 6-speed wide range rear 14-32, with a "half-step-plus-granny" front 48/44/28. I do most of my riding with the front 44, occasionally up-shifting to the 48 (9% shift). I find that I can generally climb most hills with 44 front, 32 rear, but when it all gets too hard, I bail-out to the 28 on the front and use one of the three larger rear sprockets (32, 28, 24) to spin my way up hills. When you're carrying panniers with your camping kit and a few days worth of food and water, you need those gears that let you crawl up hills.
+Martin Hartley Good suggestion Martin. Im not well versed in the touring side of things but we have a few riders here who have done ultra-long distances and around Australia trips. I might ask them if they would like to contribute their experience.
Yeah Chris Froom and you are the only Cyclists who know the secret about compact drivetrain on a mountain stage... 1st its hard training, talent and the fire of youth...
06:30, Parkinson's? 😕 My father's hands do that same thing. The more he tries to do something, the worse it gets, especially if it requires some moderate dexterity such as writing. It's similar to a stutter (dementia is another matter). Nevermind 😟 I've found this tutorial very useful. I have watched a few of your other tutorials on seating choices and such like. I like the way you take time to carefully and calmly explain things in detail. It's a favourable style for me and it's what I need at this time. I recently received a road bike a Colnago Master Extra Light, 9 speed that has Shimano Dura Ace mechanicals from an eBay seller based in the Netherlands. I have always wanted that particular bike. When I saw it, I had to get it. I'm really looking forward to riding it. I received my MET helmet yesterday, now waiting on peddles and various security accessories lighting security locks and chains. All those matters have taken much research before I had made my decisions and purchases. Having said that, I'm not keen on the idea of leaving it anywhere in my absence, no matter how much security I apply to it. The last road bike I had was a 3 speed Raleigh some 40 years ago. I've only been riding a purpose designed static bike in more recent years a Ketler Racer for fitness with a view to at some point riding an actual road bike. I'm trying to learn as much as possible so I can get the most out of the Colnago. Once my confidence and familiarity is where I feel it needs to be, I'll be joining a cycling club. Since I'm based in south London, maybe Kingston Wheelers. I shall decide nearer the time. Keep up the good spirit. Thanks.
agree! also Froome spins fast while pushing a ton of power, it's not like if you spin your 34-34 you'll go up the hill fast. You only really need small gears if you can't go up the hill you wanna go at a confortable power output.
I'm a spinner and have always been a spinner. I feel very comfortable spinning, especially up hills seated. I've never been a big gear masher. Some of the fellas I ride with rag on me sometimes because I like to spin, but they don't drop me and I don't give a crap what they say or think. I recall riding and a young lady said you need more gear, see how I am spinning less and doing the same speed. I just told her I like to spin, drop it one gear and pulled away - spinning of course. Oh, I use a SRAM compact set and 11-32 rear cassette. I am about to upgrade components and convert to 11 speed. I'm no racer and do not plan to ever race, so this setup is good for me. I've always told myself if riding becomes a job (i.e. training for races), I will hang up the bike.
Simple way of thinking about it - if as an amateur non racer riding in steep hills, you want close to a 1 to 1 ratio between easiest gear on front and back, so you need a compact with a 34 chainring and a 34 cassette on the back. You cannot get that easily with a standard as the 39 chain ring on the front would require a massive 39 cassette for the same gearing
You actually can get a 1:1 extremely easily with a 40t cassette. 1 tooth better than a 1:1. Any med cage (longer than the one demonstrated) road mech will handle a 40t cassette, and med cage mechs are available by every major manufacturer. So yeah, not sure what you mean by "cannot get that easily with a standard". When one adds weight to their bike or they're climbing steep hills, even 1:1 won't cut it. Come do groceries with me here in Seattle. I have a 36x42 as my low and it's barely enough, even if I get out of the saddle at 50rpm cadence. That is tough for most people to even imagine. I'm gonna be moving to a 30x40 ratio, which is a click easier so I can spin more, even with heavy loads uphill. I know what you're thinking, just get a damn triple, you pussy. Well, they are a nightmare to use in the city; no chainring is perfect to stay in while city riding. The chain will rub the FD eventually, so you have to be a jedi while shifting. Way, way too much manual effort. Like trying to brush your teeth holding your toothbrush in your elbow pit. Plus the Q factor is wider, which bothers my knees as I'm very small.
My first road bike (I'm a recovering mountainbiker/born again roadie) came with 50/34 and 11-32 but I got myself an 11-34 do help me do one particular climb and it has never come off again. I'm no racer so I don't find the bigger jumps between rear cogs an issue and I've even found that cross-chaining 50-34 is no problem (the chain remains quiet) so for a lot of the climbs I do I never come out of the big ring. Very occasionally I run out of gears at the top end 50-11 so I am considering seeing if I can get a 52 chainring to run 52/34 up front. When I say to 'serious' roadies that I have 11-34 they almost sneer at me. Funny how spending a fortune on a light weight bike to help you climb hills faster is OK but spending £30 on a new cassette to do the same thing is not! My wife a road bike at the weekend and one of the things on the 'must have' list was a Shimano Tiagra chainset which can accommodate an 11-34 cassette as standard.
+Hugh Wallace Sounds like you have found yur perfect gearing there Hugh...11-34. If you can afford a 52t ring it will get you down the hills that bit faster.
Another tip for you: a mountainbike derailleur progresses at a steeper angle than a road derailleur does. This makes it better follow your wider gearing range. I use an sram x0 on my road bike for this reason. The derailleur doesn't know if you're on pavement or dirt - it just needs to do it's job for the type of cassette it was designed for. For this reason, I wouldn't simply use such a derailleur extension on a road derailleur. I'd rather change the derailleur.
Some claim they lose speed with compact. Speed with 50-11 vs. 53-11 @100RPM is 57.6km/h vs. 61km/h respectively. Negligible. As an amateur cyclist how often are you going to or willing to go over 60km/h anyway.
Some days ago a friend of mine was in a not competition race with Miguel Indurain and Pedro Delgado, and they had 50/34 in their Pinarello and Macario.
oz cycle , sure, but the solution is to increase cadence and stay with the pack. Works very well. The alternative scenario of getting dropped on climbs is virtually irrecoverable. 32T helps relative beginners keep up on climbs where there is no option but to keep up to speed.
Caleb Kim like whenever i ride my regular climbing route? 84 km/h is THE absolute maximum i reach with 50-11 oval. Thats at a cadence of 150rpm. I think a 52-36 crankset would be a good compromise.
lol I could never take the risk to go that fast on a public road on a regular basis, even if it's got brand new tarmac on. My all time descent speed record is about 69 km/h and it was on a fresh 10% 1km long straight where I could see very far ahead and still almost shit my bibshorts when I had to start braking from that speed. I guess some of us amateur cyclists are less suicidal than others.
Good idea to try out the low gear, my biggest gripe is the 11t small sprocket. With a 53t chainring it's such a big gear it's unusable for most riders. A 34t or 32t to 14t would be much more practical with closer gear spacings but alas not available anywhere. It probably easier to switch to a compact crank for a better range of usable gears.
I just did this whole ordeal with a derailleur extender. At 8:22 to 45 you can hear the garbage shifting it gives you though. There isn't enough chain rap and the cogs are too far away. Turns out my ancient 105 and other cheap derailleur can support a 40 tooth cassette with no issues at all. Just a B screw adjustment is needed. Cogs don't rub, the chain pulls and rotates the derailleur forwards fine. The only issue is chain tension in high 11t gearing. You really need a long derailleur cage to fix this issue though. In a 1x setup there'd be great tension though
I disagree on this one, high cadence works for Froom, that doesn't say it's best for everyone. You have to find out what works best for you and then look what gear combination suits you. Also Froom did loads of specific training in order to make it work, not everyone trains that much (as a matter of fact, few do). As for the rest, great informative video as always!
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Thanks for the video. As a 61 year old I still love the big hills, years ago in my twenties when I did Audax events, I used to pass many club cyclists on the hills in my low geared touring bike. I could spin away forever. Until very recently I found it impossible to replicate my old bikes gears. Thanks to your video I now know what to do.
This guy gets the job done spot on with precise evaulation charts. What a gem. Very underrated. You're the best sir ✋🏻
I understand u
This is the best TH-cam channel with detailed information about cycling , brilliant production and crystal clear detail about a very broad range of topics , makes me proud to be an Aussie 👍👍🏽👍🏿🇦🇺 big shout out from Port Macquarie NSW Australia.
Very excellent video and informative. I too am making some adjustments on my bike by using an 11-34 on my compact and 11-32 on my standard. I am a heavy rider so I need the lower gears to climb long steep hills. I'm a subscriber now 🖒
Great video! I've often wondered why everyone was spending so much time worrying about bike weight while ignoring gearing. With big gears you can climb anything. Sure you may start out near the middle or back of the pack but once you hit 7-8-12% grades you move up quite quickly!
Not young anymore but I ride a lot. The most important thing is to avoid an injury which might put me off the bike for months.
So I go a lot further than a compact crank. A triple set with ratios from 53:11 down to 22:34 .
Crazy you might say but I can keep my normal cadence on a mountain climb no matter what the grade.
+smitajky Nice to hear youre still riding no matter age. Agree, avoid injuries...not worth any risks.
You could climb a flight of stairs with a granny gear like that!
That bottom gear is lower than on any of my mountain bikes. Top gears past 44:11 are very rarely useful with mountain bike tyres.
smitajky I will try that~ I live here in North Italy 🇮🇹 near Piancavallo and use those areas for training~ Very steep with large sections of flats as well~
I always used triples back in the day,I see no reason not to use em now. The new shimano triple Ive got shifts great,,bam bam can drop it onto the inner 26 hard it never jumps off.It came with a 30 inner ring...... On my x-country mt bike Ive gone to an 11/40 cassette and will finagle at least a 24 on the front 2x10 crankset. We do rides where everybody ends up pushing its so steep,Id rather pedal.
always nice to have the option of going down a gear when you are tired. I have a compact crankset plus a 11/32 cassette, never found wanting yet.
"...and the guy next to you is sitting on his saddle and he's spinning faster than you are grinding away. Why?" Because I'm fat and he's not.
I disagree i can probably overtake you whilst clearly being fatter than you
@@pascccccaaaalllljear But lacking in humour
because he's in shape and I'm not
@@pascccccaaaalllljear I doubt you're fatter than me
Am at 278 pounds and I like it
Said no person ever
I cycle in mostly low rolling hills for my daily 35-mile training rides (56 km). There aren't any long climbs but one of the short ones hits an 18% grade. I'll do several centuries each year (100 mile or 161 km) and some routes hit longer climbs but they never exceed 10%. Cycling these routes I found that I hadn't used the small chainring of my 50-34t compact chainset for a couple of years. So I switched to a 1x drivetrain at the beginning of 2016. After two seasons on a 1x with a 50t chainring at the front and an 11-28t cassette at the back, I haven't felt the need for a 2x chainset at all. I plan to switch to an 11x32t cassette next year so I can handle steeper climbs (if I ever travel to a location with them) but I've been very happy with the 1x setup.
I'll be 61 years old in a few months and, according to my power meter, I can still hold a modest 400 watts uphill for a fair distance, especially if I'm pulling the pedals, and haven't had any trouble holding a cadence of 80 or better up any of the hills in my area. I rarely get out of the saddle and stay in an aero tuck position resting my arms on aerobars most of the time -- even uphill (there is a lot of wind here). Because of my forward-leaning position, I'm using a 165 mm crank arm length even though I'm 6' 2" tall (188 cm).
I've heard a lot of comments from "critics" about the steps between cogs being too big on an 11-32t or larger cassette. However, I've never experienced that. Most of the time, I find myself jumping two cogs at a time whenever I shift. I remember back in the mid 1980's, my steel-frame road bike had a 2 x 6 drivetrain with much bigger jumps in gear ratios and I never had trouble with it. I still have that bike and ride it occasionally today. No problem with the steps between cogs. So I think the "too large" step complaint, though valid for some cyclists, is exaggerated for most -- especially on an 11-cog cassette.
I wouldn't recommend a 1x drivetrain for everybody. But I just wanted to add a different perspective on this discussion because I think they will become increasingly popular in the future for cyclists who aren't climbing mountains.
D.Eldon , I ride an 11-32T and I think it is the ideal. The issue of missing intermediate ratios might be applicable to those planning on reaching top 10 in races, because at that level, the game is won or lost on optimization.
excellent parabens explanation, I really wanted to change my group, but here in Brazil the parts are very expensive, I'm fifty-two years old and I need to make modifications on my bike.
Sometimes its cheaper in the long run to buy a complete bike,Carlos.
Thanks for the sugestion
400 watts !! That's impressive.
The derailleur extension is cool never seen that before. Saves from having to buy a whole new rear mech!
Many thanks. The hanger extension has now cured my problem since changing the cassette 👍
Thank you Uncle OZ, the compact chainset has made a big difference to my bike, and all the gears feel more natural now. Much better...and they were a bit lighter! Great video.
I'm running a 52-32T front, 11-34T rear. I still have my top end.
Is it okay if my chainring is 53-39T and my cassette is 11-32T?
@@LLYANonWHEELS yup.
I run a 52-34 swapped out 36 and an 11-32 with a standard dura ace hangar. It works fine don't listen to anyone that says it can't be done
glenny oc n
I ride in the Mountains with steep climbs 10%+ and long smooth fast desents with posted speed limit 55 MPH
I recommend this gearing to all who ride the extream ups and downs.
52 - 34 chainrings
11 - 32 cassette
www.strava.com/segments/638289
Deer Trail (to mailboxes)
www.mapmyride.com/us/boulder-co/buffalo-bicycle-classic-2013-buff-epic-1-route-252315553
glenny oc . th-cam.com/video/qPLasomhTCw/w-d-xo.html
that works pefect,i also recommend the big jockey wheels,diameter of 42 mm will fit
any shimano short cage!
i have a 40 tooth casette paired with a compact on my road bike. Shifts amazing and i can go up mountains. The tricky part was finding a mechanic that knows how to calculate the length of the chain and index the gears properly (which is what i didn’t know how to do, i tried and failed). The only downside on my my bike is the rear wheel doesn’t come of easily. I highly recommend this set up for new to the sport folks until you build strength. Credits are due to Durianrider.
This is the true educational video that I have been searching for years and all serious riders should take notes on.
So happy I finally find this video…. It would be much better if I learned about this a lot earlier
I use a 52-36 and an 11-34 for my casual rides or mountainous races. I can roll up a 20% grade at around 70 rpm, which is much better than the 40-50 rpm I was getting on my old 53-39 and 12-25
Just what I am looking for
Why didn't you put the 11-34 on the 53/39?
@@cordero852 Lol they were different bikes. The 53/39 was part of a 9-speed group on an old bike, and the 52/36 was on a newer bike with an 11-speed group.
Raising the bar so high with these useful hacks, yet making them look like oh so easy! Thank you for all the wonderful videos.
As an older rider who has not ridden for many years I use a 1X 7 speed with 38T chainwheel and 12-32T chainwheel which gives me lots of low gears and I just freewheel downhill to catch my breath.....nice easy riding...I never have to get out of the saddle. Years ago I used to have very close ratio high gearing which I now recognise as a mistake for casual ridiing.
i personally think its all about the style of the rider. ive seen huge chain rings just killing it in uphills against high cadence riders with compact gearing.
Depends on how long the "uphill" is ! You're not climbing a mountain pass in the Alps with a "huge chain ring" !
@@Peakabike you don't know me then 😂😂
Pushing big gears uphill at slow cadence will destroy your knees..... eventually.
Complete process done...and found this valuable in regard to the sitting as you climb..Had an 11/28 and swapped it out for 11/32 just to allow the uphill spin option, but surprisingly recalling the 11/28, I just had to be more focused on the climb. Age factor was big reason for the 11/32 change. At 65 I want to keep cycling, and not tire as easily..Thanks, this was a useful video
I'm 28 with an FTP of 285 and wouldn't ever change from an 11/32. I rarely use the lowest gear but when it kicks to over 10% you need them. Also on some hills even in the lowest gear and only doing around 70rpm out the saddle i still struggle to keep the watts below 300 - could still do with a lower gear.
Great job man. Very understandable for a guy like me who’s mechanically challenged. I also appreciate your humility.
I’m planning on doing the Mt Washington Auto Road Hill Climb (New Hampshire, USA) 7.6 miles 12% gradient. Hope my 50-34t, 34-12t will work. Ha we will see.
Good lad! Brilliantly explained. Best from UK
loved the bit where you were demonstrating riding up hill great moves lol
This is the absolute best representation of this ever
It is so 😊
Some hills need more than extra gears they need more power in the legs , I tend to come up out of the saddle athe start of a hill and then sit down once the speed has been built , I run a 53/39. And 11/32. But with 160 cranks due to my shorter leg stroke . The large spread of the gears gives me the ability to climb the steepest hills and enable a 70kph top speed without issues
Excellent, well explained video, I recently changed from compact with 11/28 cluster to 39/53 with same cluster, recently did a major hill climb, absolutely stuffed, its all about close comfortable gear ratios., not to mention the motor driving the cranks. Thanks for the information.
Round my way the climbs are short and steep, tho its mostly flat so i ride a 41/53 - 13-14-15-16-17-18-20-23-25-27 tho i can get to serious hills/mtns and I'll put a 39/50 on. Spinning is winning 👌 Love the Oz Cycling channel 😋
+lee a dorney Sounds like you need 2 seperate bikes Lee :)
I took my bike for a first hills ride today, 50-34 and 11-32 and I used all of them. 34-32 not too often, but a couple of times when I needed a break.
2018 standard setup for many manufacturers seems to be 52-36 and 11-30. Based on today, for my needs, I think I'll get the shop to swap the semi on my planned upgrade bike for a proper compact set of chain rings. I don't want or need higher top end speed, but I definitely appreciate having easier gears available when climbing. Stronger riders would probably be fine, but I'm not a strong rider :-)
Yup depends how strong you are a lot of the time. 20 years ago when I was racing and training like a maniac, a 39 x 28 was more than small enough. Now that I've been off the bike for 20 years and have no legs and excess weight, I'm even having trouble with the 34 x 32 on a lot of hills lol. It's just amazing the difference the legs make, 25 kph is pacey on the flat now, but in the old days I didn't even go that slow on easy recovery rides on the flat.
strong or not, spinning > grinding
Free Man
Agreed, but a stronger rider is able to spin bigger gears than a weaker rider, that is what is meant. For example 20 years ago I could go up hill with 90 rpm with say a 39/23 or even bigger gear, whereas now the equivalent for going up the same hill at 90 rpm would probably be with a 34/32 or worse.
On my new road endurance bike (Giant Contend) I've just put 46/30 on the front and 11/42 on the back, all for very cheap. And working excellently! Didn't even need to change any deraileurs or cranks from the stock ones! The 46/30 sub-compact chainrings have 110 BCD and costs $50, and the cassette cost $30. Plus a Roadlink which cost about $35. How's that, a cheap 110 BCD 30-tooth chainring?!
I was struggling to even push the 34/32, this 30/42 is really great for me.
Anyway I always want to spin, so have to get gears to fit my strength, which is weak due to illness. I refuse to grind up hill if it's within my power to lower the gearing on the bike. And who but race-speed riders need anything bigger than a 46/11 eh? That's plenty big enough for 90% of commuter road riders and is usable range. For most commuters a 50/11 is just superfluous and barely if ever used. Just not needed.
But if I was racing even D and E-grade level I'd definitely need a 50/11. Probably even go with a 52 for D and E grade, but could get by with a 50. For B and C-grade you'll definitely need a 52 on the front. A-grade level you need at least 52 and preferably 53. When I was riding A-grade I had a 52 but on occasions wished for a 53 as the 52 spun out in races, and I was only an average A-grader. But I was too lazy and not serious enough to do the conversion haha. But now I suffer too much on the hills to not warrant converting to lower gears than the stock 34/32.
Who would think a 34/32 on the road is too big? But for some it really is, I'm so slow I grind even with that gear. I'm bloody loving my 30/42!
@@alantaylor6691 nice read! That's an impressive range of gearing. My old bicycle has 52/40 and 28/14 and is only 12 speed lol. On the flat I'm on the 3rd cog and big ring but uphill its not easy even on lowest gears, I haven't cycled for years so that won't help. I can only imagine how slick your drivetrain must feel especially uphills!
@@TheRealD4
About a year or two ago I was speaking to someone who was running a triple chainring, with low gear being 20 on the front and 46 on the back!
You may ask how do you get a 20T chainring? Well as you may know, 22 is usually the lowest gear you can get on stock triples. However you can actually buy 20T chainrings on ebay that can replace the stock 22T small ring.
Then he got the back up to 46. I think that's something like an 11 inch gear. He does fireroad riding and says he uses it for that, with gravel bike type tyres of about 42mm.
I run Shimano 105 11 speed 11-32 and 50/34 feels nice to me maybe a bit to hard since i live in Austria and my commute to work is 2600 Meters with 9 Meters ascent but back home its 130 Meters ascent 108 alone for the last 900 Meters.
I do like my Fatbike much more 9-46 and 32 with 4.8x26 rubber.
Your videos are refreshingly positive. No side drama, foul language and creepiness that some look that named himself after a tropical fruit exemplifies. Thx for the valuable tutorials and the good healthy energy. Happy riding and be safe out there...looking forward to your next video as I just subscribed. Aloha
Thanx. Im a bit older than "the tropical fruit" guy . Married n had kids so sorta passed a lot of that sort of thing.
5 Years later i use 46/30 cranksets on both the gravel/touring and roadbike, with 11-36 and 11-40 cassettes in the rear. top gear is still enough, especially on the fat tired gravelbike, and the low gears make it possible to basically spin up every climb with the same power and cadence i would use on the flats. the only small gripe is the 11-12-13-15 jump on the road bike where i would sometimes like a 14 in between. i still have the tighter spaced 11-30 cassette floating around but to be honest i couldnt be bothered to switch lately.
Great video, really appreciate the tips! I never cottoned on to the derailleur extension before, that will save me changing from short to long cage derailleur. Thanks
Compact is great as it is difficult to find triples,however i used a triple on zoncolan and mortirolo and found my times were better,but the kicker is that i didnt burn all my glycogen ,so you can do several mountains in one day.thank you for the info on the adapter. Your chanel has made a huge positive difference to my cycling. A compact is good for heavy riders like myself you can put the torque from a 39 to a 34 and really fly with less injury.there is no way a 39 will work on a climb like mortirolo even contador used a 34-30 and he won ! Spin to win!
Having a 34D-24-34. Never had a problem climbing up, except when I drink too much, then the doors locked 🔒
Back in the Dark Ages (1970s), we called them "granny gears." The early mountain bike folks used three chain rings with large cogs in back (only five or six of them!), and they tended to blast by most of the hard core roadies with their 42-52/12-23 combos. What a wake up! Thanks for the great videos!
i dont dont abandon my triples for nothing my bike not fear the mountains the ultegra 53-39-30 rules here! on 11-34
Good One OZ!, here is my gear ratio; I use an old crankset of 53-42 (And I love that crank) and the casette is 11t-30t. Here in Colombia we have reallly steep and long hills and never ran out of gears, even the 42t-30t is rarery used. I'm even looking for a 55 chainring for downhill stages.
Thanx for relating your experience Geass
My drive train is worn so I will be getting compact gears soon. Thanks for the informative video
Its always a pleasure to watch your videos. Its funny and a lot of tricks to keep our passion.... Road bike riding..... yeah! Thanks, Ralf/ Frankfurt/ Germany. ;-)
Thanx Ralf....will try to keep them entertaining 😎
And thats how the 1x system started !
And also how convinient to have same speed bicycles , you can always have a donor !
Nice Video , thanks.
Compact 50/34 with 11/28 works well for most recreational riders I should think. If you want to stand up gear up and stand up. You still have choice. Downside is it limits speeds on descents but my fear/sanity factor limits that too so no problem most of the time. I don't live in the mountains though.
I have been very happy with that common compact setup for some years now. I can take on a lot of crazy climbs with what seems to me negligible top speed disadvantage. I can only think of one practical situation where my top speed gear was slightly lacking, a long, straight descent. Even then, most amateur cyclists would find this plenty fast, and working hard to push too much faster than terminal velocity downhill can be significant effort for not that much more speed gain. I have found it nice to push for whatever top speed I can handle partway down the descent, tuck in to as aero a position as possible, and save up a bit of reserves to burst up the next climb that might be ahead.
Great video as always, wish I have seen it before spending money to buy a new medium cage 105 rear derailleur & retire a working Ultegra short cage one to go up from 28 to 34 at the back:)
Thanks, I learned a new trick.
Good video. As long as you are not riding with the TDF, you can do a lot of experiments with your road bike. Anyhow when you are 50 up you need these gears. It's just a matter of choice and saving your knees.
I went ahead and sprung for an XT rear mech when I replaced my little corncob with a wider range cogset. Many miles later, it's worked a treat.
Helpful video for the leisure/keen rider wishing to try before buying. Enthusiastically presented. Nicely done sir.
I'm on a semi-compact 52-36 and 11-32. Here in Denmark, i have never run out of gears.
+Christopher Bøgh Andersen Thanx Christopher,nice to hear. I too have a bike with mid-compact and its my prefered geared bike.
that's cause Denmarks highest hill is 170m :D. remarkably flat country. Come to Austria and the Alps and you'll see that a compact crank is a good idea. to be fair a 36-32 is a good bottom gear if you don't weigh that much
sunrace cassette
When you're on a 10% climb for an hour, you're grateful for a 34/34. That's 190-280W in 60-90rpm for a 70kg rider.
+Patrik Beno Gosh....thats a long climb Patrik.
Ive been waiting quit a while to see an informative gear ratio video like this one.Thx
Great Information Video - having Compact Chainset (50 / 34) fitted tomorrow (to work the local hills) working with a 12 - 28 Cassette. Hope it helps !!!
that new bike I've just ordered comes with 52/36 11-30. I'm used to 50/34 11-34. I aint never gonna get up them hills.
Man I love your energy. So informative as well.
Excellent video..fun, simple and informative. Looking at a new bike at the moment..I do miss the compact I had from a couple of old bikes I had a few years ago when I started out. I thought I was just getting old but my very hilly rides in the Scottish highlands have been killing me with a 52/36. Back to fun I go!
Very well made video! Indeed! I do agree on that about getting up from saddle, relax back and legs!
I have a bike road flat bar, steel, from 1990, still with original 7 speed material, shimano 100GS. I now have 11-13-15-17-19-21-24- and 28 out of range.
Still not decided, if just swap rear shifter with one 8s, to recover the 28T on my 8s cassete, for very steep climes.
if just the 8 speed flat bar shifters availabe were not ugly with gears display, and would be nice one 10S up to 30T. Can't decide myself, since only affects rare steep climes where going seated and at very low speed is not also the best...
Thanks for this great video. My all purpose bike is a crossbike with a 1x11 setup. I love riding it but I didn’t understand what exactly the advantages are. Now I do.
I love the conversations, all positive
Low cadence on hills means high torque and more injury risk...especially in the knees.
Also harder on the drivetrain too.
Unless you're a pirate. Then you run a 54/44 crank with a nine speed 11-23 cassette.
@@FLMKane R.I.P. Marco.
Yep get ready for that knee surgery.
I live in the Uk from West Yorkshire it is all hilly here i was running a 11-21 dura ace cassette for the past 2 years and climbed up 25% gradients on it mashing on the pedals im a very light guy 5.10 and weight just 59kg i changed it last week for the 11/25 im climbing much faster its all about the cadence spinning easy gears fast up climbs and you will go much faster like you mentioned should have seen this video before i bought the cassette lol.
Thanx for relating your experience 😁
My Canyon Endurace came with a 52/36, but the website said it comes with a 50/34. I contacted them and they said they will send me the correct chainring, so good on them. I'll be excited to do some more climbing when it gets here.
Nice service from Canyon 😁
I did a couple of time, put a MTB cassette on my road bike. As its a 30T not need for an extra hanger. Work flawlessly. I actually have a 53/39 crankset.
I hit 63 mph on my standard triple a few years back. It was a beautiful downhill near Graeagle Ca. Got a $375.00 ticket from CHP for that one! 63 in a 35.
I hope you kept that ticket! That is a TOP speed!
I got up to 55 MPH on a 50 dollar Montgomery ward 27 inch 10 speed with a speedometer. I was 13 yrs old. Downhill in a subdivision.
get gearing that can keep you at or under your threshold power on long climbs with your prefered climbing cadence this will vary hugely from rider to rider based on weight ,fitness and technique
+Jonathan Farrelly Spot on Jonathan .
love your videos by the way very helpful tips keep up the good work
Jonathan Farrelly , well said.
I live in hilly area, with some climbs up to 25%. I feel happy with Ultegra compact and 11-34 cassette. I found the steps between gears adequate.
My bike came with compact and a 11 - 32 9 speed cassette. I hated the jumps between gears. Now I use 12 - 27. Still gives a low gear 2.6 m. Best thing I ever did
+Tim Trial Good practical choice Tim...thanx for your experience.
That extension piece is just what I need, I didn’t know about it.
One thing to mention, the higher are the front chainring the shorter are the step between each gear. Very important for people who perform at a precise target cadence. I have a 52×36 and 12-25 cassette. I love the 12-25 because of the short step between each gear. But I have a too big step (10 rpm at 95-100rpm) between 52×21 and 52×19 that I have to fill with the 36×14 combination. Not very practical… (don't have Di2 to program that sequence !). After having done a Excel sheet with all the combinations ratio, the 53×39 offers me what I want. So I switched to a 53×39 . The 39×25 allows me to climb long slope of 8% max, I don't live in the mountain so it's ok. So that's it, don't look at your neighbour's equipment. Choose the one which is made for your style (spinner or smasher !) and your playground ;-)
Im glad i found your channel 😊 nice informative and well explained
WOW! Very nice.
Excellent clinic. I'm going to use that gearing for my next sportif with steep climbing.
50 34 front and 40 11 on the back soo much hapiness
I'm running 50/34 with an 11-42 cassette. Get one mi level, bro. lol
Medium Shimano 105 cage fits a 34 cassette just fine however what I did was swap out the 11 cog to a 12.
truetierra
Hi, just seen you comment. Do you run a 50-34 chainset? I want to swap out my 11-32 for a 11-34 to run with my shimano 105 Group set... any advise?
Another superb vid from you Oz. Informative and enjoyable. Thank you.
I Rigged my Newbie Clyde ‘Mate’ (180cm, 110kg.) up with even LOWER Compact Gearing. His Bike came Stock with Compact 34/50t CRs and 11-27t 9 sp. Cassette w/Sora Derailleurs and Brifters. After trying an 11-34t Cassette he STILL had to dismount and walk up any Gradient over 5-6%. So I went with the LARGEST Cassette that was Available 11-40t. Considering he’s a Newb, I DID NOT TRUST him to be able to figure out NEVER to Cross Chain. Holy Vegemite, with that Sora RD you gotta get that chain length JUST RIGHT, and I ended up CUSTOMIZING the Cassette cause the Chain sagged in 34/11t but it sagged just a TINY bit in 34/12t after I got the B screw dialed in JUST RIGHT so there was NO Catastrophic Damage done to the RD or it’s Hanger when Shifting into either 34t to 50t CR when in the 40t Cog or 2nd gear 34t to 1st gear 40t cog when in the 50t CR. I replaced the 11,13,15t Cogs with 12,14,16t Cogs. It HELPED with that Knee jerking 15-18t Jump, however the 16t to 18t Cassette shift, Sometimes when downshifting you have to give the Brifter an extra ‘half swing” to “UMPH” the chain onto the 18t cog since the ‘Hyperglide Ramps” built into the Cogs aren’t “Lined up” Correctly. The 12, 14 and 16t cogs were from another Cassette already spaced in that sequence so the cogs’ ramps lined up but NOT to the 18t Cog on the 11-40t Cassette. This gave an Decent Gearing spread of 12,14,16,18,21,24,28,34,40t on the Cassette, the 18t to 21t jump being the only issue but not TOO much like 15t to 18t. Another thing you may have overlooked is if you attach a Cheapo Knockoff Chinese ”Wolftooth Roadlink” RD Hanger Extender, then the Hanger Alignment may be OFF after installing it and you SHOULD recheck and adjust that alignment accordingly, and if you swap back the original smaller Cassette and attach the RD w/o the Hanger Extender then you have to Again readjust the Frame’s Hanger Alignment. I MUST have done this ‘Right’ since he’s YET to ‘Break’ anything with this PUSHING it to the LIMITS of the RD’s Capacity Setup.
Thanks for this video! For a while I had been fantasizing about upgrading to an 11 speed groupset that would cost an arm! Now I'm just going to replace the cassette for next to nothing and give my bike a new life.
11 speed is OVERKILL IMHO. Best stick with 8,9 or 10sp. Once you go PAST 10sp. The 11 sp. Cogs and Chain are TOO THIN and the Chainline is TOO Stretched so You end up REPLACING both TWICE as much and that gets WAY TOO Expensive Compared to 8, 9 and 10 sp. My Favorite is 8 Sp. A 12-34t Cassette with a Compact 34/50t is ALL you NEED and the Gear Spread is SUFFICIENT w/o TOO Huge Gear Jumps: 12, 14,16,18,21,24,28,34t is Good Enough!
I might be old fashioned but, in our day a Standard chainset was 52/42 not 52/39... I used to climb the 1:3 Honister Pass in the former ratio of 52/42, with whatever we used to use on the 'block' on the 42 ring, typically a maximum 23. Don't ask me how I did it but I did :) We used to call that 'fresh air'... My God, I must be getting old LOL
What is that, 1:3... 30%? It was short, but my God, it was steep!!
Coming out of Borrowdale via Newlands was just as steep but longer... Over the top, and down into the valley beyond.... The scenery is truly stunning!
Loving your videos. Well done.
I've ridden since the 70's (as I imagine you have), when 52/42 and 13-21 or 13-23 were the norm - I can recall wondering if my chain was going to snap due to each pedal stroke being like a leg press on steep hills.
Since then, the 53/39 standard seemed to be a big improvement with 11-23 or 11-25 being the norm.
After riding on the newer 50/34 with 11-28 setup, I've settled on 52/36 and 11-27. A little more standing in the steepest sections, but all in all the sweet spot for me.
Yes I remember and still have some of my old clusters....13-23 and 13-18 for flats. You are right,grinding up the hills! Much better now hey?
You can also consider getting a road triple crankset 53/39/30 which would let you keep your close-ratio 11-25 or 11-28 rear cluster.
Although for further comment, I actually ride a vintage touring bicycle, so I have a rather strange set-up of a 6-speed wide range rear 14-32, with a "half-step-plus-granny" front 48/44/28. I do most of my riding with the front 44, occasionally up-shifting to the 48 (9% shift). I find that I can generally climb most hills with 44 front, 32 rear, but when it all gets too hard, I bail-out to the 28 on the front and use one of the three larger rear sprockets (32, 28, 24) to spin my way up hills. When you're carrying panniers with your camping kit and a few days worth of food and water, you need those gears that let you crawl up hills.
+Martin Hartley Thanx for your expertise with touring gears Martin....will be appreciated by many viewers.
I'd like to see you do a piece on touring bicycles in Australia. There is a great potential for it here.
+Martin Hartley Good suggestion Martin. Im not well versed in the touring side of things but we have a few riders here who have done ultra-long distances and around Australia trips. I might ask them if they would like to contribute their experience.
I ride 53/39 with 12/25 cassete and I am very happy with that , I live in flat country and I am only 24 so standard chainrings are much better for me.
Yeah Chris Froom and you are the only Cyclists who know the secret about compact drivetrain on a mountain stage... 1st its hard training, talent and the fire of youth...
Really awesome...nowhere else would I find this info easily, I thought 32 was max.
haha jokes on you, i have three chainrings!
06:30, Parkinson's? 😕
My father's hands do that same thing. The more he tries to do something, the worse it gets, especially if it requires some moderate dexterity such as writing. It's similar to a stutter (dementia is another matter). Nevermind 😟
I've found this tutorial very useful. I have watched a few of your other tutorials on seating choices and such like. I like the way you take time to carefully and calmly explain things in detail. It's a favourable style for me and it's what I need at this time.
I recently received a road bike a Colnago Master Extra Light, 9 speed that has Shimano Dura Ace mechanicals from an eBay seller based in the Netherlands. I have always wanted that particular bike. When I saw it, I had to get it. I'm really looking forward to riding it.
I received my MET helmet yesterday, now waiting on peddles and various security accessories lighting security locks and chains. All those matters have taken much research before I had made my decisions and purchases. Having said that, I'm not keen on the idea of leaving it anywhere in my absence, no matter how much security I apply to it.
The last road bike I had was a 3 speed Raleigh some 40 years ago. I've only been riding a purpose designed static bike in more recent years a Ketler Racer for fitness with a view to at some point riding an actual road bike.
I'm trying to learn as much as possible so I can get the most out of the Colnago. Once my confidence and familiarity is where I feel it needs to be, I'll be joining a cycling club. Since I'm based in south London, maybe Kingston Wheelers. I shall decide nearer the time.
Keep up the good spirit. Thanks.
Hi 👋 Sir, your demo really 👍 true. Because you show practical ly. Thanks.
Higher cadence usually means higher heart and breathing rate. You have to have the fitness to spin a high cadence with power, without blowing..
+Norevlimitr True. Complimenting bike riding with swimming boosts cardio capacity. Also there is less lactic acid buildup at a higher cadence.
agree! also Froome spins fast while pushing a ton of power, it's not like if you spin your 34-34 you'll go up the hill fast. You only really need small gears if you can't go up the hill you wanna go at a confortable power output.
I'm a spinner and have always been a spinner. I feel very comfortable spinning, especially up hills seated. I've never been a big gear masher. Some of the fellas I ride with rag on me sometimes because I like to spin, but they don't drop me and I don't give a crap what they say or think. I recall riding and a young lady said you need more gear, see how I am spinning less and doing the same speed. I just told her I like to spin, drop it one gear and pulled away - spinning of course. Oh, I use a SRAM compact set and 11-32 rear cassette. I am about to upgrade components and convert to 11 speed. I'm no racer and do not plan to ever race, so this setup is good for me. I've always told myself if riding becomes a job (i.e. training for races), I will hang up the bike.
+Methodical2 Thanx for your experience. Sounds like you know how your body performs in the hills Methodical2.
Yes.
I run 2x9 compact 52/36:11-34 on sora shifters, 10x Tiagra derailleur and on 28c tires. I always rest the day after a 50km ride.
Sounds like a good combination all round Jurica 😁
Nice experiment! May it try myself. Many thanks!
Very detailed video. Thanks for sharing.
Simple way of thinking about it - if as an amateur non racer riding in steep hills, you want close to a 1 to 1 ratio between easiest gear on front and back, so you need a compact with a 34 chainring and a 34 cassette on the back. You cannot get that easily with a standard as the 39 chain ring on the front would require a massive 39 cassette for the same gearing
You actually can get a 1:1 extremely easily with a 40t cassette. 1 tooth better than a 1:1. Any med cage (longer than the one demonstrated) road mech will handle a 40t cassette, and med cage mechs are available by every major manufacturer. So yeah, not sure what you mean by "cannot get that easily with a standard".
When one adds weight to their bike or they're climbing steep hills, even 1:1 won't cut it. Come do groceries with me here in Seattle. I have a 36x42 as my low and it's barely enough, even if I get out of the saddle at 50rpm cadence. That is tough for most people to even imagine. I'm gonna be moving to a 30x40 ratio, which is a click easier so I can spin more, even with heavy loads uphill.
I know what you're thinking, just get a damn triple, you pussy. Well, they are a nightmare to use in the city; no chainring is perfect to stay in while city riding. The chain will rub the FD eventually, so you have to be a jedi while shifting. Way, way too much manual effort. Like trying to brush your teeth holding your toothbrush in your elbow pit. Plus the Q factor is wider, which bothers my knees as I'm very small.
Peeling Pedaler the one I have, sram, only recommend to 32t max..do your run this without issue?
Spot on 👍 great efforts for making videos….always.
wow! great information. thank you for this great video.
My first road bike (I'm a recovering mountainbiker/born again roadie) came with 50/34 and 11-32 but I got myself an 11-34 do help me do one particular climb and it has never come off again. I'm no racer so I don't find the bigger jumps between rear cogs an issue and I've even found that cross-chaining 50-34 is no problem (the chain remains quiet) so for a lot of the climbs I do I never come out of the big ring. Very occasionally I run out of gears at the top end 50-11 so I am considering seeing if I can get a 52 chainring to run 52/34 up front.
When I say to 'serious' roadies that I have 11-34 they almost sneer at me. Funny how spending a fortune on a light weight bike to help you climb hills faster is OK but spending £30 on a new cassette to do the same thing is not!
My wife a road bike at the weekend and one of the things on the 'must have' list was a Shimano Tiagra chainset which can accommodate an 11-34 cassette as standard.
+Hugh Wallace Sounds like you have found yur perfect gearing there Hugh...11-34. If you can afford a 52t ring it will get you down the hills that bit faster.
@Hugh Wallace; Cycling snobbery?
That's helpful especially in our swiss mountains.
Finally gonna adapt my knee breaker setup in this fashion 😅 thnx for tutorial
Another tip for you: a mountainbike derailleur progresses at a steeper angle than a road derailleur does. This makes it better follow your wider gearing range. I use an sram x0 on my road bike for this reason. The derailleur doesn't know if you're on pavement or dirt - it just needs to do it's job for the type of cassette it was designed for. For this reason, I wouldn't simply use such a derailleur extension on a road derailleur. I'd rather change the derailleur.
Some claim they lose speed with compact. Speed with 50-11 vs. 53-11 @100RPM is 57.6km/h vs. 61km/h respectively. Negligible. As an amateur cyclist how often are you going to or willing to go over 60km/h anyway.
Some days ago a friend of mine was in a not competition race with Miguel Indurain and Pedro Delgado, and they had 50/34 in their Pinarello and Macario.
+Caleb Kim We find those with compact often run out of gears in dowhill sprints and usually draft on long decents to save their legs.
oz cycle , sure, but the solution is to increase cadence and stay with the pack. Works very well. The alternative scenario of getting dropped on climbs is virtually irrecoverable. 32T helps relative beginners keep up on climbs where there is no option but to keep up to speed.
Caleb Kim like whenever i ride my regular climbing route? 84 km/h is THE absolute maximum i reach with 50-11 oval. Thats at a cadence of 150rpm. I think a 52-36 crankset would be a good compromise.
lol I could never take the risk to go that fast on a public road on a regular basis, even if it's got brand new tarmac on. My all time descent speed record is about 69 km/h and it was on a fresh 10% 1km long straight where I could see very far ahead and still almost shit my bibshorts when I had to start braking from that speed. I guess some of us amateur cyclists are less suicidal than others.
Very informative as always!
Thank you...excellent! You really are the best!
what a beautiful road bike..Sir..safe ride Always..
Good idea to try out the low gear, my biggest gripe is the 11t small sprocket. With a 53t chainring it's such a big gear it's unusable for most riders.
A 34t or 32t to 14t would be much more practical with closer gear spacings but alas not available anywhere. It probably easier to switch to a compact crank for a better range of usable gears.
Love the sound of that freewheel
I just did this whole ordeal with a derailleur extender.
At 8:22 to 45 you can hear the garbage shifting it gives you though. There isn't enough chain rap and the cogs are too far away.
Turns out my ancient 105 and other cheap derailleur can support a 40 tooth cassette with no issues at all. Just a B screw adjustment is needed.
Cogs don't rub, the chain pulls and rotates the derailleur forwards fine.
The only issue is chain tension in high 11t gearing. You really need a long derailleur cage to fix this issue though. In a 1x setup there'd be great tension though
I disagree on this one, high cadence works for Froom, that doesn't say it's best for everyone. You have to find out what works best for you and then look what gear combination suits you. Also Froom did loads of specific training in order to make it work, not everyone trains that much (as a matter of fact, few do). As for the rest, great informative video as always!
+Erik Joosten True Erik. Pro or no pro,we can all improve our cadence tho. As it is neurophisiological it takes time to improve...it does work.