Lowest gear for touring including load-pulling

[Sweep]

But who would really need more than 42 x 11 on a 700 x 35, you wont keep it up long even with no load so the top gears over 100 " are a bit academic, 53 x 11 is for he-men

I have 11-34 and 22-32-42 on a very very well used 8-speed bike - used for load lugging/day rides/around town.

Touring will often be on 37/38 tyres, zapping around town 28mm.

Have you never felt the need for a 44T big ring?

I have been considering it.

[Tigerbiten]

My setup is on my recumbent trike is ...........
Double-Double in the front:- Twin chainrings 53/38 in a Schlumpf High Speed Drive, 132.5/95 in overdrive.
Rohloff in the rear built into a 20" wheel with a 21 tooth sprocket.
That gives me 24 unique gears with around 14% step-up between each gear, 9.5"-172".
Low normal range is 1.5 mph up to around 14 mph.
High normal spins out at just over 20 mph.
Low overdrive spins out at around 35 mph.
High overdrive has not been spun out yet as I've only got up to 45 mph downhill on this trike so far ........

The reason for the double-double is lifts the speed I hit the overdrive range, when I hit maximum drag with the HSD, without loosing the silly low first gear.
Plus going into overdrive is only a 4 shift down on the Rohloff, not a 7 shift down.

[whoof]

But who would really need more than 42 x 11 on a 700 x 35, you wont keep it up long even with no load so the top gears over 100 " are a bit academic, 53 x 11 is for he-men

I have 11-34 and 22-32-42 on a very very well used 8-speed bike - used for load lugging/day rides/around town.

Touring will often be on 37/38 tyres, zapping around town 28mm.

Have you never felt the need for a 44T big ring?

I have been considering it.

This is a handy web-site you can put in your chain-ring and cassette ratios and tyre size and it will tell you the speed for a range of cadences or cadence at speed and other stuff such as gear inches, ratios and development.

http://www.bikecalc.com/speed_at_cadence

[drossall]

When I joined the South Lancashire Road Club in the late 1970s, the club time-keeper was reputed to have braized a 13 sprocket to his chain-set to get a lower gear.

[wheel71]

I use a 36/24 front with 11-36 cassette on 26" wheels. Any lower and I'd fall off. I do use the lowest gear up hills like "mount Gabriel" (28% on one bend) and I somehow got 4th fastest time on the descent to Schull the other side so the 36t front ring dosn't seem to hold me back at all. I love the double set up as I'm lazy so spend most of the time like I'm on a single ring set up and just drop down for the steep hills. On the odd occasion I outpedal my top gear I don't worry as it's a "touring" bike and not a race bike so I enjoy the freewheeling.

[Mick F]

Any lower and I'd fall off.

Absolutely.

Some few years ago, my bottom gear was 27" ................... and TBH, I reckon that the lower gears are more difficult. Once or twice, I have (recently) been getting up the hill to home in second gear.

My lowest gear is 22" nowadays and that is only for getting me up the steep hill to get home, but maybe it's too low.

[mullinsm]

But who would really need more than 42 x 11 on a 700 x 35, you wont keep it up long even with no load so the top gears over 100 " are a bit academic, 53 x 11 is for he-men

I have 11-34 and 22-32-42 on a very very well used 8-speed bike - used for load lugging/day rides/around town.

Touring will often be on 37/38 tyres, zapping around town 28mm.

Have you never felt the need for a 44T big ring?

I have been considering it.

I changed from a Deore 22/34/44 to a Spa cycles 24/36/46 last year and have done Dunkirk to Perpignan and a tour of South Island since. I'm on 700 rims with 35mm tyres and 11-34 cassette and I use both extremes on a daily basis. The 22 or 24 I find essential on long, steep climbs and would struggle with anything higher (I struggle anyhow!) and use the highest gears when I pick up a tail wind or on descents. I find it spins out at about 28mph and there were a couple of times on both tours where I swallowed up miles at that sort of speed due to tail winds. Felt so sorry for the poor people coming the other way....

[andymiller]

'spin out' is a fairly subjective term. If I'm in a spin class and the instructor wants us to do more than say 120 rpm then I am tempted to start protesting as my legs aren't up to it.

A quick look at one of the gear-speed calculators suggests that if you're in the top gear of 46x11, with 700c wheels, then you'll be hitting 28mph at a little over 80 rpm. It may not be a cadence that many people would want to maintain for a long period but I'm not sure it's really 'spinning-out' (whatever that means anyway).

[Tigerbiten]

I can/will spin at 70-80 rpm all day on my bent trike.
I spin out a little over 100 rpm and under 60 rpm starts putting to much strain on my knees.
Unless I'm winching myself uphill at 1.5 mph in my 9.5" first gear.

One reason I like my Ultra Silly Top Gear (172") is it lets me turn the legs over to keep the muscles warm on long decent's.
Nothing beats doing a cadence of ~60 rpm at 40 mph ......

[PJ520]

What you need in your trailer is a load like Frankie that gets out and walks on the steep bits.

[mullinsm]

'spin out' is a fairly subjective term. If I'm in a spin class and the instructor wants us to do more than say 120 rpm then I am tempted to start protesting as my legs aren't up to it.

A quick look at one of the gear-speed calculators suggests that if you're in the top gear of 46x11, with 700c wheels, then you'll be hitting 28mph at a little over 80 rpm. It may not be a cadence that many people would want to maintain for a long period but I'm not sure it's really 'spinning-out' (whatever that means anyway).

By spinning out I simply meant that I'd reach a cadence which was unsustainable for long periods and it was, therefore, my effective maximum touring speed on the flat. I ain't sprinting with 25Kg on the bike unless a dog is chasing me!

[shane]

Thought I'd use Sheldon's calculator to see what I get with my Rohloff (32x17)

13,7"- 71,8"

Pretty low then, and I travel really light at the moment too With this set up there's nothing much I can't climb, and by the time I think I want to go even lower, its more efficient to just pick my bike up and walk

IMG_2300
IMG_2330

Ironically the top end isn't too bad either, I can still pedal top to about 35 km/h. Anything above that I don't care anymore because obviously gravity or wind are doing their magic...

[foxyrider]

My Airnimal with its 24" (520c) wheels currently has a 19.7" bottom gear which I must admit has been pressed into use a few times in the Alps. However it is difficult to keep the thing upright and the previous setup with a 22" bottom worked just as well.

For the curious it's a full Campag set up with a bit of customisation, Xenon triple c/set 52/39/26 with an 11-29 Veloce 10sp cassette, top gear is 103"s, range is 84 gear inches. There are no big steps between the gears but i'll be the first to admit that it doesn't like gear changes halfway up a 25% climb at 5kph!

[RickH]

...with an 11-29 Veloce 10sp cassette

Are you sure? All the ones with a 29 I've come across have been 13-29 in 10 speed.

Rick.

[foxyrider]

...with an 11-29 Veloce 10sp cassette

Are you sure? All the ones with a 29 I've come across have been 13-29 in 10 speed.

Rick.

Yes I'm sure, its built from a 13-29 and an 11-25! The 26 on the chainset is actually an MTB ring too, not Campag.