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.
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@JohnB
I can 2nd that, flew past me on the lower slopes of the Bealach and it was like my school report card all over again, "must try harder."
On the subject of gearing I think I had a compact of sorts long before it became common. I had an old Giant TCR, one of the 1st carbon frames. chunky alu lugs and straight carbon tubes with a 53/39 up front and not enough at the back. I must have been smoking too much hash or something but the 53 was useless unless it was a tailwind or downhill. At great expense I changed it for a 50t and rode it happily for many years.
To this day I'm a spinner rather than a masher, churning a big gear makes my left knee throb and that sends a message to my brain that goes something like, "H'min arsehole, yer names nae Cancellara, drop a cog or two NOW!"
@frank
Yep - know what you mean. There are several local climbs that just hurt - you're much better to beast yourself up them as it will shorten the suffering.
@RobSandy
Totally agree - I often feel that if I try to spin up certain climbs I'm in far worse shape at the top than if I try to beast it up said climbs.
The added benefit of beasting up an incline is that, if done properly, come the top you have a higher speed and are in the right gear (or at least in the right neighborhood on the cassette) for making the descent.
But then again I think everyone here knows this, right?
@frank
Rule #10 buddy!
@Teocalli
I'm going to have to jump to Frank's defence and quote Rule #71.
Although I must admit it's a puzzle how to have an easy day/recovery ride which goes over any hills. How do you stay in zones 1 or 2 over a hill?
@RobSandy
Its really tough to find a flat route in Seattle; you just have to really control the effort.
@RobSandy
You are overlooking that the unwritten rule on having a go at @frohnk at every opportunity trumps Rule #71 in this case.
You perhaps are also a fellow sufferer of this.
@chuckp
I'v got an 11-32 on my 105 10 speed short cage with a 39/50 up front, and I have run an 11-34 with the 10 speed 105 medium cage. I usually run an 11-25 with a short cage on that bike, and I can put the 11-32 on without even swapping out the chain (provided it's newish/matched) and just screw the B screw all the way. As long as I don't fully cross-chain it, which I never do, it's fine.
I always ran a short range as a youngster (40 now), partly because that's what I had, and partly because that's what all my mates did. But much knee damage, and long periods of more time on the MTB than a road bike, shifted my pedaling style naturally and now I prefer to have more teeth on the back than I think I might absolutely need.
@Teocalli
Touche.
@frank
It's the same around here - you can ride on the flat if you're happy riding on dual carriageways. The nice quiet roads all point uphill.