gears...what does this mean?

[elk]

FREEWHEEL SRAM Powerglide 950 9-speed 11-32
CRANKSET FSA Vero Forged 52/42/30
165mm (47) 170mm (50-53) 175mm (55 - 62)

I'm trying to figure out this whole gear ratio thing....and I'm somewhat numerically dislexic......

Can someone explain what my gears are doing? I was reading about 36 being great for hills.... so I looked at my specs and just got dizzy...

just wanting to know...

[jesvetmed]

'm trying to figure out this whole gear ratio thing....and I'm somewhat numerically dislexic......

ME TOO! I look forward to someone who can enlighten us!

[ilima]

Okay.

CRANKSET FSA Vero Forged 52/42/30
This is the crankset and chainrings on the crankset. FSA (Full Speed Ahead) is a brand and Vero is the model. Forged means it's steel and heavy. It's a triple crankset with chainring sizes of 52, 42, and 30. The smaller the chainring used on the front, the easier it is to pedal and the higher your cadence will be for a set speed. 52/42/30 and 53/39/30 are common road triple combinations.

165mm (47) 170mm (50-53) 175mm (55 - 62)
This refers to the crank lengths for the different sizes of bikes in parentheses. Tall folks generally need longer cranks, shorter folks use shorter cranks.

FREEWHEEL SRAM Powerglide 950 9-speed 11-32
This refers to the cassette that's used on the back. In contrast to the chainrings, the more teeth the easier it is to pedal and the higher your cadence will be for a set speed. This is because the more teeth the fewer the revolutions of the back wheel per revolution of the cranks. This particular cassette happens to be a mountain bike cassette made by the company SRAM. Road cassettes typically only go to 27 max (SRAM to 28), while mountain cassettes go to 32 or 34.

To get easier pedaling (and to have more gears for us slowpokes up hills), you want smaller rings on the front and bigger rings on the back.

Sheldon Brown has a gear calculator that's fun to play with.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears/

[DebW]

FREEWHEEL SRAM Powerglide 950 9-speed 11-32

A brand new bike coming with a freewheel rather than a cassette? I don't think anyone has ever made a 9-speed freewheel, so it's probably a cassette.

[sundial]

Hey Deb, I have a Roubaix with a 11-27 cassette. Can I get one with more gearing (correct term?) for steep climbing?

[tulip]

The size of cassette cogs and chainrings are measured in the number of teeth. So 42x23 means you're chain is in the 42-tooth chainring up front and the 23-tooth cassette in the back.

Easier pedaling = smaller chainring (front) and larger cassette cog (back). Opposite for harder pedaling.

A long time ago, I sat down and counted teeth on chainrings and cogs, and it helped clarify things, since I'm more image-oriented than number-oriented.

[madscot13]

Hey Deb, I have a Roubaix with a 11-27 cassette. Can I get one with more gearing (correct term?) for steep climbing?

9 or a 10 speed?

I think 27 is as high as it goes for 10 speeds.

[Tuckervill]

I got all that part, but what confuses me is the word SPEED.

I rode 10-speeds in high school. I don't think it's the same thing anymore, right?

Karen

[xeney]

Well, it sort of is, except in the 70s they were talking about the total number of gear combinations, and now it refers just to the rear cassette.

Your 10-speed then had a total of ten total gear combinations available -- probably a double up front and a five-speed in the back. Now the 9 versus 10 speed designation refers only to the rear cassette: so if you have a triple chain ring up front and a 10-speed cassette in the rear, that means you have a total of 30 gear combinations available. If you have a double chain ring in the front and a 9-speed cassette in the rear, you have 18 gear combinations.

But 18-speed and 30-speed sound sort of ridiculous so the terminology has changed. I do see Craigslist ads advertising "27-speed women's bike," though.

[mudmucker]

SRAM has an 11-28 cassette for 10 speeds in their Force group. No 11-28 for 9 speeds. You'd have to go to a mountain cassette after that. Ilima describes the setup in the OP wonderfully.

[Kalidurga]

...so if you have a triple chain ring up front and a 10-speed cassette in the rear, that means you have a total of 30 gear combinations available. If you have a double chain ring in the front and a 9-speed cassette in the rear, you have 18 gear combinations.

Except that, to complicate things even further, you really don't have 30 gear combinations available, unless you intend to cross-chain and wear your components out prematurely. With a triple up front and 10 in the rear, you really only have (you more knowledgeable folks correct me if I'm wrong here) 15-20 gear combinations you can (should) actually use. Doesn't that make this even more fun?

I'm the Queen of Cross-Chaining. Thank goodness I have a compact crank and only 8-speeds

[tulip]

Kinda makes me want to get a fixie.

[sundial]

9 or a 10 speed?

I think 27 is as high as it goes for 10 speeds.

SRAM OG-1070, 10-speed 11-28t

[SadieKate]

Actually, IRD makes a 10 spd cassette to 34 but you need a rear derailleur with the capacity for it.

[Grog]

Chain close to you as you pedal: easier pedaling (you're in the small chainring at the front and big cog at the back).

Chain away from you: harder pedaling (you're in the big chainring at the front and small cog at the back).