Road Rear Cluster Gear Combinations Help

[Crankin]

Hi,

I went from an 11-25 to an 11-27 a couple of years ago. And yes, I have a triple. We don't live that far away from each other, but I guess it depends where you ride. I regularly ride hills with 10-15% grades and I am not getting any younger. I considered getting a compact double right before I made the switch to the 11-27, and now I am glad I didn't because I now live on a huge hill. I would not get the mtb gearing on my road bike, but if I was touring with a load, I would. Of course, after getting a touring bike!

[tulip]

The smallest cog on the cassette is a harder gear to pedal. The largest cog is the easiest gear to pedal.

On the front chainring, it's the opposite: the small chainring is easier to pedal and the large one is harder to pedal.

When you combine the small cog in the back with the large chainring in the front, that's the hardest gear (and may skip because it puts the most stress on the chain). When you combine the large cog in the back with the small chainring in the front, it's the easiest gear.

Sheldon Brown has alot of very useful information. www.sheldonbrown.com

[Thorn]

I don't have much more to add, but also look at the gears you normally ride on your current bike. Do you find yourself wanting "one more" lower gear when climbing a hill? How often do you use the big ring with the little rear gear?

As ehirsch said, everyone is different. If I rode her gears my knees would ache and I wouldn't want to get back on the bike; if she rode my travel bike, she'd probably find that her legs don't spin fast enough to keep it going at the speeds she needs.

When I picked out my gearing, I realized that I rarely used the big chain ring, let alone the 11. However, when doing long mountain climbs when the gradient skips up to 8%, I'd really like one more gear. So I put a 13-29 on the back and a 30-39-50 on the front. But, that's me and that's for the terrain I ride.

Look to see what you're currently riding and adjust (or not) based on that.