Making my road bike more big hill friendly...

BrumbyJack

BrumbyJack

Likes Dirt
:confused: And don't say just get fitter, because the whole issue is putting me off riding it.

I have a road bike (amongst lots of MTB's). It's got 42 & 52 chainrings with Shimano RSX front and rear (I know SFA about road stuff).

My sons road bike has a triple chain ring with Shimano 105.

I quite happily ride up the hills around here on my MTB (12k climb) but am not game to try it on the road bike... although the ride back down would be sweet as :cool:

I figure I have three options, but don't know which will work or be the cheapest.

Add a granny ring.

Change the 42 t chainring for a smaller one.

Get a cassette that goes up to a much larger sprocket.

Any suggestions???
 
Last edited:
mtb1611

mtb1611

Seymour
12-25 cassette and 34/42 front rings, you'll be able to climb up the wall with that! Don't forget that road bikes are also much lighter than mtb's and that the skiny tyres have much less of a contct surface with the road and consequently less rolling resistance; make sure you pump them up to 110 psi so no energy goes nto "squashing" an underinflated tyre into the road surface.
 
BrumbyJack

BrumbyJack

Likes Dirt
I don't want to lose the top end (the 52 T ring) because I also do novice triathlons on it... they are on the flat normally I just live in the hills... so I need full range of gears.
 
Last edited:
McBain

McBain

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Sounds like a fairly old roadie. More recently 53/39 are the "standard" dual chainrings. A 39T inner would help a bit, but not enough I'd think.

You might be able to add a larger cassette to get more spread - but that depends on your rear mech. If the mech isn't long enough, it won't be able to take up enough chain slack to cover the difference (between the large combos and the small ones).

But given you live around some darn big hills, a triple chainring setup would make a lot more sense. Unfortunately that probably means getting new cranks (most dual chainring roadie cranks don't have a spider that takes a granny).
 
FR Drew

FR Drew

Not a custom title.
Would it be possible to run an MTB long cage rear mech on a road bike and a bigger spread cassette?

If it's a bike with 9 speed witdth chain not 10 speed then you should have no dramas in setting it up to run 42:34 as it's low gear on the rear instead of 42:27

That's a 20% reduction in effort on the hills.

If it's possible to grab a 39 inner as McBain has suggested then it gets even better as 39:34 is about 73% of the ouchiness of 42:27

That's equivalent in change of pedalling difficulty to the difference in switching from a 25 tooth roadie cassette on a DH bike across to a 34 tooth cassette and keeping your front chainring the same.

If your roadie will accommodate a 9 speed chain, that's what I'd do.

You'll probably need to buy a joining link and an extra chain as your current chain will become too short, and you'll carry a bit of a weight penalty from the long cage and cassette, plus bigger gaps between ratios, so it's not all free lunches, but...
 
GrubNut

GrubNut

Likes Dirt
A smaller little ring should do the trick. Your bike shop should have a 105 or ultegra ring for around $50... Just choose your teeth. 53/39 is pretty standard for a road double. A 38T lowers your ratios by %10 from a 42T, which you will definitely feel. Might want to to check for redundant ratios with your 52.
 
Mr Pants

Mr Pants

skanky media ho
FSA make a 38T inner ring, match that to a SRAM 12-27 and that gets me up everything without too much pain. It's quite amusing :p to see "genuine" roadies :confused: battling with a 39 x 21 little gear - just because it's "the standard":rolleyes:
 
M

miko

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Yeah I agree, the limit on your rear derailleur is probably 27T (most are). Grab a 39 up front and a 27 on the back. Make sure the tyres are nice and hard, and push! Great for building up some power as well :)
 
J

JohnJohn

mtb-oz
You'll probably have to replace the chainset, front derailleur AND the LH brake/shift lever to get a triple set up to work. That gets expensive real quick.

As others have suggested, a 38 or 39 inner ring and 12-27 cassette is your most economical option; your rear derailleur will cope easily.

You might want to seriously consider a new bike though. I know that sounds a bit bonkers, but given that you can buy a Giant OCR 3 with a triple chainset for a thousand bucks, or an OCR 2 for 1400, it's hard to justify major upgrades on an older budget bike.
 
Bodin

Bodin

GMBC
Yep, I'll throw my support behind the 2 main suggestions:

Cheap option:
38 ro 39 inner ring on the front and the biggest road cassette (12-27) you can throw on the back. MTB rear mech and cassette is an option, but then you'll lose the closer spread that is useful for maintaining correct pedalling cadence on a road ride.

Medium option:
Replace your crankset: most manufacturers make a "compact" road crankset, which usually comes with 50/34 rings. Only problem is, you may also need to place your front mech. Then "upgrade-itis" will start setting in hardcore and you'll end up replacing your whole group...:rolleyes:

Expensive Option:
Find the best value road bike that comes with a triple.

When I get older and the knees have had enough, I'll end up with a compact or a triple on my road bike, but until then, I'll just keep pushing stoopid gears up stoopid hills.
 
B

Bike_freak

Likes Dirt
Agree 100% with what Bodin said..

Your bike is out of date with that gearing setup - if you look any nearly any road bike today, they have taken into consideration that many people now spin up the climbs instead of mash.. alot more efficient (for most).
 
BrumbyJack

BrumbyJack

Likes Dirt
Yes, I know my bike isn't the newest around.... but I don't think it's that old either.

I'm not a roadie, I only bought it to try and keep up with my son because I don't like him riding on the road on his own and I couldn't keep up any more on my MTB.... Now I can't on the roadie either, but at least cars will see me before they get to him. The whole triathlon thing (for me) only came up after I had bought the bike, but it was half the reason I got my son a roadie.

I will go and talk to my LBSG about the smaller ring/bigger spread cassette option and see how much it costs. The whole bike only cost me $400 and I'm definitely not buying a new one. Otherwise I'll just put slicks on my hardtail and keep the roadie for the flatter roads.

My favourite ride just happens to be from Jindabyne to Perisher, and that is a bloody big climb. Quite comfortable on my hardtail, but too scared to try it on the Road Bike. The furthest I've ridden it is to the Park Entry gate on the Thredbo River (only one biggish hill).
 
Last edited:
C

cossack

Likes Bikes
Brumby
Do the parks require entry fee to ride up to Perisher?
They seem to charging all park users at the moment.
 
BrumbyJack

BrumbyJack

Likes Dirt
I've never been stopped???? Bike riders haven't been charged in the past, I didn't ride on Thursday to know if that has changed. I have a season pass for my car. I sincerely doubt they would ever charge cyclists.

The new park entry gates at Sawpit Creek are coming along nicely, should get rid of a lof of the traffic problems... now just the carpark traffic jam.
 
bradh

bradh

Likes Bikes and Dirt
BrumbyJack said:
The furthest I've ridden it is to the Park Entry gate on the Thredbo River (only one biggish hill).
Click to expand...
The return leg is worse, I reckon... That hill climbing back out from the Thredbo River gate is a killer. Definitely want to sit and spin on that one.


As others have said: go for a 39t small ring in the front and a 12-27 block at the back. If you're reasonably fit and strong, that'll get you up most things.
 
BrumbyJack

BrumbyJack

Likes Dirt
You reckon??? I find the climb from the Park entry gate to Sawpit Creek is the real killer.... it just goes on and on and on and on.....

I think the steepest hill is the one at the end of Wilsons Valley, going up to Rennix Gap... it's certainly the fastest on the way back down.

The ride down is definitely worth the climb up :D
 
I

I-AM-TEH-FASTEST-11

Blitzkrieg Films
what is your fit like on the bike?
provided the fit is good, or bad you can change stems/Handle bar position to help you climb.
Is the bike the right size for you? Seat height? think about these things.

Also try alternating your position. Out of the saddle is a fast and easy way to climb, but it gives you no relaxation. Riding with your palms on the middle of the bars is a great way to relax and sit a tad more upright if you're having trouble tackling the bigger hills.

I wouldn't move to anything larger than 12-17 in cassetes and the option of switching to a triple is no economically viable. I would try and take some notice of how you are riding and just ride more, in the end if you make things to easy for yourself youre not going to make any progress. If you can't tackle big hills, choose rides that incorporate smaller, but equally challenging, hills. Long uphills on slow inclines are great and will help a bit, as will shorter steep ones.
Planning your ride around climbs is not a bad idea. A good ratio would be 1:4 (say 10km uphill of a 40km ride).

Obviously my approach is more of a head on style rather than something to help you in the meantime, but I think it's a better option.

hope I helped.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top