Oh dear – this summer I’ve been enjoying my 50/38 up front with an 11-28 block. Now after reading this thread I feel quite inadequate 😮

38 isn’t very low Simon, I imagine you have an awful lot of overlap with that set up… I certainly don’t think low gears are anything to feel inadequate about, the best climbers in the world (Wiggins, Contador etc) are all “seated spinners” rather than bar-honking grunters!

FIRMLY disagree with this.

also… if you are genuinely struggling with 34/27 on hills then I’m sorry to say you aint Joe average!

You finished Willy Waving? 🙄

Your take on Joe Average and most people’s is probably significantly different. For whatever reason, I’m significantly quicker and more competitive on a Mountain Bike than I am on a road bike, but I’m still quicker on a road bike than probably 95% of the public would be!

I certainly don’t think low gears are anything to feel inadequate about, the best climbers in the world (Wiggins, Contador etc) are all “seated spinners” rather than bar-honking grunters!

I’m not going to call myself a good climber, but I do subscribe to the sit and spin method rather than the out of the saddle grunting method. Right or wrong, it’s what works for me.

up until not that long ago the old boys i ride with were rocking 42/23 and riding winnatts, monsal, and all the other character-filled hills we have round here.

Probably the same old boys that now come in asking me why there don’t seem to be many bikes sold with Triples any more, cos though they used to manage fine with a close ratio double and a 12-23, they now want a 1:1 bottom gear or lower cos that’s all they can manage these days!