Are Easier Gears Faster?!

Do you prefer climbing at high or low cadences? ⚙

I would like this test done with an average cyclist and a hill that is steeper , maybe even beyond the capabilities of the rider. That’s when the expanded gear ratios will make a huge difference.

Hi guys. I've been experimenting along these lines for the last couple of months. My take away is that easier gear /more spin is more aerobic so your energy souce is body fat more than mussle glycogen so is more sustainable, even though my over 70 body needs the occasional stop for a "blow up". After a stop the legs are fine which isn't the case when lower cadence caused the stop. So certainly spin is better. Thats why I need the "granny gear"!

It seems that this test would be more valuable if done at a higher effort. 100 BPM suggests that 16 minutes at 200W for Alex is quite easy. I'd like to see this test done closer to a threshold level.

A thing you only touched slightly is really steep climbs. The 64 RPM Alex did with the 28T is still somewhat efficient but if you run into really steep climbs and your options are going much too hard and blow or go at a really slow cadence the difference is even bigger I think. Why not do an experiment?

I still run triple chainsets (50/39/26) and 11-32 cassettes on my road bikes so I can tackle any hill or distance I want without straining my 55 year old knees or worrying about if I'm not fit/skinny enough. Needed my lowest gears on Dartmoor today, especially on Widecombe Hill.

I use a 50-34 with a 11-40 It's great having two bail out gears

I use 46-30 with 11-34 casette. I am not PRO to ride 50 or even 53 crank, 46 is enough for nonpro rider :D

Get gear ratios that suit you and stop trying to impress your mates. I run a 50-34 chain rings and a 11-32 cassette as that is perfect for me as I live near the blackstairs mountain range.

The first real bike I had was a Trek 1000 (rebuilt with mostly Campagnolo parts). It had a 53/39 front and a straight block cassette 13-18. Did a ride that included a 20 mile 4,800 foot vertical increase with 6% average grade. It was a lot of work to keep the cranks moving, but well worth it coming back down.😄😄

More than cadence, power, heart-rate, the main factor here is VO2 Max. Thinking of your body as an engine, you can have a lot of horsepower or a big tank of fuel but the more efficient it is, the better on the long run. A track cyclist will normally have alot of horsepower but burn through fuel faster while a tour rider can variably have different strengths depending if more of a climber, sprinter, time-trialist, classics rider etc. I argue that there is no "higher/lower cadence is better/worse". Mostly rider fitness dependent.

52 yrs old, living in Switzerland, with multiple heart stents. Lower cadence = lower HR, which is my objective. A higher cadence (70prm+) just feels unnatural and pushes the HR higher. If anything, its slower for me.

For long distance trips (4 to 10h) easier gears make me less exhausted, but probably through the effect by putting more power out when in higher gears uphill. With higher gears it is often not possible to stay within my FTP range and going above means fatiguing earlier. So easier gears help me a lot to go on longer trips. Actually, I replaced my 11-34 (11s) with a 11-40 (beyond spec) combined with 50/34. Now climbs of 12% aren't that exhausting anymore and I can sustain several of them throughout a day trip.

Which is why I just upgraded from 11-42 to an 9-46 (E13) cassette and the front ring from 40 -> 38. Climbing is so much easier now and more enjoyable. Yes the steps between the gears are larger now but I'm not driving a race where I need the perfect cadence.

Great video! My husband changed my road bike cassette to a much bigger one and it has been hands down the best improvement ever done to my bike ( other than a bike fit). I live in Ireland and love doing hills, so an easier gear ratio meant that I could go on much longer spins with steeper hills with less fatigue. ❤

I was introduced to bigger gears a few years ago and honestly I won't go back, I live in a very hilly country area of northern Ontario Canada and I find this helps

One of the reasons I went with a gravel bike as my first drop bar bike was the gearing. 11 speed 11-34 with 46/30 chainring. I'm 67 and this gearing is awesome.

I went through this whole process myself last week. As an MTBer for over 30 years, I recently bought a used road bike with 53/39T Dura Ace x 11-25 cassette (10 speed). After much deliberation, opted for a compact Tiagra 50/34T with a new 11-30 cassette. Still experimenting with both the 50 and 34 rings to find that sweet spot. It really depends where you live and what you ride. I live south of Milan, so there are some nice demanding passes where I ride just 30 kms from here, even though around Milan ii is as flat as a witches....

This is so helpful information guys. This info is also helpful to those using cycling as a fitness starting strategy. We may not have the developed muscle to go fast but building the cardio fitness first, we don't reach 'the bonk' stage too quickly while still enjoying the ride and scenery. Legs give out while the heart shouldn't do so, hopefully.

Nice to see all the comments from riders who switched to gears witch suit their needs. I like to have a “spare cog” when things get tough. Or when I take my bike frim the road to gravel. I myself ride an 50/34 front with a 11/34 or 11/40 rear. Yes an ultegra 8000 long cage rear derailler can take a 11/40.