Lower Gear Inches or HTFU?

Oh formerly favoured one from warmer climes, your lack of belief has been noted.
Hmmm, a plague of Gatorskins will be an acceptable punishment I think!

The gear inches will come..

Winter's all about 44/19 and cardiovascular optimisational methodologies.

48/19... thats a polo gear nonces. man up and feel my buns

fixed

44/16 with 700x28 for the winter commuter.
47/16 with 700x23 on the summer/best steed.
24/16 with 26x1.95 on the mud plugger.

Tyre size makes a big difference, check out this:
http://software.bareknucklebrigade.com/rabbit.applet.html

Its free and covers everything.

Winter's all about 44/19

choice of heroes.

but no good for the hipster about town, a spinny gear like that means the cranks go out of focus when the bike is being pushed along the pavement at 3mph and the obligatory photograph is required.

Tyre size makes a big difference

Tyre size makes a *small *comparative difference, 23-28 you won't really notice, 23 to 34+, well you probably will, but then you'll notice lots of other things too.

Wheel size is a different matter.

am i crazy then? 100.29 GI

yes

am i crazy then? 100.29 GI

No. Assuming you are a strong pursuiter, only have steep downhills to ride or permanently draft a car.

I hate decimals.

No. Assuming you are a strong pursuiter, only have steep downhills to ride or permanently draft a car.

I hate decimals.

lol 1. No, i dotn race. 2.I have no downhills, but i do have uphills, and they are great! 3. I dont draft cars, they draft me. :D

In which case gear up I hear 55x12 is cooler.

Happyknees is a sprocket called nineteen.

Fitted and tested in a headwind and pleased to report it's much better.

For the record, sprocket ordered on Sunday evening from hubjub and chainwhip from SJS. Sprocket arrived Tuesday and chainwhip today (Thursday).

Next swap is a shorter stem.

currently running 77GI (46/16) but got kinda tired on way back (up north lahhhndaaan) so got an 18t velo solo cog on order to give me 69GI

Advice sought, one of the lads I ride with has just changed his bike, going from a triple, with a low gear of 30/32 , to a double with a low gear of 33/34. In gear inch terms, this gives him 25.66 (double) replacing 24.87 (triple), so a change of 0.79, would this be noticeable to an average strength rider, all other things being equal. He says it doesn't feel right (?) on hills. Would such a small change make a difference?

Does the gear-inch scale even go that small?

Unless heavily loaded and going up a steep hill, I doubt you’d notice the difference and possibly not even then.

My thoughts exactly, not touring, it's on a Giant Defy Advanced, so far lighter than his old bike. Told him to grow a pair, he wasn't amused.

Maybe a stupid thought, but could it be that he's simply not used to the feeling of a much lighter bike, especially when going out of the saddle? Would obviously mean that there is quite a big weight difference, but to me that sounds more likely than the tiny change in gear ratio.

What are these legendary hills he is climbing? I am ancient, unfit and 9kg over my racing weight and can still puke my way up the 25% climb a mile away on 39×25. On the basis that he is certainly younger than me and is riding a much lighter bike, what the fuck is his problem? About 10 years ago I rode the Croix de Fer, Telegraphe and Galibier in a day on 39x25, sure, it hurt.

No he needs to htfu

Agreed! As a keen 13/14 year old, all we had was 42/52 chainrings and 13 to 21 blocks on our summer bikes which even at the light end of the scale were about 12kg. I was riding all over the west country on those gears and rarely if ever had to walk a hill....

He's in his late 50s, quite fit for his age though, but I told him to just stick with it, he's more of a sit n spin up a hill than get out n grind. Was just wondering, and after back up before I told him to crack on.
Thanks all for input.

Anything gearing that will get you out cycling more is good.

Though more gear inches are better.

I’m also in my late 50’s and like others I remember the days of 52/42 chainsets and 13-21 blocks but nowadays, I appreciate the low gearing of modern bikes - my lightweight carbon bike has a 50/34 compact chainset and 11-34 cassette giving a bottom gear of 27 inches.

This question on lfgss looks like a red rag to a bull - especially in the case of the older users like Colin, Aniki and myself. It almost demands the sort of answer that starts "When I were a lad...."

So I hope you'll permit me to give one of those:

Just past my fourteenth birthday in 1959 I went on a YHA trip from SW London to Pembrokeshire. I knew there would be a lot of climbing so I somehow managed to afford a new block, specially for this tour. My bottom sprocket was a 25, which at the time I thought was positively enormous - however since my chainrings (donated to me rather than chosen) were 52/48, my bottom gear (27's) was 51.8".

At the time I was convinced that this was such a low gear it would enable me to pull my puny body (and saddlebag) up any climb between London Airport and St. David's Head.

I don't remember having to walk up anything, but that may well be a lapse of memory. However, with my companion (a school friend, same age)we got there and back without problems.

I think gearing expectations have changed a lot since then, and while Colin, Aniki and I would honk strenuously up hills and think that was perfectly normal - for one thing because that was how we climbed on fixed in the winter. Most modern riders start on gears, and usually have some very low ones on their first bike, so their outlook is different from ours.

To answer the original question: I would be amazed if it were possible for anyone to recognise a difference of .79", I think the problem, if there is one, lies elsewhere.

Agreed, in his head, it's just not his old bike (which he's had 12 years and covered about 21000 miles on), he'll get used to the new one, I keep telling him to give it time.
I hear what you say about modern vs vintage gearing, spoilt buggers that we are.