L'Etape du Tour 2003

I'm a reasonably fit club rider (but not racer) who is entered to ride the Etape this summer - my
clubmates reckon I'll get by with 39 x 23 bottom gear - I have my doubts being 6'2" tall and 12
stone - do I go for a triple or fit a 38 x 27 (which is about the smallest you can get on a Shimano
Ultegra groupset)?

My knees are hoping I'll go for the triple, but it seems like a lot of outlay for a one-off use?

Any advice from anyone who has actually ridden in the Pyrenees?

Cheers, Richard

 

On Fri, 28 Feb 2003 23:16:23 -0000, Richard Mead wrote:
>my clubmates reckon I'll get by with 39 x 23 bottom gear - I have my doubts being 6'2" tall
>and 12 stone

Well you're not very heavy for your height. Still, 39x23 is more of a pro gear. I always manage with
39x25, sometimes wish I had a 27. I guess I am a moderately strong rider, say top 25% (Marmotte in
8:20 not in top condition), 1m74 67kg.

 

Get a triple.

I've often toured in Pyrenees and Alps. A mile or two of 10% will kill you if you're tired and you
don't have one.

 

Over the last 10 years I have ridden most of the famous Alpine and Pyrenean Cols on 39x28, I am 37
yo, about 12 stones and 6'2". This year I am doing the Raid Pyrenean and am fitting a triple. Since
the ride is only 100 hours I am not fitting Ultegra, but getting a cheaper set for my 2nd bike. My
best bike is Ultegra, the Shimano site says that the front changer should handle a triple front mech
but even so Ultegra bits are so expensive now.

St John Street cycles have a good range on their site, a new CS, BB and front mech will cost about
£70, once the ride over I'll take them off and save them for my tourer.

"Richard Mead" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm a reasonably fit club rider (but not racer) who is entered to ride the Etape this summer - my
> clubmates reckon I'll get by with 39 x 23 bottom gear - I have my doubts being 6'2" tall and 12
> stone - do I go for a
triple
> or fit a 38 x 27 (which is about the smallest you can get on a Shimano Ultegra groupset)?
>
> My knees are hoping I'll go for the triple, but it seems like a lot of outlay for a one-off use?
>
> Any advice from anyone who has actually ridden in the Pyrenees?
>
> Cheers, Richard

 

M Series <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Over the last 10 years I have ridden most of the famous Alpine and
Pyrenean
> Cols on 39x28, I am 37 yo, about 12 stones and 6'2". This year I am doing the Raid Pyrenean and am
> fitting a triple. Since the ride is only 100
hours
> I am not fitting Ultegra, but getting a cheaper set for my 2nd bike. My
best
> bike is Ultegra, the Shimano site says that the front changer should
handle
> a triple front mech but even so Ultegra bits are so expensive now.
>
> St John Street cycles have a good range on their site, a new CS, BB and front mech will cost about
> £70, once the ride over I'll take them off and save them for my tourer.
>
>
>
> "Richard Mead" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > I'm a reasonably fit club rider (but not racer) who is entered to ride
the
> > Etape this summer - my clubmates reckon I'll get by with 39 x 23 bottom gear - I have my doubts
> > being 6'2" tall and 12 stone - do I go for a
> triple
> > or fit a 38 x 27 (which is about the smallest you can get on a Shimano Ultegra groupset)?
> >
> > My knees are hoping I'll go for the triple, but it seems like a lot of outlay for a one-off use?
> >
> > Any advice from anyone who has actually ridden in the Pyrenees?
> >
> > Cheers, Richard
> >
> >

36 years old, 5ft 11", 78kg. Usually ride a 53/39-12/23 but changed to a
13/26 before doing the Alps last year...glad I did. I'm a fairly fit rider but those extra few cogs
made the last few K's of the Cols more enjoyable.

--
Mark
______________________________________

"Just ask yourself: What would Scooby Doo?"

 

"Richard Mead" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm a reasonably fit club rider (but not racer) who is entered to ride the Etape this summer - my
> clubmates reckon I'll get by with 39 x 23 bottom gear - I have my doubts being 6'2" tall and 12
> stone - do I go for a
triple
> or fit a 38 x 27 (which is about the smallest you can get on a Shimano Ultegra groupset)?
>
> My knees are hoping I'll go for the triple, but it seems like a lot of outlay for a one-off use?
>
> Any advice from anyone who has actually ridden in the Pyrenees?
>
> Cheers, Richard

Good luck Richard. I am entered into L'Etape this year too. I've nit got a huge amnount of road
racing experience, but have done quite a bit of mtb/steep terrain work, and know that a triple makes
a big difference there. So my knees have won out over my wallet and I'm fitting Ultegra triple next
month. You're right it is expensiive, but I think I may be thanking myself half way up the Col du
Soudet. Interested to hear what decision you make. Paul Hartigan

 

On 28-Feb-2003, "Richard Mead" <[email protected]> wrote:

> I'm a reasonably fit club rider (but not racer) who is entered to ride the Etape this summer - my
> clubmates reckon I'll get by with 39 x 23 bottom gear - I have my doubts being 6'2" tall and 12
> stone - do I go for a triple or fit a 38 x 27 (which is about the smallest you can get on a
> Shimano Ultegra groupset)?
>
> My knees are hoping I'll go for the triple, but it seems like a lot of outlay for a one-off use?
>
> Any advice from anyone who has actually ridden in the Pyrenees?

Not ridden the Pyrenees I'm afraid but it's on the wish list so I look forward to hearing how you
get on. Personally I'd want a triple. You may well be able to get up the sort of hills that you
get in the Etape route using 39x23 but you've got to bear in mind how you will feel when you are
facing the third big hill of the day, it's freezing cold and you've been riding in the rain for
the past four hours. OK hopefully it wont be like that but if it is the last thing you want to do
is get off and push.

But then again upgrading an Ulterga system to triple seems to involve changing just about the whole
drivetrain. Have you thought about using an MTB cassette? The spacing is the same on all Shimano
cassettes and presumably 39x34 will get you up most things.

Cheers,

Andy