Gears Question Road Bike

Road bikes sometimes refer to 8 ,9 or 10 speed but this only refers to the
rear cogs , you also need to take into account the double or triple chainset
on the front , so you can have a 16, 18, 20, 24, 27, & 30 speed road bike.

Not sure where you got the 14/39 from ,probably a typo. A common road
gearing would be 53/39 on the front & 12-23 on the rear, then you can sit
down & work out your gear ratios in inches travelled. front chainring x
wheelsize /rear cog. For ease we will say 700C wheels are 27" so a 53x12t
gear would be 53x27/12=119.25inches. NB that one tooth on the rear is worth
more than one on the front.

Basically there are three choices of gearing setup on a road bike:

Double : For example 53/39 the rear gear can usually handle a range of
11-27t on the rear but the racer prefers a 11-21, 11-23, 12-21, 12-23 etc.
The gearing range is usually adequate for the world's flattest continent.

Triple : For example 52/42/30 or 53/39/30, 3 chainrings on the front to give
a wider range of gears & more importantly lower gears. Very popular with
riders who travel to Europe & want to ride some of the Tour climbs in their
later stages of life. Extra gears mean more weight & the chainline is not as
efficient as a double setup. So you will see this setup on many mid-range
road bikes which will be used by weekend warriors.

Compact double : 50/36, 48/34 a double setup with smaller front chainrings
giving lower gearing without the drawbacks of a triple setup, not usually
available on a standard off-the-peg bike though.

The only other choice in the gearing is the length of the cranks, when I say
choice this will only be a 'choice' on a custom-made bike not an off-the-peg
bike . This is stamped at the pedal end or behind the crank. They usually
range from 165-180mm. In general terms an off-the-peg road bike will have
170 on size small, 170-172.5 on medium, & 175mm on large & x-large which
will suit most people.

Steve @ IDEAL

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

Quoted message said:

Are the Shimano 105's any good ?
And what is 53/39 and 14/39 mean.
Which is better as I am new to the world of bikes.
And one more question, with the road bike having only 9 gears, and the
Mountain bike having 27, does the road bike have a granny gear for steep
hills like a MTB ?
Thankyou for any answers.
B......

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

Quoted message said:

Are the Shimano 105's any good ?

I've never used them so I can't comment on that. Having said that I don't see a problem with Shimano so no worries
there.

Quoted message said:

And what is 53/39 and 14/39 mean.

53/39 relates to the front sprockets and 14/39(?) relates to the [censored] end sprockets.

Quoted message said:

Which is better as I am new to the world of bikes.
And one more question, with the road bike having only 9 gears, and the
Mountain bike having 27, does the road bike have a granny gear for steep
hills like a MTB ?

If you were to buy a road bike with 39 at the front and 39(?) at the rear you could climb anything regardless of your
fitness level.

Is there such a thing as a 39 tooth cog for the back wheel on a road bike?

G.

Quoted message said:

GDS
Is there such a thing as a 39 tooth cog for the back wheel on a road bike?

I don't think so. My guess is a typo.
Biggest "Mega Range" cog I know of is 34T.

hippy