Defeated by Blaze Hill, gears for 25% incline

Blaze hill and the further slog up pym chair is probably one of my favourite hills and here. I ride a compact with 12-28 because i love to go up, love to spin and i'm not all that fussed about having the extra cog on the down. I'm between 11-12 stone.

Now you've done that....Pym Chair, Marple to Mellor and from Errwood Reservoir up 'The Street'.

I'm fine with Blaze, but Pym's chair was a bit much in March. Then again, this is probably because the new babies robbed my fitness. Suspect I would have been fine this time last year.

@Smiley_boy2501 - I'll check that out, sounds like a plan!

A few months of slogging away on my 70s vitus steel racer with 42/25 around surrey hills and suddenly the 36 semi compact ring on my new build seems like I'm flying.

I guess it's just about practce.

I wish I had the legs that this thread has!

When considering gearing options for steep climbs, I'm surprised nobody has pointed out that a 11-32 10s will give you some big jumps between gears, which, for undulating terrain could get very annoying and could break your rhythm..

Having spun out at over 48mph on a compact, I'm not quite sure people really need standard chainsets, but that's just my opinion!

Oh, and 29t compact i used for hardknott was not enough to get me up, but then I still had 135 miles to go at that stage!

I just got a planet x pro carbon, came with SRAM Rival and their WiFLi system, which is basically an 11-32 on the back. 28 tooth before the 32 gets me up most, but got an extra cog to go to in emergencies!

But yea just keep grinding away man, you'll get there.
I had an uber budget bike for a year, rubbish gear ratios, took me 4 attempts to get up my local beast! each time getting a little further, But what a feeling when I finally did!!
Love the climbs! So painful, but so rewarding!!

105 5701 short cage will take 30t max and medium cage will take 32t, I've used both with success (though it still didn't get me up hardknott).

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-105-5701-10-speed-rear-mech/r...

No macho posturing from me... I'm 15 stone, 50 years old later this year with a dodgy knee (amongst other things!), and I like to keep the revs high - it would be pretty stupid for me to have a bottom gear 39/25 or something like that when I've got plenty of 10-20% hills to tackle, so my old bike has a 9-speed triple bottoming out with a 30/27, the new one is an 11-speed compact double with an even lower low gear 34/32, and I'm not fussed what anyone thinks of me, I get up the hills.
Doing the C2C a couple of years back, when everyone else in our group (aside from one guy on a mountain bike and one 8-stone climber on a roadie) was walking up the hill out of Settle, I was riding. Only just, but I stayed on the bike to the top!

Cannot see why all are so proud about eschewing the triple. Rode an Alpine pass recently, my first (Gavia, 2652 m) and used the 30x28 a lot. My companion, an experienced Alpinist, did not even notice, but did observe that I was pedalling easy.

No doubt Shimano has introduced the 32 sprocket so as to avoid the development and stocking cost of a triple option in its 11-speed line-up. 34x32 gives you about the same bottom gear, so that's OK.

(I weigh 60-odd kilos and am more than two decades older than the oldest rider in the TdF this year.)

I run 40 x28 and weigh about 14 stone, 50 yards of anything more than 15 % and I'm well into the red.

39/28 here, i live on dartmoor and we have savage 25% hills

never needed to walk a hill yet so that should get you up anything

alternative is go semi compact 52/36 you still get the power gear on the big ring and its a bit more sensible in the lower ring

How about a semi-compact? I run 52/36 with an 11-28 cassette for hilly days. This means I rarely spin out but I have a nice bail out gear, too, to get up anything. Works fine with a short cage rear mech. I had gone to compact (50/34) but it spins out too easily.

FYI - Shimano do Tiagra, 105 and Ultegra short cage mechs in an 'A' version that will take a 30T rear cog. I struggled to find one in the uk though so ordered it from Rose in Germany.
http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/article/shimano-ultegra-rear-derailleur-rd-67...
I compared it to the standard max 28T 105 mech and it's just got a slightly different placement of the upper jockey wheel. If you want bigger than a 30T you can fit a medium cage XT mech that should run to 34T

Well done mate!

That looks glorious. Don't know if it counts if you stop to take pictures, though.

Just remember when your lungs are burning and your legs are turning to jelly 'dig in' mate. Hoping you can conquer it. Look forward to hearing all about it.

I have never found I need anything more than 39/25 for any of the local climbs around me.
That includes any of the macc forest climbs, mow cop or south peak district climbs.

It is just a matter of practicing climbs in a big gear to get better at them.

I too have an 11-28. With it I can get up most of the hills in the local area. Worst we have is about 20% at the top.

What abouts in Moray are you? I used to live in Elgin, pretty flat around there though. Give me an idea where you are and i'll try to suggest some for you. I have a good knowledge of that area

Hit my name and click on contact. Fill in the stuff and that'll email me and I can reply

if your running shimano do what i did and get xtr long cage rear mech and xtr rear cassette - super light, crisp shifts and great gearing for 25%

GKAM84 - i;m new to morayshire area, would be keen to do some great "mountain passes" around scotland - if you could list some places to climb ? many thanks!