Pro gearing - 34x32?!

T°m Sherm@n wrote:
On 9/6/2011 9:48 PM, thirty-six wrote:

Yep, I just thought I was a ****e climber as I couldn't use the same
54" gear to climb at the same rate as other riders. A drop in gearing
though not only makes me able to match those riders, but also to
accelerate away from them. My bike, although heavier, is more
suitable for climbing (fatter tyre, stiffer rim, fatter spokes bigger
sprockets). If you think something is swaying underneath you when you
are climbing, it probably is. A solid back wheel makes for faster
climbing, particularly out of the saddle, with less effort. My
climbing ability can be so markedly better than other riders, I have
to restrain myself when I am out of the saddle as it is difficult not
to break contact.

butbutbut, it is not manly to use anything smaller than a 39T/23T!

Of course, back in the day, Real Menâ„¢ had 52T/48T chain-rings and
13T-19T freewheels.


And those real men had real victories:

http://www.cyclinghalloffame.com/rid...iCoppi1952.jpg

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

In article ,
"T°m Sherm@n" " wrote:

On 9/6/2011 2:51 PM, Michael Press wrote:
In article

,
wrote:

At the Vuelta this year, the winning rider used a 34x32 gearing to get up the Angliru, which is arguably the hardest climb in the world:

http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/...angliru_191093

Makes me glad I got a medium cage as a 32t or even 34t cassette cog is not far off in the future....Good Luck!

I run a 12-13-14-15-17-19-21 rear cluster on the utility bike
with a triple chainring and a short cage derailleur.
Low gear on the other bike is 24/23.


The above information is useless unless the diameter of the inflated
tire on the drive-wheel is provided.

None of what I write is intended to be of use to you.

--
Michael Press

On Sep 9, 10:42 pm, "T°m Sherm@n" ""twshermanREMOVE\"@THI
$southslope.net" wrote:
On 9/6/2011 9:48 PM, thirty-six wrote:



Yep, I just thought I was a ****e climber as I couldn't use the same
54" gear to climb at the same rate as other riders. A drop in gearing
though not only makes me able to match those riders, but also to
accelerate away from them. My bike, although heavier, is more
suitable for climbing (fatter tyre, stiffer rim, fatter spokes bigger
sprockets). If you think something is swaying underneath you when you
are climbing, it probably is. A solid back wheel makes for faster
climbing, particularly out of the saddle, with less effort. My
climbing ability can be so markedly better than other riders, I have
to restrain myself when I am out of the saddle as it is difficult not
to break contact.

butbutbut, it is not manly to use anything smaller than a 39T/23T!

Of course, back in the day, Real Men™ had 52T/48T chain-rings and
13T-19T freewheels.


I pitch and grind up anything but "killer" hills in no less than 48/14
(*maybe* 48/16)... but I'm learning to set aside my manly ego and drop
to the middle ring more these days.

My current commute route - in contrast to the usual with 15% climb in
the first 5 minutes - has me riding about 17 miles over all flat
farmland, where I encounter the first climb - a sort of longish one,
followed by quite a bit of up-and-down and zig-zagging, leading
eventually to the very tip-top of the local terrain, before descending
into the city for ~7 miles of urban improv. The route home goes
another way entirely, consisting of modest but persistent up-and-down
almost all the way - skirting foothills for all but the last 8 or so
miles of flat. Yesterday, well out of town in 90+ F heat, I came to a
"Road Closed" setup, shmoozed the County guy there to go by (figuring
I could go off-road if necessary), and then rode around and through
the appartus working a big grass fire. On the plus side, this kept
the motor traffic down on the narrow road. Then I rode a little too
far toward home before stopping for Powerbar, clearing sweat off
glasses, rest, and cigarette. Where I stopped (miles beyond my usual
stop at a little schoolhouse with playground drinking fountain hooked
directly to a deep [cold] well into a pristine Oregon aquifer), and
leaned my bike against the signpost for "Valley View Drive", which
ramps way up at what must be around 20% (I went the other way).

"Won't you tell me
Which way to the top
You know that I can't stay
Down here"

On Sep 10, 2:09 pm, Dan O wrote:
On Sep 9, 10:42 pm, "T°m Sherm@n" ""twshermanREMOVE\"@THI



$southslope.net" wrote:
On 9/6/2011 9:48 PM, thirty-six wrote:

Yep, I just thought I was a ****e climber as I couldn't use the same
54" gear to climb at the same rate as other riders. A drop in gearing
though not only makes me able to match those riders, but also to
accelerate away from them. My bike, although heavier, is more
suitable for climbing (fatter tyre, stiffer rim, fatter spokes bigger
sprockets). If you think something is swaying underneath you when you
are climbing, it probably is. A solid back wheel makes for faster
climbing, particularly out of the saddle, with less effort. My
climbing ability can be so markedly better than other riders, I have
to restrain myself when I am out of the saddle as it is difficult not
to break contact.

butbutbut, it is not manly to use anything smaller than a 39T/23T!

Of course, back in the day, Real Men™ had 52T/48T chain-rings and
13T-19T freewheels.


snip

Yesterday, well out of town in 90+ F heat...


snip

Where I stopped (miles beyond my usual
stop at a little schoolhouse with playground drinking fountain hooked
directly to a deep [cold] well into a pristine Oregon aquifer)...


I got home with a *tiny* bit of water left of two full bottles (then
drank like a camel all night and this morning). The box of cookies on
the front rack that I'd carried home for the kids were all stuck
together and bounced - chocolate chips melted - and dried sweat on the
outside of the box.

snip

On 10/09/2011 3:42 PM, "T°m Sherm@n" wrote:
On 9/6/2011 9:48 PM, thirty-six wrote:

Yep, I just thought I was a ****e climber as I couldn't use the same
54" gear to climb at the same rate as other riders. A drop in gearing
though not only makes me able to match those riders, but also to
accelerate away from them. My bike, although heavier, is more
suitable for climbing (fatter tyre, stiffer rim, fatter spokes bigger
sprockets). If you think something is swaying underneath you when you
are climbing, it probably is. A solid back wheel makes for faster
climbing, particularly out of the saddle, with less effort. My
climbing ability can be so markedly better than other riders, I have
to restrain myself when I am out of the saddle as it is difficult not
to break contact.

butbutbut, it is not manly to use anything smaller than a 39T/23T!

Of course, back in the day, Real Menâ„¢ had 52T/48T chain-rings and
13T-19T freewheels.


The above information is useless unless the diameter of the inflated
tire on the drive-wheel is provided.

--
JS

On 9/11/2011 5:09 PM, James wrote:
On 10/09/2011 3:42 PM, "T°m Sherm@n" wrote:
On 9/6/2011 9:48 PM, thirty-six wrote:

Yep, I just thought I was a ****e climber as I couldn't use the same
54" gear to climb at the same rate as other riders. A drop in gearing
though not only makes me able to match those riders, but also to
accelerate away from them. My bike, although heavier, is more
suitable for climbing (fatter tyre, stiffer rim, fatter spokes bigger
sprockets). If you think something is swaying underneath you when you
are climbing, it probably is. A solid back wheel makes for faster
climbing, particularly out of the saddle, with less effort. My
climbing ability can be so markedly better than other riders, I have
to restrain myself when I am out of the saddle as it is difficult not
to break contact.

butbutbut, it is not manly to use anything smaller than a 39T/23T!

Of course, back in the day, Real Menâ„¢ had 52T/48T chain-rings and
13T-19T freewheels.


The above information is useless unless the diameter of the inflated
tire on the drive-wheel is provided.


I would have thought James would have known which tire sizes are manly
and which are not. Where is Fabrizio Mazzoleni when you need him?

--
Tºm Shermªn - 42.435731°N, 83.985007°W
I am a vehicular cyclist.

T°m Sherm@n wrote:
On 9/11/2011 5:09 PM, James wrote:
On 10/09/2011 3:42 PM, "T°m Sherm@n" wrote:
On 9/6/2011 9:48 PM, thirty-six wrote:

Yep, I just thought I was a ****e climber as I couldn't use the same
54" gear to climb at the same rate as other riders. A drop in gearing
though not only makes me able to match those riders, but also to
accelerate away from them. My bike, although heavier, is more
suitable for climbing (fatter tyre, stiffer rim, fatter spokes bigger
sprockets). If you think something is swaying underneath you when you
are climbing, it probably is. A solid back wheel makes for faster
climbing, particularly out of the saddle, with less effort. My
climbing ability can be so markedly better than other riders, I have
to restrain myself when I am out of the saddle as it is difficult not
to break contact.

butbutbut, it is not manly to use anything smaller than a 39T/23T!

Of course, back in the day, Real Menâ„¢ had 52T/48T chain-rings and
13T-19T freewheels.


The above information is useless unless the diameter of the inflated
tire on the drive-wheel is provided.


I would have thought James would have known which tire sizes are manly
and which are not. Where is Fabrizio Mazzoleni when you need him?


Tom should consider a broader audience than just me, as I already know
how many inches a gear should be, to be considered manly.


--
JS.