I’ve never been able to decide if choices are a gift or a curse; a lack of choices introduces simplicity but also with it the risk that the simple choices do not meet the demands of a complex world. An abundance of similar choices, on the other hand, often reduces the impact of getting things a little bit wrong, but also decreases the thoughtfulness in decision making. Finally, having many divergent choices mostly just leads to a lot of planning and ultimately indecision, assuming my experience in Corporate America is anything to go by.
These days, we tend to ride bicycles with 10 or 11 speed clusters made up of sprockets that are closely matched to their neighbors. This development removes the rider somewhat from the art of gear selection, a fact carried further by bar-mounted shifters; as gradients increase and decrease, we glide from gear to gear maintaining our cadence with hardly any consideration given to the ratios hard at work for us. It is a beautiful freedom to ride like this, but it is also another degree of separation between rider and machine.
I recently read an interview with Sean Kelly, who was discussing his defeat at the hands of Greg Lemond during the 1989 World Championship Road Race. With only seven sprockets at his disposal over a route slightly too hilly for a rider of his ilk, he was faced with a difficult choice: spare the legs on the climb with a 25T at the bottom end, or hamper his sprint with a 13T at the top end.
Kelly faced a tough decision: mount a gear that would carry him over the climb to contend the finale with the handicap of a 13T, or overload the cannons on too big a gear for the climb and never have the chance to go for the win in the first place. He deliberated over the decision while training on the course and finally decided for the low gear. Kelly made it over the climbs to contest the sprint, but his 53×13 was hopelessly outmatched by LeMan’s monster 54×12.
More recently, the Cycling world was aflutter about Tony Martin’s choice to ride a 58T front chain ring during a time trail. This wasn’t a display of bravado but rather a highly refined choice of chain line: knowing the speeds he wanted to ride, he chose his big ring in such a size that would provide the straightest chain line in the gear he’d be riding in during the majority of the race. The result was less friction, and a Tour de France stage win under his belt.
There is an art to gear and cluster choice that is nearly lost with today’s expanding sprocket ranges, but it remains within our grasp if only we are willing to seek it out. Don’t settle for knowing the maximum and minimum size gears in your block; know exactly which gears you have across the board, and understand what sizes you’ll be missing and gaining when switching between 11-23, 12-25 and 13-26 – there is more to it than just taking one off one end and slapping it on the other.
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It is "comforting" to know you can change a cassette on the spot if needed once you arrive to a race or ride with unexpected terrain.
@unversio
Had some chain length issues swapping from 11-23 to 11-25, in 11 speed, not helped by running the lame 52-36 up front, love the straight block 11-19, 21, 23, which I run on my 404's, the 11-25 is on the C24's for climbing rides.
@piwakawaka
Started buying up readily available 13-26 cassettes to blend and create a supply of 11-21 10s clusters. Then selling the *new* 23-26 spider and 13 first position on Ebay to make the deal even better.
@PeakInTwoYears Good question but not a complete question. The answer is undulating. Somewhere between flat and rolling in my immediate riding area. I often find myself riding in rolling to hilly terrain a little further south on the North Shore of Superior. But just as important is the surface. There's a solid 10-20 percent increase in rolling resistance I'd guesstimate on gravel depending on how packed it is. This has to be accounted for in cassette choice. I found myself crosschained a lot with an 11-23 which is what I ride on the road. Either crossed on big/big for flat cruising or little/little for soft gravel and moderate climbs. 12-25 is not uncommon for cx and neither is a compact. My feeling is with a Belgian standard and a 12-25 cassette I'll be crossed less. A 53/17ish should be about right for most flats cruising and I'm really hoping something like a 42/19 will be my go to for climbs and softer stuff.
I like Tony Martins way of thinking as I think the same. This is then is reason I long for a 36-52. Strangely enough, SRAM make a 11 speed 36, but no outter ring to suit it....
@PeakInTwoYears "Free your mind..."
11-12-13-14-16-18-20-22-26-28-32 x 50. Could do with a bigger ring.
More gears, not so much choice. Used to tear down the Regina freewheel to put in the cogs I wanted. Kept a straight block on hand for a quick change for the crits. Changed out a chainring and cog to get as close as I could to the 78 inch-gear for winter roller races. But I don't care to go back to the six and seven speeds and fiddling with the down tube shifter to get the gear just right. Call me soft.
@PeakInTwoYears
I went over and did the Heck of the North in September, as you probably know. People were pissing themselves over this climb called the Seven Bridges in Duluth. Fearsome beast of a climb, the rumors had it.
Rode it in my 50x16 at a casual chatting pace. (And no, my graveur does not have a compact; it is an artisian's choice of 50/38. )
@Nate
Yes, which is why I prefer the 13-26 over the 12-27 when I need a low gear; you lose the 18 when you move from 12-15 to 13-26 but at least the gears are close enough to make for nice smooth transitions.
And when I'm bombing a hill, you just spin a little harder. 145 is my max so far.