On Sep 12, 7:31 pm, Michael_S <[email protected]> wrote: > Do you find yourself in the 44 most of the time on flatter terrain? > It seems like you would rarely use the 30t ring except climbing. > Yes, I am in the 44 most of the time, and do far fewer front end shifts. But surprisingly I often find myself spinning lower gears on this set up than I do on a triple, because they are so much easier to get to. Vermont has very rolling terrain and I can often bounce over the top of short hills without having to go down to the 30; which I can't do with a 39 or often even a 34.
> The compacts give you a comparable range to some triples but there are > some drawback IMO. I like a bigger high end than 44-11. I just can't > hang with guys on 53-12's on long gradual downhills. And I think there > is more cross chaining as well. The triples do shift slower with the > long cage dérailleur. Seems like you have to choose what works best > for each of us. I use a 50-40-28 Campy triple with a 11-30 cassette. I use to think that, but I have found that I can easily spin a 44/11 (which equals a 52/13) up into the mid 30mph range and from there it is always more advantageous to go into a tuck and reduce the co- efficient of drag. Jan Hein ran some wind tunnel test, which were published in BQ, showing that over 28mph the added energy of pedaling was almost entirely off set by the added wind resistance and you will actually gain speed faster in a tuck. I have found the threshold to feel more like 31 or 32. The bigger gear may offer some small advantage at the very bottom of hills, when you try to maintain momentum, but it seems like a very little advantage compared to the disadvantage of a triple. I rode a 50-40-30 for quite a while and liked it fine, but this is better. A 53/12 is a sprinting gear and I just don't race guys to the next sign post to even think about it. > > ~Mike~ > > On Sep 12, 2:21 pm, cyclotourist <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > I prefer LPs to CDs. > > > On Sun, Sep 12, 2010 at 10:47 AM, MichaelH <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Didn't want to hijack Dave's post about his new Rodeo - > > > congratulations Dave; I hope it brings you a gazillion miles of joy, > > > even more in the riding than admiring it's beauty. BTW, I think > > > you'll like the fazik tape; I've been using it on my Ram for the past > > > 6 years and have found it quite comfortable, without the spongy feel > > > of some cork tapes, and extremely durable. White does get dirty > > > though, so just relax about that. > > > > I have ridden a triple on at least one of my bikes for more than > > > thirty years and for the past ten years pretty much exclusively. But > > > this summer I refitted my Ram with a 44/30 CD: > > >http://web.me.com/mhechmer/Mikes_Bikes/Ram_Redux.html > > > > here's why. > > > > A CD certainly isn't for everybody, and I wouldn't want to pull a > > > loaded tourer around Ft. Collins with one, but for an unloaded bike in > > > the Green Mountains where I live it makes a lot of sense. I fitted my > > > Ram with 44/30 rings and an HG 9 speed cassette in an 11/28 > > > configuration. This gives me the high gear I want, a good low gear, a > > > really nice shifting pattern, easy shifting and much easier cleaning. > > > The high end gear is 108 GI, the same as a 48/12 and the low gear. > > > 30/28 (29 GI) is the same as a 28/27. What motivated me was the > > > shifting pattern, which gives me a range of 108 all the way down to 48 > > > GI without a front end shift; and the small ring extends from 29 to > > > 62. The probability of over shifting is greatly reduced so I can > > > throw the left hand lever around much more briskly. I also find a > > > double much, much easier to keep clean. In reality, it has worked out > > > even better than I had hoped. My new Campy FD is so smooth that I > > > actually prefer shifting it when I want to jump 2-3 cogs at a time. > > > (Vt has lots of rolling terrain which calls for this) The only > > > downside I have discovered, because I have a preference for close gear > > > ratios, is that one of the shifts is just a bit wider than I am use > > > to with a 12/27. > > > > What's done is done, but if others are thinking about a Rodeo, or > > > retrofitting a nice Rondonee style bike, I strongly recommend a CD. > > > > Michael, moving into great Autumn riding in VT > > > > -- > > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > > > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > > > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > > > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > > > [email protected]<rbw-owners-bunch%2Bunsubscrib > > > �[email protected]> > > > . > > > For more options, visit this group at > > >http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. > > > -- > > Cheers, > > David > > Redlands, CA- Hide quoted text - > > > - Show quoted text - -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
