Diabolical Double

[LegendRider]

A friend and I plan to do the Diabolical Double next month - 125 miles with 16k of climbing including some very steep sections.

http://www.winthefight.org/granfondo/diabolical_double.htm

I'm a decent rider / climber (think Cat 3ish), but I'm concerned that my 39x27 won't be a low enough gear ratio. Any thoughts from those who have done it? Are there any inexpensive options for lower gearing? It appears a compact is the only way to go...


Thanks.

[tannhauser]

Compact, no doubt.

[leooooo]

Cat3 ish with 39x27, u will be perfectly fine.

Ima do it 39x25 and im cat7 ish

[znfdl]

Legend:

You have to ask yourself a question, how much do I like to climb?

If you love to climb, stay with the 39x27, a bailout gear is always nice to have.

If you do not love to climb, you might want to think of smaller gears.

None of the individual climbs look that bad, except for the last climb, but the cummulative effect might get to you. I always prefer having a bailout gear on longish rides.

I might have to sign up for this, as it looks interesting.

Just my $.02