#1
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What's your top gear?
I realized that when I sold the Casati that it was the last bike I owned that had a 50T chainring or larger. Looking at the Bob Jackson (3x10) and Firefly, Strong, and Litespeed 26er dropbar conversion, all 2x11, the top gears are 48-12, 46-12, 44-11, and 42-11. With the wheel/tire sizes each bike runs, a pedal cadence of 100 rpm yields top speeds of 30-32 mph. Since I live in a place without any long downhills, this is plenty. If I were back in NH, where I lived for 35 years with similar gearing, I'd experience longer downhills but would still tend to coast if I'm going over 30 mph. I'm not a racer. One of the aspects of having a top gear of about 100 gear-inches is that I actually do hit top gear on most rides. On the Firefly, I changed the small cog on the 11-34 cassette from 11T to 12T so the jump at the top of my speed range is a one tooth jump instead of going from a 13T to 11T - I use the 12T more than I would use the 11T.
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#2
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53-11 Bianchi steel frame kinda-vintage-ish overall, so I like the big ring. 52-11 Trek Madone that does get raced 40-11 Trek Boone.. because it's a CX bike... but I'm still good for 30+mph when necessary. I actually enjoy this gearing since I'm rarely out for a ride when I NEED to go faster. I could totally see myself building a sub-compact bike in the future for regular group rides. |
#3
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53x11 on my Moots. It's nice to have here in the mountains but a bit overkill really. I also use a 53x12. At my weight I can coast real fast
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#4
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42x10. 650bx47-50. I’m very rarely in it.
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#5
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Don't need more than 100 inches EVER!. A build I just finished up with Half-Step plus granny spans 93 gear inches down to 27. (3 x 5)
I want gears where I actually use them. Another recent build (2 x 7) goes from 97 inches to 34. The day of 53/42 w 13-23 are reserved for folks in billiard table flat country. |
#6
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We agree, for what is likely similar riding styles. I must note that our 53-13 is equal to a 45-11, so I'm still close to that on my bikes. It's the 53-11 I marvel at - I'd be close to 40 mph in that gear. But I get that in pack riding and sprinting.
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#7
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I find the biggest gear I need is often lower than most people think they need.
A rider's biggest gear typically isn't used the majority of the time, but instead is used for special situations. Those situations are usually things like downhills and sprints. I develop maximum power at about 120 rpm. On flat ground my maximum sprint speed is about 35 mph (pathetic, I know), which I can do at about 120 rpm in a 52/14. For long downhills, at speeds above 40mph I can go faster in tight tuck then by pedaling. With a 52/12, I can pedal at 40 mph with a cadence of 110 rpm. But most of the time, I don't pedal when I can descend in a tuck faster than about 35 mph, and I can get up to 35mm in a 52/13 at 104 rpm. When descending in a group where riders are going faster than 40 mph I might need to do a short "sprint" burst at 50 mph or so to catch the wheel of another rider (and once on their wheel I no longer need to pedal). Since I can do 150 rpm in sort bursts, I can even manage that with a 52/13. So, for most of my rides, a 52/13 is high enough. For racing, where I might need to put down some power on downhills, a 52/12 is the biggest I've ever really wanted. |
#8
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Top gears:
52x11 or 12 on the road racing bikes.Top gear really isn't too important to me. Reasonably close gear ratios and bottom gear are much more important. Bottom gears: 36x28 on the road racing bikes.Greg |
#9
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That's what keeps my top gears low - wanting the gearing in the range where I normally ride, and low enough to get up whatever I encounter. I know from previous posts that you're stronger than I am, so my 30x34 low gear on the Strong, my D2R2 and similar bike, is "equal" for me to your low of 34x34.
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#10
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I've got a 53x11 on a bike that's mostly on the trainer, but 50x11 is really the answer of the bikes that I actually use outside.
That said, I honestly think I'd be fine with 48x12 or 44x11 as a top gear. If I were building up a road drivetrain from scratch, I'd want to try 44-30 in the front and 11-30 in the rear. Plenty low, plenty high, reasonable jumps, might work with a short cage rear derailleur. Almost a 1x in operation, but also with a low-gear front chainring as a backup for big or long hills. |
#11
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Even with long descents, I find the following top gearing about spot on for me on the road (non-racer):
700x28mm tires: 48x11 700x38mm tires: 46x11 |
#12
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I have (3) road bikes with a 50x11 top gear, and it gets used all the time.
I also have (1) dirt/gravel/'cross/all-road bike with a 48x11 top gear, and it gets used often enough. |
#13
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My favorite setup when I was racing on campy stuff was a 39/53 and a 13-26, the greatest 10S cassette ever made. In VA Beach, I ran an 11-23 for the group rides and would be in the 11 several times each ride. Pancake flat with a 50 person pack meant some high sprint speeds.
Now I'm a fan of the 36/52 setup with a 12-27 campy or 11-28 shimano. My gravel bike is 36/46 with an 11-32 for the gravel wheels and 11-28 for the road wheels. I'm getting older, I haven't spun out the 46-11 in years. |
#14
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A 53/11 also means a usable 39/12. It's not always about the combo itself. It's also about using the small cog as a spacer sometimes.
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#15
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50/11 on the road bike
48/11 on the gravel bike |
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