[Hotrodvw]

I've been riding the same area since last year. it's a beautiful network of trails, built in to a hill side, so there's obviously a lot of climbing. Last night I was following my buddy, who happens to be riding a single speed. I selected gearing that allowed me to mimic what he was feeling (roughly). Now, bear in mind, he's a great rider as well as in great shape.......me, not so much. I used my small chain ring up front, and toggled between 5, 6 and 7 on the 8 speed cassette. Can you tell I'm green? My terminology sux. LOL

Anywho, I realized quickly that I was now climbing the same hills/trails faster. Granted, I am out of the saddle more in the steeper sections, but it worked for me. I'm gaining more forward motion per stroke. It's a stroke that's harder to pedal, but a rewarded stroke IMO. Running the gearing I was before, I'm spinning the cranks faster, more work on my legs, and go slower, ie... losing momentum or not able to achieve it. I'm writing this for the newer guy like myself. Go play with gear selection. If you find a gear that you can pull, but feels a bit tall, run it! Use your body torque rather than body RPM so to speak. Hopefully this makes sense for you all. I found that I wasn't as winded, had more fun, and was all around faster than I was before. Enjoy!

Eric

 

[zebrahum]

First, try and avoid what is called "cross chaining". That means using your small chainring and small diameter gears in the back and using the big chainring with the big diameter gears in the back (i.e. 1-8, 1-9, 3-1, 3-2). When you use those gear combinations the chain has to bend in order to ride on the gears properly. Your friend on the SS is closer to running an equivalent of your middle chainring and probably around your 6th or 7th gear (just as a guess). He is not using the equivalent of your small chainring, you can always ask him how many teeth he is running as most SS'ers know that off the top of their head. For reference my SS gearing is 32-18 (32 tooth front, 18 tooth rear).

Second, you are completely correct to say that it's good for beginners to play with gearing. I will point out that if you watch professional bike racers it is more common to see them pedaling at a high RPM (cadence). Using a high torque pedal stroke wears you out much more quickly than a high RPM but they're both useful during points of any mountain ride. Your friend on the SS has no choice but to grind it out and it is certainly kind of fun, but it's not the best option for all climbs or trails. So like you said, play with gear selection but don't get stuck thinking that torque is your only option out there!

Love your avatar, btw.

 

[Hotrodvw]

Yeah, I thought about the cross chaining too. I'll play with that some more. I've thought about a 1x9 set up in the future....might be up my alley.

Speaking about the torque vs rpm spinning, I honestly seemed to hold up better and go longer running the taller gearing. The guys I ride with just kick my ass. By the time I catch up, they're off again. The slow guy gets no breaks LOL By keeping the faster pace, I can keep up better, and I seem to have the legs to pull it. Half of our trails are up hill, the other are down. That said, these guys are tearing my legs apart. I'll try th e middle chain ring this next ride, should be interesting. Thanks for your input! :thumbsup:

 

[zebrahum]

Yeah, I thought about the cross chaining too. I'll play with that some more. I've thought about a 1x9 set up in the future....might be up my alley.

Speaking about the torque vs rpm spinning, I honestly seemed to hold up better and go longer running the taller gearing. The guys I ride with just kick my ass. By the time I catch up, they're off again. The slow guy gets no breaks LOL By keeping the faster pace, I can keep up better, and I seem to have the legs to pull it. Half of our trails are up hill, the other are down. That said, these guys are tearing my legs apart. I'll try th e middle chain ring this next ride, should be interesting. Thanks for your input! :thumbsup:

Well keeping up will come with saddle time, if you've spent a lot of time so far in the small ring then you're right in suspecting you need to push a bigger gear to keep up with those guys. Once you get stronger you'll be pushing the middle ring at a high cadence and that's probably where you want to be for most of your riding. Spinning up the middle ring should keep you in touch with most riders.

Have fun!