I’ve been helping with UVCC group rides for a few years now. Every year I’ve seen folks struggling on some of the local climbs, and heard similar expressions of doubt:
This is too steep for me
I’m not strong enough
I don’t think I can do this
It makes me sad to hear riders blaming themselves for being weak, and to see them struggle, because I have a different view of the situation:
Your gearing is not appropriate for you
When bicycle manufacturers design a bike, they make a lot of assumptions about who’s going to be riding it, and where. If you don’t fit that profile it’s perfectly reasonable to modify your bike to make it work better for you. If on climbs you find that you can barely turn the cranks over in your lowest gear, lower gearing might make sense for you.
But isn’t that wimping out?
High school physics: Lifting a mass a distance against gravity – up a hill -- requires the same work regardless of the speed. Lower gearing lets you spread that work over a greater time so it requires less power, but you’re still doing the same work.
But if it hurts won’t that make me stronger?
Training works by stressing your body which forces it to adapt. That is true. However, most current training models emphasize spending most of your time at a relatively low intensity. Plus, you can go hard in lower gears if you want to. The difference is that you can do it at a comfortable cadence instead of a painfully slow grind.
There is a part of the cycling world that glorifies suffering. All the talk of "sufferfests" and "pain caves" can give the impression that if it doesn't hurt you're doing it wrong. Pushing yourself hard does have physical and mental rewards, but that should be a choice, not something imposed on you by your equipment.
Riding hills in a lower gear will improve your fitness – and your mood -- a lot more than not riding because you’re frustrated. Riding hills you'd otherwise avoid opens up new places to see and explore, which means you'll ride longer and enjoy it more.
But other people do ok with the standard gearing. I should be able to.
You are who you are. The appropriate gearing will let you make optimal use of the strength you have.
Another consideration: In the past few years there has been a trend towards lower gearing. If you’re on an older bike the gearing may be higher than what is now considered normal.
Case study: I’m past 60 and well into the stage of life where physical capabilities decline. If I train as hard this year as I did last year, I’ll be weaker. That’s reality. So given the riding I like to do, I’ve switched to subcompact(46/30) cranksets and been happy with the change. I’d happily go even lower on the gravel bike.
Ok, how do I get lower gears?
You can give yourself a lower low gear by installing a larger cassette and/or smaller chainrings or a smaller crankset.
On some bikes this will be a straightforward swap. Other bikes may require additional changes. Talk to your favorite bike shop or favorite bike guru about your choices. If cost is an issue, used parts may be an option.
Are there any negatives to lower gearing?
If you change to a larger cassette to get a lower low gear, the steps between gears will be larger.
If you change chainrings/crankset to make the whole gear range lower, the top gear will be lower. You may get “spun out” on downhills or very fast group rides. In my experience with a subcompact crankset, the few times I’ve wanted a higher top gear have been greatly outweighed by the number of times I’ve been grateful to have a lower bottom gear.
Biking in this beautiful place is challenging and rewarding. The climbs are a big part of that. Let your equipment be a help, not a hindrance.
Copied from a post to the Upper Valley Velo mailing list by Peter Burghardt.