Categories: Accessories and GearNostalgiaTechniqueTechnologyTradition

And the 39 Was Clean as a Whistle

What has four thumbs and loves climbing in big gears? Those guys!

I still feel that variable gears are only for people over forty-five. Isn’t it better to triumph by the strength of your muscles than by the artifice of a derailleur? We are getting soft… As for me, give me a fixed gear!

— Henri Desgrange

I like to think that any time a rider running a compact punctures, Henri’s spirit is brought just that little bit closer to finding peace; I can only imagine what he might have said about the advent of these sorts of chainsets, let alone the wide-range cassettes we see in wide use today.

The thing that bothers me most about wide-range cassettes is the gaps between the gears. Growing up riding in Minnesota, I trained on a 12-23 and raced on an 12-21 because they were basically a straight block until you got to the lowest gears. Going to the mountains I would reluctantly use a 12-27 but I had to stop myself looking at the back wheel too much because I hated the sight of that 27t dinner plate. I’ve gotten used to what my bikes look like with the 12-25 I’m training on these days, but there are definitely times when I simply can’t find the right gear ratio for the terrain.

Growing up, I was considered a spinner for riding at 80-90 rpm; the thinking at the time was that mashing big gears at low cadences was more efficient. We are greatly influenced by what the Pros are doing, and the famous Cyclists at the time like Hinault and LeMond rode at 60 rpm, so that’s what we punters did, too. Today, I’m still riding at the same cadence, but now people consider me to be a bit of a gear pusher in our modern 100+ rpm climate. I like to flatter myself that the size of my climbing gear intimidates the spinners I ride with; my favorite question to ask them is why they are riding in the little ring already. I usually already know the answer (they are sissies) but I like to ask anyway because I enjoy their slightly bewildered expression before looking at my chainset and realizing that I’m still in the 53. I always give them that special look that makes them wonder whether or not I have noticed that the climb is steep already.

Before spinning high cadences became popular and, shortly after, the abominable 11-28 block became the mainstream choice in gearing, climbers would seek to intimidate one another by how tight they could keep their gearing and how few teeth they needed to use to get over a climb. Climbers like Manuel Fuentes would make sure to always ride in a slightly bigger gear than the rest of the group as a show of defiance to the ferocity of the gradient. In The Rider, Tim Krabbé recounts his suffering on the climbs of the Tour de Mont Aigoual in the South of France. His lowest gear was a 19, one which he considered his “bail out” gear. He was confident he could win the race, and throughout he imagines the onlookers admiring the fact that his 19 never saw the chain, “And his 19 was clean as a whistle,” he imagined them saying.

I personally can’t imagine climbing anything steeper than an overpass in a 19, but I do like to challenge myself to stay off my 39 and ride an entire training route in the 53. And his 39 was clean as a whistle.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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View Comments

Sparty says:

Apr 29 2016 at 3:03 pm

Other than esthetics, I see little issue whether you ride a 11-28 or a corncob cassette. Just ride them as hard as you can muster. However, you may discover, as I have, that you might be faster up hill with a few more teeth. Leg speed and the correct ratio will result in a faster summit than trying to grind out that macho gear and blowing up. The one climbing route I do every week has climbs of 9.6km, 5.6km, 12km, and 6km in that order. Total ascent is 6461ft. I am running 11-25 rear and semi-compact (confused-pro) up front. My 25 is clean as a whistle. But I am faster overall than when I run a standard crank. My group broke my balls real good when I went semi-compact, but as I rode away from them week after week, they changed their tune.
Randy C says:

Apr 29 2016 at 3:11 pm

@Teocalli

I have said it elsewhere that, gear spacing aside, but 50/x with 11-y is a higher gear than 53/x and 12-y. Of course if you ride 53/x and 11-y they you are a) very young b) beasting it.

The thing is that no one can tell you are riding 11-y vs 12-y but having 52/36 is visibly more V than 50/34.

That's a good point yes. 53x12 at 90rpm w/25c tires = 31.3 mph and a 50x11 = 32.23 mph.

That's according to this cool BikeCalc
PT says:

Apr 29 2016 at 5:11 pm

@LawnCzar

@Buck Rogers

@wiscot

Oh Mate! If you have not read The Rider, just fucking drop everything, call in sick, go home and read it. Fucking fantastic. Seriously, the best book on sport I have ever read, esp if you were a road racer in the past (or still are–and I mean real racing, not comparing fucking strava segments).

So good. Worth the day off from work. (But set aside some time to ride after you’re done.)

—–

“Jacques Anquetil, five-time winner of the Tour de France, used to take his water bottle out of its holder before every climb and stick it in the back pocket of his jersey. Ab Geldermans, his Dutch lieutenant, watched him do that for years, until finally he couldn’t stand it any more and asked him why. And Anquetil explained.

A rider, said Anquetil, is made up of two parts, a person and a bike. The bike, of course, is the instrument the person uses to go faster, but it’s weight also slows him down. That really counts when the going gets tough, and in climbing the thing is to make sure the bike is as light as possible. A good way to do that is: take the bidon out of its holder.

So, at the start of every climb, Anquetil moved his water bottle from its holder to his back pocket. Clear enough.”

—

It may not be accurate, but it’s True.

The Rider is a fantastic read, so many details, nuances. Arguably the definitive desert island cycling book.
Mikael Liddy says:

Apr 29 2016 at 7:06 pm

@teleguy57

@Buck Rogers

@The Pressure

@chuckp

shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiet, if @Frank keeps the site running long enough I might be in the running to inherit some pretty sweet quivers when you old fogies kick the bucket! Still closer to 30 than 40 for this guy!
ChrisO says:

Apr 29 2016 at 8:11 pm

Yes age is the fatal flaw in the premise of this article.

I'm in Masters E this year 50-54) but I have ridden a compact for years. Plus since breaking my hip I find it very hard to push a big gear and will flip the switch sooner rather than later.

But there's not many people here who will drop me on a climb so stick that in your big rings.
Dave says:

Apr 29 2016 at 9:26 pm

@Ccos

@Dave

Experiment with gears and cadence options while riding a long steady grade with an experienced group. I imagine everyone’s different, but my most efficient cadence is clearly not 100+. Probably more like 60 – 70. This is not obvious unless the group pace is very even and you are well up the grade so everything (HR, breathing, blood flow, etc.) has reached equilibrium

GCN (I think) has a video on this: having people ride on a treadmill at different cadences and gearing but at the same speed. Surprisingly they required less power at lower cadences (surprising to the guys doing it).

I’d post it but that would require looking for it, making the link, etc… It’s better to leave a small aspect of suspicion that I’m making it up.

Good video! Easy to find. Thanks! Pretty much matches what my legs tell me on long climbs when hunting for the right gear to stay with the group.
chris says:

Apr 30 2016 at 2:34 am

@ChrisO

Yes age is the fatal flaw in the premise of this article.

I’m in Masters E this year 50-54) but I have ridden a compact for years. Plus since breaking my hip I find it very hard to push a big gear and will flip the switch sooner rather than later.

But there’s not many people here who will drop me on a climb so stick that in your big rings.

I don't know what all the fuss is about, 53/39 and 12/23 worked fine for me on the hilly bits in the Chilterns and I'm not exactly young either.
Barracuda says:

Apr 30 2016 at 2:43 am

@Mikael Liddy

@teleguy57

@Buck Rogers

@The Pressure

@chuckp

shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiet, if @Frank keeps the site running long enough I might be in the running to inherit some pretty sweet quivers when you old fogies kick the bucket! Still closer to 30 than 40 for this guy!

You're but a mere pup, only 5 to go to half a ton here. Must be the sea air that keeps me looking so young.
Rick says:

Apr 30 2016 at 5:37 am

I am currently riding a 52-36 with an 11-25 cassette. This suits my pedaling style of 95-100 RPM very well. I now find myself climbing moderate gradients ( 7.2%) in the 36 and a 17/19 on the back. I am still able to spin this ratio at 90-95 RPM and get to the top fairly comfortably.

This is a far cry from my early riding days when I thought mashing a big gear uphill was macho. The problem was the 100 RPM grind to the top in my lowest gear more than offset the big gear machismo. Marty Jemison suggested that I try lower gears and a higher cadence. Thanks to Marty, I can now ride faster longer by increasing RPM by 15-20.

Call me a sissy or whatever you want for employing lower gears, but it increases my speed and enjoyment on the bike. It also gets me to the top faster and more comfortably.

If this makes me a Rule #90 violator so be it, and blame Marty Jemison.
Owen says:

Apr 30 2016 at 9:14 am

I recently upgraded from the 50x34 compact that came with the bike to a 53x39 Flemish Compact. Still have the 12x25 on the back. I've actually found that it's easier to hit climbs in the big ring and towards the top of the cassette (not yet crosschaining) than it is to hit them in the little ring at the lower end of the cassette. Not sure why that is.

It took me a few weeks of Rule 5 to convince myself that my skinny pins weren't going to get any bigger spinning around in the little ring, but now I'm back to spinning ~90 RPM in the big ring. I just wish I didn't crosschain so early on the cassette in either chainring - it definitely prefers the middle gears.