Gear setup
First off, new guy (me) is planning on a (relatively)quick dump loop ride on Saturday. Probably will leave my house around 7 and it usually takes about 20 minutes to get to Hill and Harrison. I ride from cartwright to seamans generally but would be able to switch directions if anyone wanted to meet up going the other way, it'd just tack on another 15 minutes or so.
Secondly, I rode this last weekend and it was a good reminder to ask a question about gearing. In those steep sections around 10-12% my cadence plummets to about 55-60 on my lowest gear and so my speed is just right about 5.5-6. Pretty weak, I know. My question is: do any of you guys run any special gearing for hill climbs and if so, what and how much do these setups cost. I rarely am in my highest 2 or 3 gears and like climbing better then flats anyway so wouldn't feel bad about losing the top gears. Any ideas? I'm planning in anticipation of the Warm Lake 4 Summit second climb.
I have the perfect solution --
any good cyclocross bike has higher gearing, and then you're set for cross season! So you don't need to buy special gear for your bike, you just need another bike! :)
here we go
Yeah... this won't be the last time Ladd or somebody else suggests that you need a cross bike. :)
cassette
Easiest thing to do would be to pop on a slightly larger cassette. You likely have a 23t or 25t as your low gear in back now, but should be able to bump that up to a 27t or 28t without changing much (maybe a new chain if it's too tight is all). Probably spend $70-$100ish doing this.
I did my first ride of the year, a cartwright loop, with some of these guys on a 23t since I've damaged all my other larger cassettes and haven't replaced them yet. It was painful. I usually just put a 27t on and run that all year except maybe swapping for some crits. I think I'm a wimp though, as most people I know stick with a 25t for everything.
If you want to get even lower, without too much hassle you could switch over to a compact crankset up front. These typically use a 50/34 combo vs. the standard 53/39. You could get in on the very low end for ~$100 I'll bet if you look around. More likely the $2-300 range for mid-grade stuff though.
Compact crank
My first road bike I had a compact crank and a 12-26 cassette. That worked well while I was (and still am) trying to keep up with with the killer climbers on our team. It made it so I could spin easier and although you spin at a slower speed, (but higher cadence) your legs live longer and a long ride.
I ride a standard crank now, but occasionally I am reminded at how nice the compact was for climbing. With a 12 and a compact crank (50) I still did ok on the down hill. I did not spin out before I hit a speed that was fast enough.
I think you would really like it on the Warm Lake ride.
Alright! Thanks, all good
Alright! Thanks, all good advice. I've been trying to convince my wife I NEED another bike or two for a while now. Hopefully this is the ammunition I need. Since it probably won't be, I'll look at changing the cassette or even the crank set.