London 100 climbing issues, advice needed; and a story.

Bike boy. Well done on your achievement at the London Ride. Especially when you haven't tackled that mileage before. As for your block. I would ditch the 11 and get a 12/26 or 12/28. Especially if you are wanting to keep the double at the front. This should give you enough to play with. I use a standard with a 12/26 and I can cope with most hills (trossachs and lower highlands) and is rare I need to climb off. In reality there isn't much difference in an 11 and a 12 IMHO

Work on you cadance. This works. You will get a good speed going and use up less energy. I was recently at a sportive and 50 miles in was catching and dropping guys who were tearing off at the beginning. At one of the feed stations one guy commented that I just seemed to cruise past him.

Find some hills. Even if they are short sharp climbs that you can do reps on.

When it comes to the etape enjoy yourself, find a group you can comfortably roll with. Tear up your target sheet. Finish the course and then use it as your bench mark for the future.

fyi I put an 11-28 on the rear of my wife's bike and it works perfectly with a short derailleur, even when she had a 53/39 on the front. Shimano always has more tolerance than they say.

I've just had a look at my Ultegra rear mech and the model number is embossed on the back of the main body of the derailleur. You may need to give it a wipe to see it. Do have any idea what has happened to your 11T sprocket? Is it engaging the freehub body correctly? Is the freehub body worn or has the ring just come loose? Do you have the tools to take it off and have a look? If you replace the cassette you might as well do the chain as well unless it is nearly new.

Bikeboy, just wondering how you got on in the Etape Cymru? Did you manage to complete on a standard, and how were those hills?!

Cheers.

Yeah I think you may have made the right decision given circumstances you outlined. It's a terrific challenge and if you don't think you'd prepared enough it would have been a horrible experience.

So the etape can be your unfinished business -a target for 2014..

Reassuring to hear you're getting on well up hills whilst keeping your standard, I've seen some 52/36 rings which will fit my crankset and I'm very tempted, might be a good compromise

It would help if you could get the model number of your rear derailleur. It could be 6500, 6600, 6700 or 6800. If you can't find out, do you know how old it is? All but the 6600 will take an 11-28 cassette, the 6600 has a stated maximum of 27 teeth on the largest rear sprocket. The latest 105 and Tiagra rear mechs will take a 30 tooth sprocket.

Don't let anyone put you off doing the Etape Cymru, I'm really looking forward to hearing how you get on. Your gearing is your choice but remember that low gears do make the hills easier.

There is loads of good advice on here about riding style and the proximity of hills to your home. You are only 14 miles from Glossop which gives you a crack at the Snake. You ought to be able to get up there with your current set up as although it is long it isn't horribly steep. The idea of taking a train is excellent too. Head for Grindleford or Dore and climb your way home over the Peak District.

I like the Peaks because the scenery is so beautiful and because there is always a challenge around the corner but you don't *need* hills to train on. I trained for the Marmotte in North Beds which is on the fringes of the Fens and gets no higher than 100m above sea level. Plenty of riding and some determination will see you a long way.

You don't have to look far to find recommendations that a cadence of around 90rpm is recommended for efficiency on the flat. You can work out your cadence using a table like the one here: http://www.machars.net/bikecalc.htm as long as you know which gear you are in and how fast you are going you'll be able to work it out and get an idea of what 90rpm feels like. For instance, if you have a 16 tooth sprocket, put the bike into 53x16 and hold your speed at 22mph. To find your natural cadence, head for the flat and then hold 22mph in a gear that you are comfortable with then refer back to the chart to find out your rpm.

If you can't climb hills with the gears you have then you need to get fitter on the hills or use lower gearing, you've stated you can't get to the hills so you need either the biggest block you can or smaller rings at the front.

Can you really spin out your top gear on the flat? I really don't understand the reluctance to consider a compact (finances aside) especially if it would appear to be the ideal solution to your problem.

Just make a decision already an put us out of our misery

Cor lots of advice all round. I am similar size to yourself bikeboy and used to really suffer on hills. Also I would ride hard down them and spin out of my 50x11 to try and make up the time I lost on the climb. Changed my ideas now and once I start to spin out I tuck in as aero as I can and rest the legs. On the flat after a big climb spend a mile or so in an easier gear than normal it seems to help get rid of the pain. Then when you get to the next climb you are fresher and ready to attack it. Dont rush to drop all your gears at once just focus on the tarmac ahead of your wheel try to get into a steady cadence and keep going. Often when people see the tarmac disappearing into the clouds they shift to the easiest gear and panic a bit. You obviously have loads of power if you can ride 53x11 hard on the flat so conserve some of it for the hills. Of course a couple of bigger cogs on the back is a good call and I would agree with the 12-30 if it fits. You arent in a Crit race so swap out the 11 for this event and put it back on afterwards. Good luck

Feel the need to add my two Penny's worth. A 53x11 is a HUGE gear, most people who I race with And are 2nd cat or above ride either a 50x11 or a 52x12 and can comfortably ride at over over 30mph. Even some of the pro's have switched to compacts for hillier stages. Argument over.
Also how do you climb ? If you try to mash a large gear up a hill then the problem maybe technique as spinning is definitely the key to climbing ! Also could your bike set up be causing the problems ?

Gareth

I agree with you bikebouy76, I can't stand compact chainsets on road. Definitely look at a wider range cassette though, 11-25 or 27.

I work in central Manchester too and can be out in the Goyt Valley in an hour. Another option might be to get the train out to Buxton or Edale and ride back home? During thatr recent #rapharising challenge I was doing extra loops on the way home from work out into the hills round Brickworks, Poynton, Swiss Hill, Goyt Valley etc.

But definitely spin more on the flat - churning along at 60-70rpm is causing you to work anaerobically and therefore knackering you out before you hit the hills.

Simple answer is there's no cheap and easy way to change the set up for hills, I reckon the best option is to max out what you can do using current derailleur (28?) Plus new chain (assuming it's required due to wear and / or stretch)

This leaves you with two set ups, one for hills, one for flats to swap at your leisure

Kmc quick link chains best option

Your problem on ride London is now much clearer mate. You are, as an earlier post rightly suggested, riding anearobically pushing a big gear, hence nothing in the legs when you come to the hills.
I would suggest a lot of base miles on the flat (should feel easy, cadence 90-100 and you should be able to hold a conversation and not be sweating overly), then efforts on the hills. You are right with the gears, 39/28 is only slightly larger than 34/25 which is what I use and have gone over all the climbs in the Lakes on, which are stepeer than anything on Etape Cymru.
So keep your 53/39 but go 12-28, will give you more usable gears and a slightly closer ratio between gears. Unless you are Cav sprinting for a win 53x11 just isn't necessary!
Perhaps a computer with cadence sensor and HRM would benefit your training? and it would cost less than a compact c/s
You need to practice climbing both seated (spinning a gear) and also out of the saddle. Gearing down for a minute on a long climb and pushing a bigger gear and lower cadence (70) will also improve your power climbing.
Main problem on a long ride, is your using all your energy pushing on the flats I think. Also don't forget to eat properly on longer rides as this is another commin mistake
ENJOY

I also work in the centre of Manchester (commuting in from Flixton) and have a regular midweek evening ride up to Bury, setting off around 5:45 and getting back home about 9 - 9:30pm. Generally 45 - 50 miles including the commute back home from town at the end. At this time of year it is still light enough at 9:30 or so to warrant this distance, but I'd recommend some precautionary bike lights.

It takes about 40 - 45 minutes into Bury, even with rush hour traffic, and then there are a variety of steady climbs to be found there and thereabouts.

If you're on Strava, have a look at the following segments:

Elton to Affetside via Walshaw
Totty Rd full
Harwood rd to 4 lane ends climb
Tottington Road hill climb
Hare & Hounds to Grane Rd

They are close enough to each other that you can string a few of them together into a decent loop.

I don't claim to be any fantastic cyclist (I have a compact with an 11-28), but a month of these midweek workouts, coupled with weekend rides, meant that my trip last year to the Pyrenees to ride the Tourmalet and Col d'Aubisque was a challenge rather than a killer.

Time trials are a little different, I think. And holding Ulrich up as an example of anything is daft. EPO is a helluva drug.

Tony Martin mashes a big gear so did jan ullrich so I say ride your double if your strong enough to power a 53/11 along the flat.

Yeah, mashing your pedals isn't good for you. You want to be spinning along with the lightest of touches. Two of my friends, who were once about your size, have improved their riding style with compacts and riding at around 90rpm. And hey presto, the weight has fallen off too. I'm not 100% sure on this, but our work will be aerobic like this, rather than when mashing and it's a combo of anaerobic and aerobic. You'll burn more fat stores this way rather than entirely the glycogen in your blood and muscles.
Please someone with more physiology and nutritional knowledge put me right if I'm wrong.
You'll also put far less strain on your knees this way.

That's all a bit long term, I appreciate - adapting your riding style is a longish process. If most of your riding is done on the Cheshire plain (and my god, if you live in S. Manc why aren't you in the peaks every weekend? Get your lazy bum up Mow Cop) then I appreciate you're very attached to your 53/39. As I've gotten stronger, I've been pondering a replacement to my chainrings as and when they need it. Praxis make replacement Shimano rings for a compact crankset with 52/36 on them. Combine that with a big block on the back and you'd probably have the best of both worlds. Fair bit of cash to splash though, but worth it I should think.

Anyway, for now - biggest block you can shove on the back. Work on spinning faster in a lower gear. And eat better!

this month's cycling plus has some great info on climbing how to and such.

one year ago I hated hills, I now look for them, not many by me though, sounds similar for you, hence my suggestion of the magazine, it gives you training tips for hill climbing where you have no hills to climb, good luck in the Welsh one, wish I could do it.

Billy