When the lowest gear isn't low enough

[marfa]

Hi all

When I've recently been training on hills and I need to change down I gear, I often find that my fellow riders have a lower gear on their bikes, so that they are able to keep spinning. Mine on the other hand doesn't seem to go low enough so I'm still struggling to get up the hill.

Is it just that I'm not trying hard enough?

[Biciclista]

I'm certain you are trying hard enough. Are you certain that you are in your lowest gear? If you are, it could be a combination of your bike not having those super low gears and you not being strong enough yet. Keep trying and you will eventually be strong enough to go up any hill that challenges you.

[malaholic]

Different bikes have different gear ranges based on the number of discs they have in the front & back, and the number of teeth on each disc. The lowest gear on your friend's bikes may in fact be lower than the lowest gear on yours , and if so it will be easier for them to spin in a lower gear than it is for you in a higher gear.

But, +1 to what Biciclista said...keep riding the hills in the closest-to-comfortable gear you can find; gradually as you get stronger you can try longer and/or steeper hills. This will serve as a good form of interval training and you may find that in the end it makes you climb more strongly than your friends who are having an easier time right now. That happens for me each year...my bike is geared higher than my husband's (I have a compact double, he has a triple). At the start of each season, he does better on the hills than I do because he can gear down while I'm tiring myself out. By the end of the season I usually torch him on the climbs because he's used to shifting down, while I've gotten strong enough to maintain cadence in a higher gear.

[wackyjacky1]

Keep working at it! When I first started riding last summer, I felt the same way about my gearing on big hills. But I stuck with it and now I rarely even use my third (smallest) chain ring anymore. I've got a long ways to go, but I'm improving, and so will you.

[crazycanuck]

Geez, all of a sudden there's an explosion of Perth cyclists on TE

In terms of not trying hard enough..If you're riding in Kings Park, Kalamunda, Mundaring or Roleystone, you're trying hard already!! Just keep at the hills and you'll get stronger!!!! I love doing hill repeats in Kings Park

I can't tell you how often I swear at the hills in Kalamunda & how slow I go up those hills. Although i'm slow, it's ok as I just want the hill work. I only have a double on my bike but have gotten used to it.

Keep riding & perhaps we might cross paths one of these days

[subengine]

Hello from another 'brand-new' Perth rider! My experience with hills is pretty limited but recently I have become acquainted with King's Park, Reabold hill in Bold Park and also the lovely suburb of Mosman Park which is perfect for practising a range of hills if you want. I must admit though, a combination of a hot day and pushing a bit too hard resulted in me throwing up after doing Reabold hill!

I'm not super fast, but from what I can gather it's the constant repetition of hill climbing that will give you the extra power.

It doesn't help that my boyfriend will fly up a hill at 30km an hour singing 'I love the uphills'! Eeeeek!

have fun!

[alpinerabbit]

Hi all

When I've recently been training on hills and I need to change down I gear, I often find that my fellow riders have a lower gear on their bikes, so that they are able to keep spinning. Mine on the other hand doesn't seem to go low enough so I'm still struggling to get up the hill.

Is it just that I'm not trying hard enough?

Or that they have a bigger cassette in the back. - Count the number of teeth on the smallest/largest cog: what's yours-11-23?? what's theirs? a 12-25 or 12-27?
I don't really think spin class is needed to teach you better spinning.

[Miranda]

I was just pondering my gearing with the new upcoming ride. I'm losing some higher gears for lower ones. Thinking if I should change my cassette.

My heartrate can take a lot typically. So, my theory was on the one hill I needed the small ring of my triple was pedal like mad. But, at the top I thought I might stroke. Now, I'm thinking my goal is to become profient climbing standing in a bigger gear. Which does take more leg strength, vs heart rate for spinning fast in a low one. It's all a process... just keep at it.

If you decided to switch out your cassette to get lower gears, you could always switch it back up to the bigger ones once you are stronger to climb.

I'm a Spinning certified instructor. One of the nice things about training inside is that you get off the bike, and you are done. If mid hill climb you decide it's too much on your knees... take some resistence off, and bonus you don't cartwheel backwards down a real outside hill.

One thing I hate as a roadie/mtb with some of my fellow spin teachers is queing adding resistence so low I *know* it's bad for these peeps knees. Outside, I would shift or dismount. I have some joint issues and know my limitations.

I'm with Mr. Silver... walking a hill is NOT the end of the world... it beats crawling into an orthopedic surgeon's office any day.

[sundial]

I'm with Mr. Silver... walking a hill is NOT the end of the world... it beats crawling into an orthopedic surgeon's office any day.

Amen!

SRAM does make a compact 11-28--I have one on my Roubaix.

[txred9876]

Or that they have a bigger cassette in the back. - Count the number of teeth on the smallest/largest cog: what's yours-11-23?? what's theirs? a 12-25 or 12-27?
I don't really think spin class is needed to teach you better spinning.

I was not referring to spin class teaching one better spinning. I think the cardio and endurance one can gain out of spin classes is valuable. I know in my case it has made me a stronger rider (in a very quick time frame).

Tina

[crazycanuck]

Marfa,

Just a couple of things about Perth hills.

If you're doing the hill just past Matilda bay going towards claremont (the one where you go round the roundabout by UWA & then turn left towards the end of the road) then you need to get your speed up along the flat section. ONce you get past the roundabout by the old Steve's pub, keep your speed up as the hill you come to is best attacked by jumping out of the saddle.

If you're doing Welshpool Road East (for non Perth folks, this road does not have a shoulder & the only place to stop is right at the top) do a combination of jumping out of the saddle & in the saddle. Just remember it's a hard hill to conquer & best done very first thing on a weekend morning!!!

Kings Park-After a while, the uphill sections are easier! There's only one hill that i find a bit hard-the area that was scorched by the evil arsonist . Hill repeats in Kings Park are good!!!

Perth hills are manageable! The hardest hill in the CBD is Mount Street but that can be conquered by doing the bottom section first. Great for mtn biking hill skills too!!

[marfa]

Or that they have a bigger cassette in the back. - Count the number of teeth on the smallest/largest cog: what's yours-11-23?? what's theirs? a 12-25 or 12-27?
I don't really think spin class is needed to teach you better spinning.

Hey chaps
Thanks for all your replies - and yep to those in Perth, it was Reobald hill I was going up !! Nightmare..

I've just counted the number the teeth I have 11-23.

What does that mean then?

Thanks

Marfa

[Becky]

I've just counted the number the teeth I have 11-23.

What does that mean then?

It's good news It means that you have what amounts to a higher-geared racing cassette, and there are plenty of options for lower-geared cassettes. You should be able to get something like a 12-25 or 12-27 pretty easily, and I think SRAM might even make a 11/12-28.

When changing cassettes, just make sure that your rear derailleur can handle the bigger cog and that your chain is long enough. Your shop can definitely help with this.

[Grog]

Hey chaps
I've just counted the number the teeth I have 11-23.

What does that mean then?

I'll try a different way to explain this, bear with me:

Every time your back wheel rotates, you go forward about 2 meters or 6.5 feet.

When you are in the 11-tooth cog, the effort is divided by 11. So for every cog you go forward 7.5 inches or so.

If you are on the 23-tooth cog, the effort is divided by 23. So for every cog you go forward 3.5 inches or so.

Think of it as lifting weights: I can't lift 100 lbs. But I can lift a 10 lbs weight ten times.

Just the same way, if I'm going up a hill, I have a hard time moving forward 7.5 inch at a time in my 11-tooth cog. So I switch to an easier gear with more teeth (so a bigger cog) and I go forward, say, 4 inches at a time.

But if the hill is really steep, maybe 4 inch at a time is still too much. Maybe 3 inch at a time would be better. So I would need to have a 28-tooth cog at the back to be able to do that.

As someone else mentioned, you can get a cassette (a set of cogs) with more bigger cogs at the back. That will give you an easier time on steep hills. Think again of lifting weights: what you have currently is like the weights of a weightlifter (bike racer): lots of 20-25 lbs weights. If you're merely human like most of us you will probably appreciate 5-8-10 lbs weights. You'll find those on a 12-28.

[To understand this fully, you would have to take into account the chainring at the front. The chainring multiplies your effort at the back. But you just asked about 11-23 so I'll leave it at that.]

[Becky]

Great explanation, Grog! I've never truly understood gearing and found it really helpful