Peak district nightmare!!

[daemon_sweet]

Hi, i only just switched to a road bike from a mountain bike and am having some problems adjusting. I live in the Peak District and am finding the hills more than a bit trying on my new bike! Bottom gear just isn't low enough (or i'm not strong enough). It's a Shimano 14 gear, i can't tell you any more than that sorry. I was wondering if anybody would be able to help me out and maybe suggest any particular chain/gear sets that would help out a bit more?Thankyou in advance I'm sorry if it doesn't sound very techincal

 

[mrowkoob]

Hi, i only just switched to a road bike from a mountain bike and am having some problems adjusting. I live in the Peak District and am finding the hills more than a bit trying on my new bike! Bottom gear just isn't low enough (or i'm not strong enough). It's a Shimano 14 gear, i can't tell you any more than that sorry. I was wondering if anybody would be able to help me out and maybe suggest any particular chain/gear sets that would help out a bit more?Thankyou in advance I'm sorry if it doesn't sound very techincal

You could invest in a 3 ring setup like the one I assume you have on your mtb. Problem solved.

 

[Tonto]

Hi, i only just switched to a road bike from a mountain bike and am having some problems adjusting. I live in the Peak District and am finding the hills more than a bit trying on my new bike! Bottom gear just isn't low enough (or i'm not strong enough). It's a Shimano 14 gear, i can't tell you any more than that sorry. I was wondering if anybody would be able to help me out and maybe suggest any particular chain/gear sets that would help out a bit more?Thankyou in advance I'm sorry if it doesn't sound very techincal

Try counting the number of teeth on the biggest ring on the back of your bike and the number of teeth on the smallest ring at the front.
Then go to http://sheldonbrown.com/k7.html and read the bit about how to tell whether you have a freewheel or a freehub (seeing as you have Shimano 7-speed you could have an older type freewheel).
Once you're clear on this, then have a look at the 7-speed cassette combinations listed there.
You could also look at gettng a triple chainset which gives you much more scope for adjustment. Try to see what improvement you can get with the cassette only first though, as it is much cheaper to switch cassettes than swtich to a triple.
Use this online gear calculator to figure out which combinations suit you best:
http://sheldonbrown.com/gears/
The lower the number you can achieve for gear inches/gain ratio in your lowest gear means easier climbing.