Rings, Teeth & Cranks...HELP!

So i am running a 39/53 on the front...what do you expect? I lived in Florida...

now that i have a few mountains around i am totally perplexed at what to get...not riding road very much i need help!
I could get a compact 34/50 which is what the men say is fine around here...but i am afraid of investing so much and not have the granniest gear i may need...if i went with a triple i would have to change out EVERYTHING (including the rear derailer, and maybe the shifters $$$$$) The hills are nothing compared to SF, the elevation increase is 3000' maybe at the most and not too steep for the most part. Lots of rolling terrain which i am completely unfamiliar with. I did a century in Lancaster, PA last year and did fine...
Any Advice from you Hill Climber?????

*the only thing i have to compare to is the 22/32/44 on my MTBike and that has gotten me where ever I want to go...i rarely use the granny except on looooooooong continuous climbs (on gravel and dirt!)

edit by the way if this is the wrong thread please move it to its apropiate one...thanks!

Unfortunately I don't have the magic answer to your gearing question, but given the price differences why not try the compact double first and see if it works for you? Are there choices beyond the 34/50 that you mentioned?

--- Denise

What is your largest rear sprocket? Would you be willing to change that too? How much can your current derailleur handle? The answer depends on YOU, not just the hills? Do you like to stay in the saddle and grind up the hills, or stand up and attack them? I use 42/52 front and 13/23 rear in a moderately hilly area but would opt for a triple to go touring in the mountains.

I know it depends on ME, but unfortunately i have not ridden hill enough to know what ME can handle...:p
Have not found another 2 ring option besides the 34-50...but there are two options with that - a NICE carbon one:D ...or the lower aluminum (which what i have now and is fine...but who would turn down an upgrade???) I would only want to spend the extra cash if i am pretty confident i can handle the 34-50.
If i were to get the triple i would have to change out the rear rings and all the derailers cause the ones i have will not work with a triple (so i have been told)
As for the rear...i am doing good to understand the front at this point but that brings up a question...Can i go with the 34-50 and change out the rear sprockets (is that the right word?) without having to change the derailers?
***my derailers are as top of the line as i will ever get and i would hate to have to change them if i could help it...i have not had the bike a year and it seems such a waste (i was in a wreck and scratched the rear derailler all up -- it works great still but the resale value is not so good cause of that)

You asked about rear derailleurs and cassettte compatibility. I am running a 13-29 on my climbing bike with a short-cage derailleuer. So, you can probably go much bigger in the back with little problem.

With a compact 50-34 and my 13-29 cassette, I have gearing VERY similar to a triple, with little weight penalty. I have this on a bike that I'm setting up strictly for climbing rides. I have a 12-15 for flatter routes.

OK...did a little research and have an add on...

my rear is (i guess what you would say) is 11-23
it reads
11-12-13-14-15-16-17-21-23

so what you are saying is that i can get the double up front 34/50 then get a bigger set in the rear, maybe a 13-29 without having to change the derailer?

if so that may be the answer...:confused:

i knew there was a reason i went into photography instead of accounting...no wait, that deals with numbers too (and they are backward:mad: )...NO REALLY...you ladies are a HUGE help...this is starting to make sense! I almost want to go into the manliest bikeshop i can find and talk gear ratios just for an ego boost..hehe

For a roaring good time, play around here:
http://sheldonbrown.com/gears/

Plug in the numbers that you want to compare. I make up a wacky front crank so I can compare (30, 34, 39 for example) so I can see what I lose or gain with different components.

Shimano and Campy have different limits, and I'm not sure Shimano has a cassette comparable to my Campy 13-29. So, do some more homework on what's available in the components you are using.

Thanks a bunch!!! I have gone to his site before...in fact i posted a link to what he had done with the Surley Karate Monkey (my new baby:p )

...off to crunch some numbers...aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa:eek:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bouncybouncy

OK...did a little research and have an add on...

my rear is (i guess what you would say) is 11-23
it reads
11-12-13-14-15-16-17-21-23

so what you are saying is that i can get the double up front 34/50 then get a bigger set in the rear, maybe a 13-29 without having to change the derailer?

---

You'll need to check your rear derailleur and find out the max sprocket size it can handle. Some derailleurs made for 11-23 won't be able to handle a 13-29. You can check the Shimano site, for instance, and for each model it will tell you the min and max sprocket sizes, the max front sprocket difference, and the total capacity in teeth.

Yup, the Shimano site will tell you all about compatibilities.

I run the 9-sp Shimano grouppo on my bike. Having ridden in PA for a few years, I would make two recommendations. The grades will be similar. One, I would avoid a triple. Two, I would keep your chainrings and change out your cassette with the largest gear you can get.

I began with a 52-39 chainring and 11-23 cassette bike from South Louisiana in the PA hills. It was tough but I hung with it.

I then tried the triple and cable tension was always an issue as were the adjustments on the derailleurs. So I decided to get a larger cassette for the 9-sp and wound up with a 12-27 cassette. The steepest grades are OK with the 27t gear on the back.

A compact will make it more difficult to gain high speeds on the flats. So, if you are going to ride flats, you will be glad you have the 53 chainring.