Best ring/cassette combo for hills

[maillotpois]

Both my main outdoor bikes have compact doubles. I have a 30 on one of them (Campy Record with an IRD cassette) and a 34 on the other (Ultegra with a long cage derailleur, road setup, not MTB) which gives me a 1:1 on that bike which is my super long distance and climbing bike. I really don't miss the triple at all.

I find if the ride is long and hard enough, I use whatever gears I have available. Which I think is basically what Veronica was saying.

Has your friend talked to her bike shop about what options are available for her bike to get her a bigger cassette? My LBS is super innovative when it comes to putting big cassettes on. I have had no trouble shifting or anything with the larger than "standard" cassettes.

[FlyingScot]

Has your friend talked to her bike shop about what options are available for her bike to get her a bigger cassette? My LBS is super innovative when it comes to putting big cassettes on. I have had no trouble shifting or anything with the larger than "standard" cassettes.

Her LBS is part of the problem. When she bought the bike they assumed "soccer mom on the bike path only" and never asked her what kind of riding she would be doing. She, being new, didn't know what kind of questions to ask them. All she knew was she needed a road bike not a hybrid. They don't listen to her when she has brought it in, repeatedly, for the same problem and when she asks to speak to the tech when she picks it up he is always "unavailable" so nobody tells her what they found and how they fixed it. My shop takes me back shows me the issue, what they did and how to prevent or fix it in an emergency. Her bike is currently making this terrible rattling noise. It's been in twice and they can't "replicate" it but as soon as she gets it back the same noise is there which leads me to believe they aren't interested in fixing it. I went with her the third time, dropped some cycling terms and put on my best "angry eyes" and they took it out immediately for a test ride, heard the noise and decided it was the bottom bracket which they replaced. She hasn't been able to ride it to see if that fixed it (personally I think it's the saddle rails but I am often wrong). I feel like they are just patting her on the head and sending her on her way because she's not a "real" cyclist. I don't trust them at all and am reluctant to suggest she talk with them about changing the cassette. My LBS is a Specialized shop (she has a Giant) so worried that if they do the work her warranty will be voided. I just want her to have fun and not be worried about holding me back or feeling like a failure. UGH!

[maillotpois]

She should go to a different shop. I can't imagine what sort of warranty would be voided by having a competent shop work on the bike. Any manufacturer warranty is only going to cover the frame anyway.

[FlyingScot]

She should go to a different shop. I can't imagine what sort of warranty would be voided by having a competent shop work on the bike. Any manufacturer warranty is only going to cover the frame anyway.

Thank You Sarah!!!! I did not know this and it makes all the difference!!!!!

[maillotpois]

Yeah - I mean talk to the bike shop - the good one, not the bad one, but no frame manufacturer is going to warranty the components (made by another manufacturer). You'll have some sort of warranty on the components, but that's not going to be voided just by taking it to a different shop. Moreover, it sounds like the components need to be changed out to some extent.

The frame manufacturer is only going to give a warranty against breakage in the frame - like the welds should hold for "x" period of time or whatever.

[OakLeaf]

Then you can remind her that there's no shame in pushing one's bike when the hill gets too steep ....



http://velonews.competitor.com/2013/...too-far_277610

[Crankin]

27%???? In rain, no less .