Is My Big Ring Too Small?: Gearing Series Part 3

Are your road bicycle's chainrings the wrong size? ‪@oldguyandabike‬ has been playing with some changes to his 2x12 road bike gearing and took a chance by moving to a smaller big chainring.
But has that been a mistake?
#roadbike #roadcycling #cycling #SRAM
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[@marksandoval5361]

I'm 65 years old and I'm not racer boy thin like I was in 20's. I live and ride in the Colorado Rockies. Pedaling in the thin air of 7000+ feet is a normal day. There are few flat sections. It's all steep up hill and steep down hill. I have a very low low-gear on my Gravel bike, like mountain bike low. You've got to optimize your gears for who you are and where you ride.

[@sauravbasu8805]

Which bike models do you ride there ?

[@stevemullin1195]

I'm 70 yrs old and ride a 1x11 34t chainring and 10-51t cassette on my surly bridge club XL on 27.5x2.1 tires. I'm gearing it up for long tours fully loaded....about 45-50lbs of gear, food & water. My first big tour I want to do is the PCBR next May. Planning on going from Vancouver to SF along the ACA route over 30days...need to be in SF before June 1st to join up with the AIDS Lifecycle ride. I'm planning on averaging 40miles per day with all the climbing I'll have to be doing. I could go lighter if I don't carry all my food and cooking set and only bring a 1p trekking tent instead of my 2p naturehike freestanding tent. But with the cooler wetter weather of the PNW that I'll encounter I feel that I need the 2p tent to be more comfortable in camp plus keep my gear dry inside versus outside on the bike or the vestibule. I am thinking of going 2x on my surly...Ottawa bike&trail has a conversion kit for the BC that would give me a wider gearing range for climbing and on the flats. I'm also rotating thru several handlebars to find the most comfortable touring bar for a more upright riding position...plus use aerobars so I can rest my hands & wrists that have carpal tunnel injuries. Any suggestions on what I can do to my bike setup?

[@oldguyandabike]

I really don’t have enough experience doing that level of a journey so, no I do not have any advice. But I am impressed. Chapeau and best of fortune! gg

[@barrytantlinger1033]

Almost every amateur is running too big of chainrings. Most of us should be running subcompact cranks (and shorter crank arms, too).

[@imoldandyoureinmyway]

FWIW, I've been riding 46/30 on all my road bikes with 11-34 cassettes for the last 4 years. Lot's of 10 percent plus grades where I live and ride. I really think unless you're doing a lot of group fast paced riding, you don't need a gear bigger the 4 to 1 and have a sub 1 to 1 gear for bail out makes long rides so much more fun.

[@tomahoks]

I wore out my 50 tooth in the front. When shopping for a new one, I found out 52 is way cheaper. So I bought it. 1mm up with the derailleur, and works great. Thank you for posting.

[@you43584036]

Interesting as always. Am 66 too. I like to say that I am not a good climber but will climb. So I also spend a lot of time on gearing. So far I am OK with 50/34-11 36 on the road bike for steep stuff. then I keep a set of wheels at 11 34 for daily use. If I need more than 36, I can set up my gravel bike with road wheels and get a higher range on my GRX. So my solution is lots of wheels with gears already in place. Road, touring, gravel, etc. By the way, You’ll like it when you eventually go with a power meter. I did mine with a left side crank swap out and it works great. Keep on riding.

[@oldguyandabike]

@@you43584036 I just figure a power meter would tell me I don’t produce any. 😝 gg

[@BufordDuckworth]

Slow descents last longer. So I'm cool with MTB triple chainring on my road bike. And I'm a clydesdale so big rears for big rears.

[@jimboburgess42069]

I rode 52/36 for a long time. Got a new bike and didn't swap from the 50/34 that it came with. I found I can ride in the 50 longer and can hit some of my local hills without switching out of the big ring and it's resulted in faster times up those hills.

[@thomaskuhn6541]

I really like the 48/31 combination on my GRX 11-spd. Compared to the 50/34 I had on my previous bike, it allows me to stay on the large chainring for a much higher proportion of the ride and I almost never spin out or even use the 48/11 combo.

[@tilesshaw7658]

61 Yr old , 28mm chain ring, 11x51 cassette analogue hardtail. For someone who isn't naturally strong legged I've got a great chance on most climbs on road and gravel..

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

Guess for most mere mortals a 50-teeth big front chainring is plenty. But also most mere mortals would love some bigger big gears on their MTBs so they can pedal along on downhills faster than 20 mph (32 kph). A standard 1x setup with a 32-teeth chain ring gives you three or four sub 1:1 ratio gears for extremely steep climbing but leaves you with a mere 3:1 ratio for your biggest gear. Instead of a 51-teeth large pizza plate-style rear sprocket I'd rather have a 36 or 38 teeth front so I don't have to pedal like a sowing machine without getting any faster.

[@jonathangreen7111]

I completely agree👍

[@george8214]

Good insight.

[@peterbedford2610]

Ordered a 28 for my mtb. I live around steep hills. But, 32 is tough. Sure, it'll be easier, but I'm dubious about how much easier

[@adamholbrook2281]

I'm running a Shimano Di2 Ultegra 50/34 with an 11-36. Luckily I'm from Ohio and I have to go looking for hills or I might be SOL. I ride mostly country roads. Shimano could definitely use to broaden the offerings within their lines in my opinion. My bike came with these components and they work for me where I am and where I generally ride. It is definitely a factor to consider when shopping for a bike. Take what is offered or build it to meet your needs. I'm in the double chain ring camp. Hard to imagine a single working for me in any terrain. I just like that fine tune option. I'm looking at my cadence more than I do my speed. Thanks for sharing.

[@MrJacrider]

Going through this journey right now! Someone said "Climate change is real - each year the hills get harder..." Looking at going to GRX 12 speed with 48/31 and 11-36 as a way to adapt to this. Approaching my late 50's and finding once and while an easier climbing gear would be welcome. Thanks for some honest discussion!

[@oldguyandabike]

Also you might consider a 48/32 crankset like a Praxis. gg

[@MrJacrider]

@@oldguyandabike Cool. I have never seen/heard of Praxis. Looks like a nice crankset.

[@oldguyandabike]

@@MrJacrider I’ve used them and generally the shifting is not Shimano level but is generally good. It does require a Praxis BB but they are good quality and rebuildable IIRC. I’m getting ready to use one on a new build for Mrs Grannygear in a 1x setup. gg

[@markmark2469]

52/36 all day long!

[@scottbeutel3995]

word!