gear questions

[pardes]

Okay, so I've figured out that I have 18 gears on my Trek (2 in front and 9 in back). If I have done the calculations correctly that means my "granny" gear has a 37 gear inch rating.

I'm 62 don't think I'll ever condition into 37 being good enough for hills. What do I need to replace on the bike to get it down to a 19 or so?

[maillotpois]

That's a big question which requires a lot of questions in order to respond:

- What sort of bike is this (road, hybrid, mtn bike)?
- Is this a Shimano drivetrain?
- What size rings are in front?
- What is the gearing of the cassette?

There may be other questions that need to be asked in order to give you suggestions. Those are the basics.

[pardes]

Sorry, I forgot the obvious.

Frame & Fork
Frame Construction TIG-welded
Frame Tubing Material FX Alpha Hydroformed
Fork Brand & Model Bontrager Satellite Plus
Fork Material Carbon fiber, aero crown
Rear Shock Not applicable

Components
Component Group Hybrid Mix
Brakeset Shimano M421 brakes, Tektro aluminum levers
Shift Levers Shimano R440
Front Derailleur Shimano R440
Rear Derailleur Shimano 105
Crankset Bontrager Select, 36/50 teeth
Pedals Wellgo single-side clipless
Bottom Bracket Unspecified
BB Shell Width Unspecified
Rear Cogs 9-speed, 12 - 26 teeth
Chain Unspecified
Seatpost Bontrager Carbon
Saddle Bontrager Race Lux Basic
Handlebar Bontrager Select
Handlebar Extensions Not applicable
Handlebar Stem Bontrager Select
Headset Aheadset Slimstak

Wheels
Hubs Bontrager SSR
Rims Bontrager SSR
Tires 700 x 32C Bontrager Race Lite Hardcase
Spoke Brand Stainless steel
Spoke Nipples Unspecified

[maillotpois]

I really don't know much at all about hybrid gearing and ranges. Shimano 105 is used on road bikes, I know, but I don't know what that R440 is. The two areas where a change might be possible is a smaller ring in the front - maybe a 32 or 34? And see if it could take a cassette with a larger rear cog, say 27 or 29?

But I have no clue what may be possible. I am hoping someone here might have some ideas which will work for your specific bike. Otherwise, I would suggest taking it to your local bike shop and asking them what options you might have.

[withm]

If you have only had it for 2 weeks, why not take it back to the shop and see if you can't exchange the whole bike for one with a triple?

[grey]

If you can't exchange for a triple, you can also switch to a compact double for around $99 + labor. It's apparently a really easy switch, one I plan to make in a few months.

[bike4ever]

grey - She already has a compact double on this bike.

I agree with withm about exchanging the bike for something with a triple.

[pardes]

Thanks for the replies.

Can't I just replace the front end with something like a Shimano Deore XT M770 165mm 4 arm Crank 22-32-44 that will get me the easy gears I need? It appears they run about $260. Maybe they will take the old one for a reduced price at Bikieline?????

[Eden]

Thanks for the replies.

Can't I just replace the front end with something like a Shimano Deore XT M770 165mm 4 arm Crank 22-32-44 that will get me the easy gears I need? It appears they run about $260. Maybe they will take the old one for a reduced price at Bikieline?????

It's not that simple - your shifter has to be able to handle 3 chainrings (I'm not sure it cannot, I'd have to look it up, but I suspect that it probably will only do a double), and your bottom bracket would need to be wider and thus changed out also. If you want a triple, at this point if you can exchange the bike, that would likely be a better option. It will likely run you a fair amount of $$$ to do the complete swap.

edit - I looked it up on Shimano's web site and I think I can now say that you cannot use your current shifters with a triple front chainring. The R440 set was made specifically for a double and there is a different model for a triple.

[Becky]

That's a really nice component mix ya got there! But, with all of the loaded riding (e.g., panniers and such) that you're doing, I think that a triple is the way to go. My commuter has a triple on it, and yes, I bail out to the 30-tooth granny gear on the ride home!

By my way of thinking, you have 2 choices- new crankset, left shifter, new bottom bracket, and maybe a new front derailleur, or new bike altogether. It's really going to depend on how much you're willing to spend, and what the shop is willing to do for you (not necessarily in that order).

There are less-expensive mountain triple cranksets out there than an XT crankset that would still have a 22-tooth small ring, so you could save some money there. You'd save a little by switching just the left shifter, although you wouldn't necessarily have a matched pair then.

ADD: Are these your shifters? http://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...+Shifters.aspx If so, it looks like they are triple-compatible, according to Jenson. That would save some coin there, although you still may need a different front derailleur.

I'd go to the shop where you bought the bike, tell them just what you posted here about wanting lower gearing, and ask them to lay out your options. Good luck, and let us know how everything goes!

[PscyclePath]

Sorry, I forgot the obvious.


Front Derailleur Shimano R440
Rear Derailleur Shimano 105
Crankset Bontrager Select, 36/50 teeth
Rear Cogs 9-speed, 12 - 26 teeth

"Uncle Al" had a note on this situation in last week's RoadBikeRider.com newsletter... Essentially, if you have a Shimano 9-speed rear cassette, you can play around back there to give you a set-up that will essentially let you climb a brick wall, or pull the set screws out of Hell through a crawdad hole, provided that your tow chain holds up ;-)

Details here (and subscription to this free weekly newsletter is a good deal):

o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o o^o

7. UNCLE AL

The Lowdown on Gearing Down

My shop has seen a steady stream of dudes asking if there's "any way to gear down" their road machines. Seems some sort of geologic phenomenon has tilted all the climbs a bit more skyward, to the point that these hardmen are crying (very quietly, mind you) "Uncle!"

Most gals, on the other hand, buy bikes with low gears to start with and don't have to suffer their way up those same climbs. Nor do they seem compelled to stomp the heart out of their riding mates. It proves there is a double standard, one that is clever and one which is, uh, less clever.

Let's say you've already got a compact crank with 34/50-tooth chainrings and a 12-27 cassette. But with that ever-tilting terrain, the 34x27-tooth low gear ain't quite low enough. What is a roadie to do?

If you're the proud owner of Shimano 9-speed rear gearing, you can do lots.

---Ditch the short-cage derailleur and put on a heretofore forbidden long-cage MTB derailleur. Yes, on your road bike. Use at least a Shimano LX for good performance. Shimano XT-SGS and XTR-SGS work a bit better and weigh less.

---Add an 11-32 or -34 cassette and a longer chain.

Your same 9-speed shift levers will work fine with this new stuff. Then go pull stumps as a new training method.

If your buddies razz you about that pie-size gear cluster, show 'em how it works by chatting your way side by side up the nastiest climb in your area. Slowly up your cadence (and speed) while they leave behind a trail of blood, sweat and tears, wishing they had those gears.

What if you're running a Shimano 9-speed drivetrain with a triple-chainring crank? You can make the same cassette and rear derailleur changes. Remember that a road derailleur will not handle cassettes with a cog larger than 27 teeth. Well, okay, you can probably squeeze on a 28 cog, but one more tooth won't help much. You need to have 32 or 34 teeth to make a significant low-gear difference.

If you're running a Shimano 10-speed drivetrain, you're stuck with a 30x27 (maybe 28) low gear. If that doesn't cut it, you could "train your weakness" if climbing happens to be it.

I know you Campy folks are crying foul about now. But remember, Campagnolo has been pushing 10-speed stuff for years and does not have a corresponding mountain group. You'll struggle finding a 13-29 9-speed cassette these days, but there are plenty of 13-29 10s cassettes available. Just be sure and stop at the bank on your way to the LBS. About half of your retirement fund should be enough.

Campy represents itself as racing equipment and they mean it. Shimano, with its vast participation on the mountain bike side, presents many more gearing options.

Let's hope Shimano never quits providing us with 9-speed components. That would be a sad day.

(Click feedback@roadbikerider.com to tell us a mechanical matter you'd like the Unc to write about. To read more from Alan Ardizone, owner of award-winning Cascade Bicycles in Montrose, Colorado, click here.)

[rij73]

Cheapest option is indeed what PsyclePath proposes. Change the rear derailleur and cassette to a 34 large cog. Unfortunately, with your 36/50 crankset, that gives you a low gear of 28 inches or so. Much easier than what you have now, but not as easy as what you want.

One way to go as low as you want is to get a triple crankset with a 26-tooth small chainring plus the 34 in the back. That means changing everything, I believe. Both derailleurs, shifters, crankset, and cassette. Yikes! With what that will cost, you might be better off exchanging the bike if possible.

[mimitabby]

great article, thanks psyclopath!

Pardes, i'm with the go to your most trusted bike shop and ask them crowd, and yeah, if you could trade it back in, since it's still new, that would be great too.

[7rider]

Your Bontrager Select crankset also comes as a 34/50. The 34 small ring in front - combined with some bigger rings in the back - should lower your low-end gearing quite a bit. If the bike is new, ask your LBS if you can swap the crankset out for a 34/50.

[ilima]

You'd need a mountain bike or trekking crankset to get to 19. Really, really low. You'd be going so slow in that gear you'd have trouble staying upright!
A trekking setup with a 26 up front and a 34 in the back would give you 20 gear inches.

If your current crankset has a 36-tooth chainring, you have a compact crankset. 38 is the smallest number of teeth on a regular double. Easy changes you could make would be to:
1. swap the 36 for a 34 up front. You don't need to replace the whole crankset, just the chainring. Easy peasy.
2. get a SRAM cassette that goes to 28. Shimano rear derailleurs are rated for 27, but can handle 28 teeth.

Making those changes would get you down to 32 gear inches.

Don't underestimate those 62 year old legs of yours, though. I know plenty of women in their 50s and 60s that kick butt on the bike. And these aren't women that have been riding for decades.