complience wrote:
> When i say top 7.. im refering to the largest 7.
Yes, and so is Arthur. If you mash big gears rather than spin smaller
ones then you're reducing your endurance and bothering your knees for no
particular reason. Look at the rate Lance Armstrong turns his pedals,
and bear in mind he can have any gearing he wants, and you'll see using
smaller gears is probably a cunning plan. The biggest ones are just for
downhills, though on an MTB they'll be lower than a road bike.
> Cassette.. what the hell is that.
It's the gear block at the rear.
> What difference does having 13 teeth have? surely more teeth means more
> weight?
The idea with a road racer's gears is that the ratios are closely spaced
so you can always be in a "sweet spot" gear. This is more difficult
with wide ratios, you often want to be in something like "ninth and a
half", and that means you won't be able to go as fast as you'll have to
drop back to the sweet spot speed of the next lower gear. A 13 at the
top means you won't be able to go as fast before you spin out on a
/huge/ hill (but most racing isn't down /huge/ hills and where it is
your speed is often limited by practical considerations like how fast
you can go round blind bends and be reasonably assured of being alive
afterwards), but you'll have a sweet spot gear on more occasions on
gentler gradients. Which for the most part means more efficient and faster.
Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net
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