Gears too high



wayledft

New Member
Aug 6, 2009
6
0
0
So I got ahold of an ancient Italian steel Bottecchia(sp?) with shimano 600. I love the ride and the bike is laser fast and perfectly balanced. I have since decided to ride in the Climb To Kaiser next June. This ride is 155 mi with 14000 feet of climbing in California's beautiful Sierra Nevada's. One of the CTKs toughest sections gains 2000 feet in just 3.5 miles, with grades up to 20%.

My 'new' bike has a 42/52 crank with170mm arms and an 11-21 cassette. I'm a decent climber but I'm worried that those gears will be too limiting. What do you all think is this ride possible on this bike with a good rider or do I need a new set of gears, bike?
 
wayledft said:
What do you all think is this ride possible on this bike with a good rider or do I need a new set of gears, bike?

Well, it all depends on how strong a rider you are, but a 20% grade with a 42-21 combination would turn out to be damn near impossible for most riders. I have done 14% on a 39-23, and found it doable, but tough. I don't think I could have done that climb with your gearing.

You should be able to replace your inner chainring with a 39-tooth ring, and get a set of cogs that goes up to at least a 25-tooth. I don't know what the limit of your derailleur is, but the more the merrier on these climbs. You might be able to go up to 27, and if that is the case, then I suggest you do so.

P.S.: Check out Harris Cyclery, for example. It seems you can get a 13-28 cassette for your group. Together with a 39 small ring, that should work well.
 
I know what you are saying is true, but I really want to be able to do it with the bike as is. I was hoping to hear something else.

Thanks
 
I know what you are saying is true, but I really want to be able to do it with the bike as is. I was hoping to hear something else.

Thanks
 
I would suggest upgrading to something like Ultegra 6500 series in a 12/27 configuration This should be relatively affordable.
 
wayledft said:
I know what you are saying is true, but I really want to be able to do it with the bike as is. I was hoping to hear something else.

Ah, yes, I hear you... Well, I can't really tell what you are capable of. Best advice in that case is, find yourself a climb of similar quality to the one at the CTK, and see if you can do it. If you can, more power to you! Well, you got plenty of power in that case, anyway... :D
 
I have crashed trying to follow behind someone that had better gearing than me up a steep grade and I know people it has happen to. With a 21 your cadence can get so low you literally fall over if you get caught off guard trying to follow someone with better gearing too close.
Good for you if you can grind it out but I wouldn't follow real close on another guys wheel and this climb you are taking about sounds steep enough for this to happen.
 
wayledft said:
So I got ahold of an ancient Italian steel Bottecchia(sp?) with shimano 600. I love the ride and the bike is laser fast and perfectly balanced. I have since decided to ride in the Climb To Kaiser next June. This ride is 155 mi with 14000 feet of climbing in California's beautiful Sierra Nevada's. One of the CTKs toughest sections gains 2000 feet in just 3.5 miles, with grades up to 20%.

My 'new' bike has a 42/52 crank with170mm arms and an 11-21 cassette. I'm a decent climber but I'm worried that those gears will be too limiting. What do you all think is this ride possible on this bike with a good rider or do I need a new set of gears, bike?

How much do you weigh?

Good luck with getting up the climb from Big Creek even in 42x27. If you just happen to be a 1st Cat road racer weighing in at ~140lbs, or better yet, called Alberto Contador or Andy Schleck then go for it. Otherwise use a set of SPD pedals and some easy to walk in mountain bike shoes. At that point you're getting up there in terms of altitude too, somewhere north of 6,500ft. Don't forget the ride starts at not much above sea level and at the half way point (80something miles) you're up over 9,000ft.
 
swampy1970 said:
How much do you weigh?

Good luck with getting up the climb from Big Creek even in 42x27. If you just happen to be a 1st Cat road racer weighing in at ~140lbs, or better yet, called Alberto Contador or Andy Schleck then go for it. Otherwise use a set of SPD pedals and some easy to walk in mountain bike shoes. At that point you're getting up there in terms of altitude too, somewhere north of 6,500ft. Don't forget the ride starts at not much above sea level and at the half way point (80something miles) you're up over 9,000ft.

I am tending to agree I have some 20% + grades that go just over a half mile that put me into O2 Def.
Then again I am old and feeble.
 
I suggest a 39T on the front and at least a 12-25 on the rear. If you stick with the 42T chainring, then you're definitely gonna need at least a 12-27.

Contador wouldn't do that climb in a 42/21
 
I think you will need to go on ebay to get a Uniglide cassette for your Shimano 600. Don't get dura-ace; it won't fit.
 
wayledft said:
I know what you are saying is true, but I really want to be able to do it with the bike as is. I was hoping to hear something else.
Really?

What else did you want to hear?

Honestly, if you want to ride the bike as it is geared (52/42, 11-21), then go and buy a BOB trailer, load it up with 40+ lbs. of gear, and tow it for at least 60 miles a day (every day!) on moderately steep climbs for the next 10 months.

Otherwise, take-the-needle-out-of-your-arm and admit that you will need to change the gearing for the Climb to Kaiser ride.
 
Here's something for you to think about.

climb-to-kaiser-profile-large.jpg


The climb from Big Creek... 20% Photo from Felix Wong.

climb_to_kaiser03i.jpg


Looks like a laugh. Apparently, the old road to the top of Kaiser pass isn't much easier, partly because it's at 9,500ft and partly cause the road surface is ****.

Do you have any big hills in your area?
 
There will be suffering. Lots of suffering.

FYI for the OP: when the grade gets to 20%, pro riders have been known to use compacts, triples, and/or cassette cogs with a lot of teeth. I don't think you'd find the Schleck brothers or Contador using your gearing.....unless they wanted to lose a lot of time on a stage and didn't mind being totally burnt the next morning.
 
wayledft said:
I know what you are saying is true, but I really want to be able to do it with the bike as is. I was hoping to hear something else.

Thanks

The people on here are too kind to lie to you. What you're thinking of seems like cruel and unusual punishment to me. It's along the lines of puting broken glass in your shoes before the ride. You need significant gearing changes with that setup for what you're trying to do. Of course I really don't know your definition of a "decent climber". Good luck.
 
It was partly cloudy and cool in Lienz at 13:05 as the riders departed on Pustertaler Strasse in Lienz. Many riders had the lowest gears possible to scale the terrible ascent of Zoncolan, with 34X29 compact mounted on the bicycle of Maglia Rosa Di Luca, and some riders were even using triple chainsets! The gruppo headed back to Italy the same way they came by the day before, except they avoided the Alpenhochstrasse and stayed on the main road along the river. After crossing the border after 33 kilometres, the riders made a left turn in San Candido and started the first climb of the day, Passo di Monte Croce di Comelico. Already on the 10-kilometre wall of Monte Zoncolan, race organizers were saying that there were almost 100,000 spectators along the road.

www.cyclingnews.com presents the 90th Giro d'Italia
 

Similar threads