Most expensive bike upgrade you've purchased

[Bicycleman]

Actually no big gears here! I am a major spinner. When we ride the trail a lot of riders are shocked that I am in my 39 chain ring while everybody else is in their big ring. I have a cadence of about 95 most times. I have to get up to about 22 mph before I need the 53.

I used to mash when I first started cycling but one season on a trainer changed all that. Really improved my performance on century rides.

Actually no big gears here! I am a major spinner. When we ride the trail a lot of riders are shocked that I am in my 39 chain ring while everybody else is in their big ring. I have a cadence of about 95 most times. I have to get up to about 22 mph before I need the 53.

I used to mash when I first started cycling but one season on a trainer changed all that. Really improved my performance on century rides.

I have always been a big gear pusher, but lately since I've been doing a lot of hilly rides, I've had to ride the 39. Riding the small ring will sure save your legs for the long distance rides, but there are some riders that are so fast, that I just cannot spin fast enough to stay with them so must go into the 53. Lately, I use every gear on the bike if it will help me go faster.

When you do Mt. Baldy, what type of rear cassette are you using, 12-27 or higher maybe? Where I live, you can get by with a 12-21 or 12-23. My Lemond has a 9 speed rear cassette.

 

[Bicycleman]

Sacrilege! Should have bought a Bianchi...a Colnago...a Pinarello...a Cinelli...a...Hell...she should have bought one of everything! All full Campy, of course.

I chided her on that, but she said that money was a factor in her choice. I would think that an Italian bike bought in Italy would be a lot cheaper. Then again, she would have to declare it coming back to the states and might have to pay an import tax on it.

 

[Mr. Beanz]

I have always been a big gear pusher, but lately since I've been doing a lot of hilly rides, I've had to ride the 39. Riding the small ring will sure save your legs for the long distance rides, but there are some riders that are so fast, that I just cannot spin fast enough to stay with them so must go into the 53. Lately, I use every gear on the bike if it will help me go faster.

When you do Mt. Baldy, what type of rear cassette are you using, 12-27 or higher maybe? Where I live, you can get by with a 12-21 or 12-23. My Lemond has a 9 speed rear cassette.

Well I have 2 set ups. The Lemond was a triple so I had low gears. That is the one the crank I was using both times when the frames snapped.

The other crank I have on my Cannondale is a 53/39-12/25. I used it on Breathless Agony (14,000 ft), Ride around the bear (10,000 ft), Baldy Rd, and GMR with never an issue. Funny that the frame with the triple snapped.

I've done a whole lot more climbing on the double crank without any issues. Maybe it's the frame that is better built and stiffer.

Sad because the Lemond Chambery is the best quality smoothest ride I've ever had in a bike

But the Cannondale CAD3 is one tough frame!

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Mr. B., is your stem some sort of extra long quill model? Because that thing looks like it is up way beyond the safe insertion limit.

The Cannondale CAAD series frames are held in high regard by folks in my area. Strong and with a good ride quality.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

The Kapelmuur tops out at 20%.

It's cobbled.

And Johan climbs it in the big ring. Meseuuw said of compact chainsets, "A 50 tooth ring is too small to climb with."! I wish I had his Watts.

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[Mr. Beanz]

Mr. B., is your stem some sort of extra long quill model? Because that thing looks like it is up way beyond the safe insertion limit.

The Cannondale CAAD series frames are held in high regard by folks in my area. Strong and with a good ride quality.

Yeah, I had a 130 long and it was a long reach, I tried a shorter stem but it seemed I could never get comfy. So I used a taller shorter stem. Looks funky but it works. It's a 58 size bike like all my others but this one just wouldn't comply. I don't know it it was the angles or the tt length but it drove me crazy. A 44 mile ride was like getting stretched on one of those medieval torture racks.

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Yeah, I had a 130 long and it was a long reach

If you didn't snap it off...it must have been good to go. Appearances can be deceiving.

 

[Mr. Beanz]

If you didn't snap it off...it must have been good to go. Appearances can be deceiving.

Yup, I've set my best speeds on climbing times on this set up. It's a 1998 and if I ever have a reason to want to go fast, I take this bike over my full carbon 2014 Madone any day. Sometimes the boys say let's crank it up, I'll show up on this bike.

There is a flat section on our ride that is 8 miles long at the end of our usual 44 miler. I set my best time on this bike on strava at 22.9 mph. That was a solo effort. Then the fast ride video where you said we were the terrors of the trail. I was riding that bike too. Some riders have made comments about the stem looking funky but they forget about it once we start riding. Looks can be deceiving.

 

[Bicycleman]

Whenever I'd go to the mountains, I would always ride my bike Friday. It's a double crank at 60-48 and I'd put a 12-30 on the rear. With 20 inch wheels I had 32 gear inches. It was great for climbing, albeit a bit slow, but I wasn't up there to break any climbing records. I was just climbing. I got where I went to the mountains every weekend, and it showed in my Tuesday night training ride performance with the racing team. Mountain riding is the only way to be truly strong on the bike. I envy those cyclists, who live in or near the mountains.