Can you help a newster understand chainwheels and cassette numbers please?

[hebe]

That help?

Yes! Thank you so much. I'm going to do some gear maths tonight. I'd naively assumed that one turn of the pedals equalled one turn of the wheels and didn't really get what the gears actually did. Presumably it gets even more interesting when you start considering power too.

hmmmmm.

Indy, I seem to use my middle ring most of the time, but I have to switch to the smallest one for steeper hills and even then I haven't always made it. I think practice will help, but if I continue loving these offroad routes I may well start investigating a better tool for the job. All those numbers make a lot more sense now, thank you both for replying in such detail. I may well come back with some further questions