Junior gears, 20mm tires

cdy291 said:

In trying to comply with the junior gear restrictions, I have decided to use 20 or 21mm tires. That way I can use 53/14 when I would normaly have to go to 53/15. i was just wondering what every one's opinion was on this. Also would the 20mm Conti 4000's be a good choice for racing, because I am using the 23mm version now and like it. I have heard that the Conti supersonics would not be good for some types of racing.

conti supersonics = no. I'm still stuck in 42:14. Use 52:14, it is the popular ratio with 23mm. 20mm will give you higher rolling resistance, worse ride quality, less stable cornering all of which you don't want in a race.

This new junior gearing rule is absolutely REDICULOUS! If we have proven that we can ride larger gears by competing fiercely in the mens ranks then why should we be restricted by something that is meant to keep things fair in races for younger people! I am not looking forward to running my 15-25 cassette again...

Sorry just had to rant...

I don't see how tire width would affect the rollout? Could you explain your logic please?

Also, do you really think that officials will go through the difficulty of tracking down all the juniors in the mens races to check their gearing/rollout?

You can also use a 45x12

^^ A small tire will make the diameter of your wheel smaller, therefor making your roll out smaller with the same gearing.

I agree with bobbyocr. Use the 52 x 14. I don't think the new rule is ridiculous. However, I'm not saying I like it either. It will just create us (juniors) into smarter racers. Instead of being able to punch out a big gear to beat the older riders, we will need to outsmart them which many juniors struggle with, including me. I can't wait to start racing though. The season isn't too far ahead. I'm starting to race in February already (Kentucky)!

rudycyclist said:

I agree with bobbyocr. Use the 52 x 14. I don't think the new rule is ridiculous. However, I'm not saying I like it either. It will just create us (juniors) into smarter racers. Instead of being able to punch out a big gear to beat the older riders, we will need to outsmart them which many juniors struggle with, including me. I can't wait to start racing though. The season isn't too far ahead. I'm starting to race in February already (Kentucky)!

Lucky. Race season doesn't start until March here.

You defintely don't have to be big or strong or have big gears to do well. There is a little kid, and I mean little kid, he must be 11 or 12 and weight about 80 lbs out here who rides and competes in the men's 5 fields. I think I was never so impressed than when I saw him in a crit having no problem staying with the men.

I don't think I will have a problem though because I regularly spin at 100+ rpm. I climbed hogpen gap Janurary 1st and was only able to do around 65rpm, witch almost killed me. Thats why I was thinking of going to a compact crank but I check and with a 50 ring I would still have to use a 14 cog like on a 52 tooth ring, wich means I would be a disadvantage in roll out distance.

ToffoIsMe said:

Also, do you really think that officials will go through the difficulty of tracking down all the juniors in the mens races to check their gearing/rollout?

You'd be surprised.

As someone mentioned, running a lower gear, forcing you to compete with other juniors (even though it isn't overly difficult to stick with the mens categories) teaches you how to win. It teaches you race tactics, as you are all put on a level field, running the same maximum ratio (which you don't shift from 75% of the time) which means you need to use tactics to win. These tactics will eventually come in handy when you put yourself in an open race where everyone is running s similar ratio.

cdy291 said:

I don't think I will have a problem though because I regularly spin at 100+ rpm. I climbed hogpen gap Janurary 1st and was only able to do around 65rpm, witch almost killed me. Thats why I was thinking of going to a compact crank but I check and with a 50 ring I would still have to use a 14 cog like on a 52 tooth ring, wich means I would be a disadvantage in roll out distance.

You won't be affected by the new rule too much then.

People like me will. I tend to spin around 85rpm in a larger gear and muscle through everything. I seem to build up muscle strength a lot faster than I build up cardiovascular strength, so the low RPMs just tend to work better for me. Now I'll have to do more cardio to spin faster.

ToffoIsMe said:

Lucky. Race season doesn't start until March here.

I live in Wisconsin and the USCF races around here don't start 'til March as well, but there's a race in Kentucky our team will be going to (Schabobele). It's an ABR race. I can't wait. I found out today though, that my coach doesn't want me to win/make any attempt to win. Just to work for the team. There are a few other races in March I'll be getting the go ahead though.

I hear that junior gear limit is to protect growing legs.

Anyway juniors can generally spin much better than vets.

mikesbytes said:

I hear that junior gear limit is to protect growing legs.

growing up i had a friend who was a state and national bmx champ (in our early teens). he developed huge legs obviously due to the explosive sprint nature of bmx racing. the problem in his growing body was that the muscles grew too fast and the ligaments and tendons in his legs lagged behind. this caused all kinds of problems and he wasn't able to do any sport pretty much right through high school.

i was always under the impression the gear restrictions were to stop exactly this.

--brett