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

Brian Kelly says:

Apr 28 2016 at 11:16 am

But I like my knees.
Marco says:

Apr 28 2016 at 11:21 am

@Brian Kelly

Amen...
chuckp says:

Apr 28 2016 at 11:26 am

When I raced, I ran 53/39 up front with 12-21 in the back. This was my "do everything" gearing, even riding in the mountains. When I got back on my bike (the same one I used to race) after a 15+ year hiatus, I changed the rear to 12-23. But older legs are not the same as younger legs, and 39x23 was definitely at the limit going up some hills. So I'm now thankful for my 50/36 up front (yes, I know this is weird combo) with 11-28 in back. I still tend to push bigger gears when I climb, but I'm glad to have smaller gears to ride in.
Danny says:

Apr 28 2016 at 11:32 am

Don't look at my 11-32. :(
chuckp says:

Apr 28 2016 at 11:33 am

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 the climb is steep already.

This. You and I are from the same school of climbing. I remember mentoring one of the young guns who joined our club/team. He was a high cadence spinner before it became fashionable. He wondered why he was getting dropped on the climbs. Taught him how to ride big gears. Once he learned, I spent a lot of time in his wake (he was/is also 11 years younger than me).

There's a sweet spot for higher cadence spinning on climbs. You have to be able to do it and still produce power. And you have to be able to do it and be able to drop to a bigger gear and still produce power. For whatever reason (old age?) I just can't spin that fast and produce power. As a result, I actually fatigue sooner if I try. I can spin if I'm trying to climb at an easy/moderate pace, but not if I'm trying to go fast.

I like seeing people ahead of me on a climb who are spinning at a high cadence. More times than not, it means they've topped out in terms of both leg speed and bike speed. Assuming I'm not tapped out, it means I know I can catch them and pass them.

What I call "power climbing" seems to be a lost art.
Rusty Gramm says:

Apr 28 2016 at 11:33 am

i became a "mid-compact" convert this year. after training last year with a standard crankset and a 11-25 cassette, then trying out a true compact later in the season, i found that with the area i live in, the best compromise is the midcompact. i get to stay in the big ring longer (without cross chaining) but when it gets really steep, a 36t really makes a difference.

and what this guys say's, super true: @Brian Kelly

But I like my knees.
Pete says:

Apr 28 2016 at 11:39 am

I run a 53/39 with an 11-28. It depends on the length of my day. Short rides? Sure I'll hammer it out in the big ring. Long day? Be smart about not blowing up until the back half. If I feel good then, I'll punch it.

If I'm going to the trouble of complexity and weight to carry it with me I'm damn sure going to use it.
Gianni says:

Apr 28 2016 at 11:44 am

Mr 60% Riis had the mechanics mess with his gearing so he could stay in the big ring while climbing and intimidate Big Mig et al. in the Tour. Somehow I bet it was the 60% ex-domestique that intimidated them more than staying in the big chainring.

I switched to a compact when climbing a certain very steep ramp; realizing something was going to break, either the bike or my knees were going to go to failure. I don't know how they climbed the alps in the old days. Tough bastards.
universo says:

Apr 28 2016 at 12:01 pm

About to return to 52/42 with a 12-21 for most routes. Mountains { May 14 } require a 12-26 or 14-29 { gravel mountains }, but 52/42 is the only constant that allows me to calculate the Coefficient of Difficulty.
chuckp says:

Apr 28 2016 at 12:03 pm

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.

The other thing we sometimes did was put a 42 on in place of a 39. If guys who were riding 39s and running out of gearing/speed saw you were running a 42 (yes, you can tell the difference) and still had gears to use, they were toast.

BTW, Merckx passing Fuentes on a climb in the '73 Giro in "Stars and Water Carriers." The very definition of power climbing in a bigger gear. Go to ~28min 50sec in.