18 speeds, all slow
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RV posted 1 year ago.
What do you have for the rear cassette?
What do you mean that the gear is too high on the hills? Is it comfort? Can't turn over the pedals? What gear are you using? What cadence? What grade?
Improving your strength and stamina is obviously a priority.
Proper gearing for hills is important. Putting a 25 on the rear could help if very hilly or using a compact crank is also very beneficial for hilly areas.
RV
It takes a long time to get good. - Scott Molina
Slow is smooth; smooth is fast. - Rich Strauss
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wesmeyer11 posted 1 year ago.
Throw on a 25 or even a 27 on the rear if you are having problems. It is very likely that your bike came with a 23 cassette, which is not ideal for hill climbing unless you are basso.
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Riverbrady posted 1 year ago.
...or alternately, look into a compact crankset if you have a standard on the front.
"Care more than others think is wise, risk more than others think is safe, dream more than others think is practical, expect more than others think is possible."
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kylie posted 1 year ago.
On my first bike I ended up going to a 25 in the back (instead of the 23 it came with) and that was a huge improvement. On the next one I'll have compact cranks. Both are good solutions, and will let you keep your cadance up over the hills :)
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jfuentes05 posted 1 year ago.
I had the same problem, and I ended up sliding my seat back and getting some more power out of my legs. I generally end up sliding all the way back and then all the way forward in my seat when I ride.
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wesmeyer11 posted 1 year ago.
I would suggest doing the cassette first as a compact crank may be a biut pricey...you are looking at at around $300 and up for carbon cranks. Cassettes are much cheaper, about a third of the price. Go with an ultegra cassette.
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Anton posted 1 year ago.
What kind of bike have you been riding up to now? MTB? The gearing on a road bike can be quite a shock if you've never spent any time on one. Follow tri-ac. Give it two months...get a 27 cog for the back...but that is assuming you want to finish life with the knees your mother gave you....Couldn't tell you a thing about compacts except don't jump on that train until you've ridden for awhile.
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PJT posted 1 year ago.
Changing rear cassettes is much cheaper than getting a compact crank. Definitely get a 27-tooth cog on the back if you're having trouble climbing. You could try to ask the shop that sold it to you if you can do a trade-in to save money.
I have ridden my new bike a couple of times now and it has become apparent that the gearing is a bit difficult for me. If I stay on flat ground I am ok, but on a hill even the lowest gear is too high. This is a bit of a problem because I live in a hilly area euphemistically known as the Issaquah Alps. The triathlon I signed up for has a significant amount of hills too (4,600 feet of elevation gain).
So, here is my question: should I gut it out and hope I will get stronger on the current setup or get an easier gear thingy?