Road Cycling Essentials

[grudas]

I agree on the triple thing but you should come up our end and let us show you the scenery. I guarantee you'll end up using the small ring

i would im 100% sure on it, i've used it a couple of times here.. the steep short climb at alexandra palace slowed me down to 4.8mph!

i could actually feel my front lifting up when pedaling..

 

[Saundie]

why would you want a triple? biggest waste of time imo..

my new chainset is 50/34 and i quite like it.. not sure when ill sure the smaller ring tho

Having more gears means you're more likely to be able to find one that matches your cadence. I also really like the idea of having a 52/39/30 chainset with an 11-32t cassette, so that I can sit and spin up pretty much anything. Getting out of the saddle is so try hard.

 

[grudas]

Having more gears means you're more likely to be able to find one that matches your cadence. I also really like the idea of having a 52/39/30 chainset with an 11-32t cassette, so that I can sit and spin up pretty much anything. Getting out of the saddle is so try hard.

i had that on my bike as stock.. used the 39 one but never the 30 one.. i've no idea where i would use that unless i needed to climb up a wall..

 

[One More Solo]

I know this is verging on blasphemy for this forum, but is there likely to be a triple chainset for the new Ultegra 6800 kit? Looking at the new 11-32t cassette, I'm guessing that Shimano are replicating SRAM's WiFLi idea and dispensing with the triple option.

There will be a triple at some point apparently but it seems pointless now. 11 speed is ideal for 11-32t as well, the gappy cassette is probably its biggest flaw. 34x32 should be low enough even for us mortals, unless you're planning on climbing the Angliru.

 

[touch]

I also really like the idea of having a 52/39/30 chainset with an 11-32t cassette, so that I can sit and spin up pretty much anything. Getting out of the saddle is so try hard.

30-32 is a crazy ratio

I dont see the point in a triple. The few times that you come across a hill that you cant ride in 39-32 on a compact surely isnt worth the hassle of a triple with the extra weight and less accurate shifting?

 

[[Damien]]

Yeah a triple is definitely overkill. The steepest incline I've climbed is 25% and on a 46/36 & 12-27 (12-13-14-15-17-19-21-24-27) I still need to shift up to the 21 cog before I stand and bang.

 

[Saundie]

I guess I'm just weak, because I have used the 30x28 on my bike on several occasions - going up Devil's Dyke in Brighton, for example. I stayed seated the whole time, whereas the guys I were with were all out of the saddle.

30-32 is a crazy ratio

I dont see the point in a triple. The few times that you come across a hill that you cant ride in 39-32 on a compact surely isnt worth the hassle of a triple with the extra weight and less accurate shifting?

I've not had the chance to try a bike with top level components, so I don't have much of a frame of reference, but I've never had any problems with shifting on my existing 10 speed Ultegra triple. It's always been crisp; I just press the lever and it changes gear, there's never any grinding or slipping. As for the weight, well, I'm about 8kg overweight, so I'm not worried about the extra 100g a triple adds.

As I say, I like to stay seated as much as I possibly can, and that's why I like my triple. I concede that it's pretty pointless with a 11-32t cassette, however

 

[Berger]

Riding a standard crankset with only a 25 out back has just made me mtfu when it comes to steep hills. Rather than spinning up like a girl you need to grind away and feel your legs burn. Not to mention getting off and walking would be sissy, not that you would catch the pros doing it

Has made my speed up hills dramatically increase as I get used to pushing the bigger gears....

 

[[Damien]]

I stand purely to get up the hills quicker. My lungs are the weak point of my climbing, not leg power so blasting up quickly lets me get to the top and recover before my asthma plays up. I can also breathe better stood up. It's the long steady spinny hills that do me over.

If I can get my weight down some more (193lb and dropping) that'll probably help me no end.

 

[touch]

I've not had the chance to try a bike with top level components, so I don't have much of a frame of reference, but I've never had any problems with shifting on my existing 10 speed Ultegra triple. It's always been crisp; I just press the lever and it changes gear, there's never any grinding or slipping.

Maybe it's the other way around: i have never used decent components on a triple.
I'v never found a triple to be as accurate at shifting as a double. I have a shimano XT triple on my MTB (i think XT is the mtb equivalent of ultegra) which always requires a little bit of overshifting to get it up to a bigger ring and will occasionally jump down 2 rings when shifting down.

I didnt say that you're weak to need the smaller chainring, just that i dont think it's worth the hassle for the little bit of extra ratios that you get.
If you can spin up a hill as fast as your friends can get up it in whatever gear they choose, then thats all that matters.

 

[Kimi]

53/39 on mine, just put an 11,28 on the back, absolutely loving it for the flats

 

[Shamrock]

Anybody want to ride with me this weekend? Will be heading into Surrey.

I really need to train for this 93mi sportive on May 19th!

 

[Saundie]

I stand purely to get up the hills quicker. My lungs are the weak point of my climbing, not leg power so blasting up quickly lets me get to the top and recover before my asthma plays up. I can also breathe better stood up. It's the long steady spinny hills that do me over.

If I can get my weight down some more (193lb and dropping) that'll probably help me no end.

I find it hard to pace myself properly if I stand up, so I find that I overdo it at the start of the climb. Then the burn sets in, and I find myself slowing right down as I concede defeat and take a seat. When I "sit and spin" I find it a lot easier to maintain a regular pace, especially up those long hills.

Despite what I have said, I do actually get out of the saddle from time to time, usually to blast over the short hills on my commute. My CX bike is a bit of a beast with the rack fitted, and my bag attached, so it's the only way to get up to speed quickly enough. I don't hate it, it's just not what I'm used to.

I didnt say that you're weak to need the smaller chainring, just that i dont think it's worth the hassle for the little bit of extra ratios that you get.
If you can spin up a hill as fast as your friends can get up it in whatever gear they choose, then thats all that matters.

I know you didn't say I was weak - I said that because it seems to be the case, as I simply don't have the strength to blast up the sort of inclines you guys mention. It's something I've been working on for a while, but progress is slow on that front. I guess I need to take a leaf out of the Berger playbook, and just MTFU

 

[Mr Jones]

I'm on 50/34, climbing hills around my area is hard!
http://pontefract.cyclestreets.net/journey/23844868/

Mind you, my cardio and strength needs working, so I'm sure I'll get better.

 

[[Damien]]

I find it hard to pace myself properly if I stand up, so I find that I overdo it at the start of the climb.

That's my biggest problem. I only stand up on the really steep hills (20-25ish%) but even when I'm seated I tend to shift my weight forward and grind up using my quads. I'm usually pulling on my bars to get extra leverage and forcing my feet to the floor. Vonhelmet's rode with me plenty of times and I'm sure he'll say I'm anything but delicate when climbing.

I should really focus more on learning to spin efficiently because when the inclines are long my technique really lets me down.

 

[Vonhelmet]

Also, anyone here done a track cycling taster session @ Mcr velodrome before? I've got one coming up and just wondered what to expect for someone who's never done it before.

Walt went last year with a bunch of people, so have a word with them this weekend, if you're all out. I gather it's quite an eye opener if you've never ridden fixed before.

 

[Vonhelmet]

I only stand up on the really steep hills (20-25ish%) but even when I'm seated I tend to shift my weight forward and grind up using my quads.

The first time I tried the Rake I was keeping my weight forward so much that the rear wheel was lifting off and slipping on the gravel. Last time I made a conscious effort to sit back and keep my weight down to actually keep some traction.

Vonhelmet's rode with me plenty of times and I'm sure he'll say I'm anything but delicate when climbing.

Aye, you don't mess about.

Walt was talking the other day about getting a race up the Rake going between you, Garnsey and Big Nathan. My money would be on Nathan, I'm afraid!

In terms of gears, I checked mine when I changed my wheels. It turns out my gears only go up to 28 at the back, so not as shameful as the 30 I thought it was! So that puts me at 34-28 when I hit the really sucky hills.

 

[[Damien]]

Walt was talking the other day about getting a race up the Rake going between you, Garnsey and Big Nathan. My money would be on Nathan, I'm afraid!

Haha, I've no shame in admitting that. Nathan's a beast. I'm still surprised Garnsey didn't smoke me up there last time though. I reckon he's significantly lighter than I am. He's definitely got the advantage in power:weight ratio. I'm one of the fastest in my weight bracket on strava going up there but compared to the lighter lads I'm far from the quickest.

I reckon Nathan will suffer with the same problem I have, crap loads of power but you've still got to lug all that weight up with you. He probably has far better lungs than me though

It'd be a good race tbh.

Edit: Are you not out with us this weekend? We need to start publishing routes you know. It's starting to get silly with the guys at the front having no clue where they're headed and the guys that know sat at the back.

 

[olv]

Ok so we get a lot of wheel talk on here but I'm now paranoid my front wheel is worn out and I'm going to smash my face into the ground next time I do a descent. Which wheels shall I get? Fulcrum 7? Shimano RS30? Mavic Open Pros? Totally lost on the subject.

 

[[DOD]Asprilla]

Ok so we get a lot of wheel talk on here but I'm now paranoid my front wheel is worn out and I'm going to smash my face into the ground next time I do a descent. Which wheels shall I get? Fulcrum 7? Shimano RS30? Mavic Open Pros? Totally lost on the subject.

Budget?