I have a 48x34 crankset (Velo Orange) on one of my bikes and an a 50x34 (Campy) on another. I don't find the big jump to be a drawback. In practice, I use the big ring for 90% or more of my riding, switching to the small ring just for the steep stuff. Once I'm in the small ring, I stay there and shift on the cogs, so I'm not going back and forth between rings.
I've found the 50 and 48 big rings to be exactly right for my riding. Like Chris, I use big clusters 13-28 or 13-29, which in combination with a the 48 or 50 ring give me a great range of gears. I get spun out a little sooner on ripping fast downhills, but by that time I'm already going fast enough! --Eric campyonly...@me.com www.campyonly.com www.wheelsnorth.org On Jan 26, 2011, at 9:05 AM, XO-1.org Rough Riders wrote: > Hi Rob > > I've been riding all those same roads since my first double century in > 1983. Up through the 80s, including when I raced RAAM in 1987, nobody > had a lower gear than 42x23. We sneered at C-Record when it came out > with a 39 tooth small ring. Eventually I got older, grew out of my > skinny teenager body, and started riding up much steeper climbs (Santa > Monica Mountains, for ex) and started running a 39 tooth front with a > 25, then 26, then 27, and then finally a 28 largest rear cog. > > Nowadays I run a 39/48 in front (or 38/48 on some cranks) and 11/28 in > rear. I can get up anything on that 39/28 low gear, including the vast > majority of the Rough Riding adventures in which I partake. I'm not a > fan of triple cranks and only have them on my two mountain bikes and > mountain bike tandem. I don't like "compact doubles," either, because > the jump is so wide between, for example, 34 to 48. > > - Chris Kostman > La Jolla, CA > http://www.XO-1.org > http://www.adventurecorps.com > > On Jan 25, 8:41 pm, rperks <perks....@gmail.com> wrote: >> Chris, >> it should be a really fun ride. I have done many of the pieces of the >> route, but never all at once they way it was put together for this >> brevet. I know you are a strong rider, but put some thought intio >> your gear range, there are some pretty serious hills thrown in there, >> mostly in the middle. Casitas pass has taken me by suprise with the >> lack of breeze and steepness, it can get hot and long on the back side >> of the lake, even on days when it is cool everywhere else. I would >> pack layers and have a few extra teeth in the rear jus in case. >> >> I was thinking about doing this ride as it is the closest to my home, >> but 300k on this route is not where my fitness is at the moment, maybe >> I will see you guys out there though I hope to be riding in the mid >> day. >> >> Rob > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
