Gearing: Road vs Hybrid

[kiwi girl]

What's a "corncob"?

I might not get this exactly right - but I'll have a go

'corncob' is used to describe road cassettes that generally have higher gearing and therefore because the cogs are smaller they have one tooth increments between cogs - just because of the way it looks

[DebW]

I think you would be better off swapping cassettes. Your current 11-34T means that the jumps between gears are large. Changing to, say, an 11-27 or 11-25 would mean your jumps between gears are smaller, and you can more readily find a gear that's right for the given conditions on the flats and gentle ups and downs. You should be able to go to a narrow-range cassette without changing the derailleur or chain (there will be more chain than necessary but the long derailleur cage can take up the slack). You could swap the derailleur to something intended for the narrower range and get a quicker shift if you want to. Swapping chainrings is a more expensive proposition and still leaves you with huge jumps between gears.

Regarding the high end, it used to be standard to have a 52-14 or 52-13. You've already got a higher gear than that with your 48-11. I have a 52-13 high gear on my road bike and only use it on the biggest downhills. In fact, I seldom crank that gear very much because I get more speed by dropping into a tuck and coasting. What cadence do you pedal at? Upping your cadence (to the 90-110 range) will let you use your gears more effectively.

[HillSlugger]

I was hoping this would be as simple as off with the old, on with the new, and ride off into the sunset. I think I must resign myself to plugging away with what I've got and hope my honey is feeling generous come christmas.