Hor Category cassettes?

steveb said:

What cassettes do the pros use on Ventoux, etc.?

11-23 but I think in some rare stages with extremely steep sections (for
ex. Mortirolo) some use 12-25.

Francesco

steveb said:

What cassettes do the pros use on Ventoux, etc.?

Depends on the racer, and many teams have drawers full of loose cogs.
Most probably a 23t biggest with a 39 amllest but I imagine some use a
25/26.

In a recent Tour of Spain, on a particularly nasty climb whose name I
can't recall at the moment, Tyler Hamilton and others used a 27. If
memory serves, he might have had a compact up front with a 34 small
ring. Although this is highly unusual, pros rarely use anything
smaller than a 25.

I've ridden most of the big climbs of the Tour at least. Most of the
time it was 39-23, 25 if it got real steep. As they said in one of the
cycling.tv videos - if you need anything more than a 23 - you might as
well get off and walk.

Andrew F Martin said:

I've ridden most of the big climbs of the Tour at least. Most of the
time it was 39-23, 25 if it got real steep. As they said in one of the
cycling.tv videos - if you need anything more than a 23 - you might as
well get off and walk.

That is an exaggeration, and mostly just macho [censored] with little
value. Most people like pedalling at cadences higher than 50. To me
about 70 to 80 feels nice when you pedal uphill from the saddle. I used
39-29 in the Alps and it was good for climbing at about 12 to 14 km/h.
That is more than twice most people's walking pace.

Of course you can use the same gearing in the same conditions as pro
racers use, but it doesn't make any sense if you're not in the same kind
of shape. Some of us might think they are, but most are not.

-as

You might want to re-read the question,
"What cassettes do the pros use on Ventoux, etc.?"

He didn't ask what gear do cyclo-tourists use on their 35lb mtn bike.
The year I did Ventoux, I think I used the 25 for only a short stretch,
but most of it was 23. I'm by no means a pro, but I race Cat2 in the
states and I would consider myself a poor climber by most regards.

Sorry - I re-read your post and you are refuting the statement of
'walking'. Yeah - I think the guys meant that as a little tongue in
cheek, but the point was that if you couldn't get over in the 23,
you're not at the front of the race anyway....

Quoted message said:

Sorry - I re-read your post and you are refuting the statement of
'walking'. Yeah - I think the guys meant that as a little tongue in
cheek, but the point was that if you couldn't get over in the 23,
you're not at the front of the race anyway....

Having been to the TDF more than a few times (I seem to have made it a bit
of a July habit), I can tell you that quite a few do, in fact, use 12-25
cassettes on climbs like Ventoux, and some go to 12-27s. The higher-speed
climbs in the middle of a stage are the ones where you'd be way off the back
if you had to go to something that small, but when a stage finishes on
something very steep and very nasty, the lower gears do indeed come out of
the closet.

Keep in mind that Ventoux is rather sepcial; it exists in a category with
few peers. I'm still not sure what's harder, Sonora Pass or Ventoux. Would
be fun to see what Division 1 riders would be using over Sonora Pass!

And don't forget that triples have been used in the Vuelta; I believe
Roberto Heras stole the day on the nastiest stage (Angrilu?) in 2002? I
recall seeing shots of him actually riding in the small front/large rear,
which was a 30/25.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

Quoted message said:

Sorry - I re-read your post and you are refuting the statement of
'walking'. Yeah - I think the guys meant that as a little tongue in
cheek, but the point was that if you couldn't get over in the 23,
you're not at the front of the race anyway....

Having been to the TDF more than a few times (I seem to have made it a bit
of a July habit), I can tell you that quite a few do, in fact, use 12-25
cassettes on climbs like Ventoux, and some go to 12-27s. The higher-speed
climbs in the middle of a stage are the ones where you'd be way off the back
if you had to go to something that small, but when a stage finishes on
something very steep and very nasty, the lower gears do indeed come out of
the closet.

And bringing the topic back to the average citizen, climbing steep
terrain in 39:23 is absurd quad killing over gearing. If a pro is
using 39:25 or 39:27 on the same grade, Mr. Average should be in
something way lower, like a compact 34:27, to somewhat approximate the
cadence and effort.

The gulf between pros and "normals" is huge. When you can sustain
such efforts as, for example, averaging 30 mph in a 10 mile time
trial, then you can justify the climbing equivalent of using "big"
gears in steep terrain. Until then, you're just a poseur who is
tiring him or herself out prematurely.
--dt

Quoted message said:

And bringing the topic back to the average citizen, climbing steep
terrain in 39:23 is absurd quad killing over gearing. If a pro is
using 39:25 or 39:27 on the same grade, Mr. Average should be in
something way lower, like a compact 34:27, to somewhat approximate the
cadence and effort.

The gulf between pros and "normals" is huge. When you can sustain
such efforts as, for example, averaging 30 mph in a 10 mile time
trial, then you can justify the climbing equivalent of using "big"
gears in steep terrain. Until then, you're just a poseur who is
tiring him or herself out prematurely.

You *can* develop a technique or style that allows you to climb very steep
grades in pretty tall gears. Jobst Brandt is the obvious example of such
style. But just because it can be done, and rather successfully by some,
doesn't mean that it's a good idea for others. Even Jobst has admitted that
at times. Jobst's main beef appears to be with the argument that
hummingbird-like cadences somehow make for better climbing, since ultimately
it's aerobic capability that's the limiting factor. Hopefully he'll correct
me if I misunderstand this.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

"Doug Taylor" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Mike Jacoubowsky said:

Quoted message said:

Sorry - I re-read your post and you are refuting the statement of
'walking'. Yeah - I think the guys meant that as a little tongue in
cheek, but the point was that if you couldn't get over in the 23,
you're not at the front of the race anyway....

Having been to the TDF more than a few times (I seem to have made it a bit
of a July habit), I can tell you that quite a few do, in fact, use 12-25
cassettes on climbs like Ventoux, and some go to 12-27s. The higher-speed
climbs in the middle of a stage are the ones where you'd be way off the
back
if you had to go to something that small, but when a stage finishes on
something very steep and very nasty, the lower gears do indeed come out of
the closet.

And bringing the topic back to the average citizen, climbing steep
terrain in 39:23 is absurd quad killing over gearing. If a pro is
using 39:25 or 39:27 on the same grade, Mr. Average should be in
something way lower, like a compact 34:27, to somewhat approximate the
cadence and effort.

The gulf between pros and "normals" is huge. When you can sustain
such efforts as, for example, averaging 30 mph in a 10 mile time
trial, then you can justify the climbing equivalent of using "big"
gears in steep terrain. Until then, you're just a poseur who is
tiring him or herself out prematurely.
--dt

Triple chainrings are the intended mechanism for the average citizen.
Big gear climbing is a recipe for some knee pain unless you really know
what you are doing and have your bike fit properly.

Andrew F Martin said:

Triple chainrings are the intended mechanism for the average citizen.
Big gear climbing is a recipe for some knee pain unless you really know
what you are doing and have your bike fit properly.

for hillclimb races on the east coast like Ascutney, Equinox, and the
mighty Mt. Washington, ,many of the average joes like myself use a
22t chainring with an 11-34 MTB cassette in the rear .. of course when
Tom Danielson or Tyler do it, they use some pretty big gears .. and
they finish in half the time we do.

here is a great web site on east coast hill climbs.
http://www.northeastcycling.com/

charlieb in ct.