18 speed might be enough.

If you're not competing on the track - what's the advantage of loadsa gears?

Most of the time, I shift more than one ratio at once - there could even be
sprockets that get barely any wear.

Only had 7SP so far, but building up an 18SP frame. Chances are; I may never
use the smallest of the 3 chain rings - if I can be bothered, I may hunt
around for a crank set with a bigger chain ring than a standard single.

Thanks.

is a learned ability with levels of use at speed available only for the skilled n quick with memory.

so learn up to what seems your level n dwell there perfecting that skill level

I use one CR at a time trying not to cross chain or big ring big ring.

I enjoy the road bike's friction shifters more than the trekkers click click

its a lot like driving a rally car....the driver see both road directly in front and road 150' ahead driving both at same time.

perspective from the lowest skill level.

On Sun, 9 Oct 2016 19:45:55 +0100, "Benderthe.evilrobot"
wrote:

If you're not competing on the track - what's the advantage of loadsa gears?

Depends on the terrain. In Albany County, New York, you need a very
high gear for riding from Thatcher Park to New Salem, and a very low
gear for riding from New Salem to Thatcher Park.

But when I lived there, I got along with only ten gears: two
chainwheels and six cogs, one cog a whole bunch bigger than the other
five. A middle chainwheel would have made it easier to get onto the
big ring, I think; I often unship the chain shifting up and sometimes
can't get it back without dismounting. (Still riding Albany gears --
and I can no longer ride up Ninth Street, which took only reasonable
effort when I was fifteen years younger. Now Chestnut is getting to
be a chore.)

And then there's condition. The mechanic set up my first bike with
very low gears so my weak legs could get up hills. "So I'll be back
when I've built up some muscle?" "No, you'll tackle steeper hills."

Some folks are more tolerant of wide changes than others. I'll just
slow a bit if one gear makes me pedal too slowly and the next lower
makes me pedal too fast; other folks need both effort and cadence to
be perfect.

And, I suspect, some folks throw lots and lots of gears onto the bike
because they don't know which gears they will need. I did the same
with my bookcases: instead of trying to decide in advance how many
and which spacing, I put up "standards" which allowed me to put up
shelves at two-inch intervals. I still have one shelf left over,
which I keep in the closet in case it's wanted later -- but I don't
know where the corresponding brackets are.

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at comcast dot net

On Sun, 09 Oct 2016 21:17:56 -0300, Joy Beeson
wrote:

On Sun, 9 Oct 2016 19:45:55 +0100, "Benderthe.evilrobot"
wrote:

If you're not competing on the track - what's the advantage of loadsa gears?

Depends on the terrain. In Albany County, New York, you need a very
high gear for riding from Thatcher Park to New Salem, and a very low
gear for riding from New Salem to Thatcher Park.

But when I lived there, I got along with only ten gears: two
chainwheels and six cogs, one cog a whole bunch bigger than the other
five. A middle chainwheel would have made it easier to get onto the
big ring, I think; I often unship the chain shifting up and sometimes
can't get it back without dismounting. (Still riding Albany gears --
and I can no longer ride up Ninth Street, which took only reasonable
effort when I was fifteen years younger. Now Chestnut is getting to
be a chore.)

And then there's condition. The mechanic set up my first bike with
very low gears so my weak legs could get up hills. "So I'll be back
when I've built up some muscle?" "No, you'll tackle steeper hills."

Some folks are more tolerant of wide changes than others. I'll just
slow a bit if one gear makes me pedal too slowly and the next lower
makes me pedal too fast; other folks need both effort and cadence to
be perfect.

And, I suspect, some folks throw lots and lots of gears onto the bike
because they don't know which gears they will need. I did the same
with my bookcases: instead of trying to decide in advance how many
and which spacing, I put up "standards" which allowed me to put up
shelves at two-inch intervals. I still have one shelf left over,
which I keep in the closet in case it's wanted later -- but I don't
know where the corresponding brackets are.

Usually throwing a chain is caused by one of the derailers being a bit
out of adjustment. From your post I am assuming that you have a bike
mechanic and don't do the tinkering yourself, so next time sort of
mention to the guy that when you shift to the high side or the low
side the chin sometimes comes off. It takes, perhaps a half turn on
one of the stop screws to correct it.

I think that most people get the 11 speed bikes because that is what
is on the "New" bikes :-) Nobody wants an old 2015 model (even selling
at a discount) with its miserable old 10 speed cassette :-)

Quite often the difference between a "new" model and last year's is an
11 speed cassette and slightly different decals :-)
--
cheers,

John B.

On Sunday, October 9, 2016 at 7:44:33 PM UTC+1, Benderthe.evilrobot wrote:
If you're not competing on the track - what's the advantage of loadsa gears?

Most of the time, I shift more than one ratio at once - there could even be
sprockets that get barely any wear.

Only had 7SP so far, but building up an 18SP frame. Chances are; I may never
use the smallest of the 3 chain rings - if I can be bothered, I may hunt
around for a crank set with a bigger chain ring than a standard single.

Thanks.

It makes you look like a real cyclist, not some weekend mountain bike warrior or, god forbid, Franki-boy will tell you, a dumpster diver who lost his driving license for being under the influence. Get the bike with lotsagears, and if anyone is indelicate enough to ask you why, say, "Technical riding," and turn your back on him. If he persists, add, "You wouldn't understand," and turn your back on him again. You don't need to know what it means. (If you're curious, it doesn't mean anything, except maybe Joerg breaking bikes because he's a careless fatarse who buys underdesigned cheap bikes.)

You'd be surprised how much forum cred "technical riding" gets you. "Technical riding" is like Durex, it covers a multitude of sins.

Andre Jute
There's a reason for everything. You may not want to hear the reason, but it's there.

Per Benderthe.evilrobot:
If you're not competing on the track - what's the advantage of loadsa gears?

I've been riding 14 speeds for over five years now and can say that 14
is plenty for me - coming from 21.

It's the range that is most important to me - and my gears cover the
range I need.

In defense of more gears.... If you ride with friends a lot and have to
keep up a pace, smaller changes in the upper gears can make a big
diff.... and smaller changes preserving the range you need imply more
gears.
--
Pete Cresswell

On 10/9/2016 8:17 PM, Joy Beeson wrote:


Some folks are more tolerant of wide changes than others. I'll just
slow a bit if one gear makes me pedal too slowly and the next lower
makes me pedal too fast; other folks need both effort and cadence to
be perfect.

My wife and I just completed a five day tour on our ancient tandem.
Three front chainrings, six rear cogs, and too much stuff in the panniers.

There were plenty of times on the hills when I thought "I'd like a gear
in between those two." But as I proclaimed at the start, my intent was
to not push; instead, to take things easy. I had no trouble accepting a
gear that was one mile per hour slower than optimum.

In fact, on the last long climb out of the river valley just before
home, my wife commented on the extra-low gear I was using: "Are you
feeling OK?" I said "Well, I admit I'm tired. But I'm just taking it easy."


--
- Frank Krygowski

On Monday, October 10, 2016 at 6:34:25 AM UTC-7, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Per Benderthe.evilrobot:
If you're not competing on the track - what's the advantage of loadsa gears?

I've been riding 14 speeds for over five years now and can say that 14
is plenty for me - coming from 21.

It's the range that is most important to me - and my gears cover the
range I need.

In defense of more gears.... If you ride with friends a lot and have to
keep up a pace, smaller changes in the upper gears can make a big
diff.... and smaller changes preserving the range you need imply more
gears.
--
Pete Cresswell

Yabbut you are a self-described statistical outlier.

"Andre Jute" wrote in message
...
On Sunday, October 9, 2016 at 7:44:33 PM UTC+1, Benderthe.evilrobot wrote:
If you're not competing on the track - what's the advantage of loadsa
gears?

Most of the time, I shift more than one ratio at once - there could even
be
sprockets that get barely any wear.

Only had 7SP so far, but building up an 18SP frame. Chances are; I may
never
use the smallest of the 3 chain rings - if I can be bothered, I may hunt
around for a crank set with a bigger chain ring than a standard single.

Thanks.

It makes you look like a real cyclist, not some weekend mountain bike
warrior or, god forbid, Franki-boy will tell you, a dumpster diver who
lost his driving license for being under the influence. Get the bike with
lotsagears, and if anyone is indelicate enough to ask you why, say,
"Technical riding," and turn your back on him. If he persists, add, "You
wouldn't understand," and turn your back on him again. You don't need to
know what it means. (If you're curious, it doesn't mean anything, except
maybe Joerg breaking bikes because he's a careless fatarse who buys
underdesigned cheap bikes.)

You'd be surprised how much forum cred "technical riding" gets you.
"Technical riding" is like Durex, it covers a multitude of sins.

I get as technical as fitting everything myself instead of paying the shop
to do it for me.

The staff at Halfords seemed astonished when I bought a gear cable inner and
opted to fit it myself on the pavement outside - to me. its just a 20 minute
maintenance job.

Although the cable kit I bought had all the little bits and pieces that made
the job dead easy.

The PTFE coated complete cable kit was only £10 - I seriously need to
consider scrapping all the cable bits I saved from salvage bikes.

I can buy stainless cable kits for under half that - but they're not PTFE
coated.

"(PeteCresswell)" wrote in message
...
Per Benderthe.evilrobot:
If you're not competing on the track - what's the advantage of loadsa
gears?

I've been riding 14 speeds for over five years now and can say that 14
is plenty for me - coming from 21.

It's the range that is most important to me - and my gears cover the
range I need.

In defense of more gears.... If you ride with friends a lot and have to
keep up a pace, smaller changes in the upper gears can make a big
diff.... and smaller changes preserving the range you need imply more
gears.

Good point - but I'm seriously lazy. Changing gear takes effort, so I
usually skip a couple of sprockets to get there.

For normal riding; I might occasionally use the middle chainring, but the
small one is unlikely. I might even make the effort to look for the biggest
chainring I can find. The BB needs doing on the new build - since the cranks
will be off, I might as well.

With 3 ranges to chose from; I might even get along better with 5 speeds at
the back.