On 04/09/2014 05:36 PM, Michael Hechmer wrote:
Deacon, I'm sitting in an Inn after a hard drive across a chunk of
Md., all of Delaware, NJ, and up NY to Rhinebeck so my brain is too
tired for a full answer. So here's the short version.
All gearing combinations involve trade offs among 4 variables - hi/low
which you have identified; but also how big the jumps are between
gears; the ease of getting from one gear to the next; and where your
favorite gears are.
The wider the hi/low range the wider the steps between gears, but this
can be counteracted to some degree by going to a dbl and then a
triple. A wide range cassette always yields large steps between
gears, which I don't like. I usually run a 12-27 or at most an
11-28. Even with that, on our riding in flat Virginia I only used 3
gears but two of them were too far apart.
So the double will let you get a pretty wide range with smaller steps.
But with many doubles the next gear can be an awkward front shift and
a 2 or 3 click rear shift leaving you between the gear you would
really like. A ring difference of 10 tends to yield the simplest
shifting pattern - a single click to the next gear. 14 tooth
difference yields 2 clicks to the next gear. I tend to find the 12
difference leaving me between gears. I try to create sets with about
10% between gears especially in the most used middle.
Finally, think about which gears you use the most and try to get a
good chain line and easy pattern between them.
I rarely use a ratio of less than 1 to 1 and never more than 4-1. For
example my Ram has a 44/30 and an 11/27 while the Saluki a 48/34/26
(24 for big long climbs) with a 12-27. The tandem, likes easy
shifting, so 48/38/28 with a 12-27. It feels very stressful to me to
try to spin a ratio much below 1-1 fast enough to keep a bike upright
for a long time. To each his own.
Simplification is good, over simplification makes life more
complicated than it needs to be.
Bloody marvelous answer. It's hard to see how a not-tired brain could
improve upon this in any respect.
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