After seeing many threads about 9 speed,singlewpeed and recentlly even 10 speed set-up I got to wondering how much difference the number of gears makes and how much it is a diminishing gain.
Has anyone gone from say 7 to 8 or 9 speed and noticed a difference in their race or lap times due to it?
I've been using a singlespeed road bike during the week for over a year now. I have noticed improvements in my fitness and speed as a result. I am now starting to feel that using gears may allow me to get even quicker and train in different zones easier and more efficiently in case you're wondering why I'm interested.
i reckon i'd be slower on 9 speed, i take this from 1. not wanting to break my mechs 2. having to do another click every time i change 3. i've got chainsuck on the very first rides of my 2 latest chainsets, imagine if i had 9 speed... 4. reliability, i wouldn't be on my bike half the time!
9 speed is more fiddly to set up and is affected by mud but seems just as reliable long term.
The big thing advance with 9 speed for me has been the use of 32/34 teeth sprockets on cassettes, could not live without them now for killer climbs in endurance events.
------------------------------------------ Loads of cycling links on www.bigbikeboard.
I've road raced on 9 and 10, but only ever MTB raced on 9, it's impossible to say if it makes you go faster because there are so many outside factors. I think going to 10 on the road bike probably did, but a lot of that was due to having a HT2 chainset and being able to sprint faster. Similarly on the MTB I don't really think the number of gears makes you faster or slower, arguably you'd go fastest with a 28/42 chainset and an 11-21 block because you wouldn't be able to slow down!
The lightest stuff is all 9 speed, which ultimately will make you faster uphills theoretically, but we're talking nanoseconds.
For proper training you will get more out of a geared bike AT TIMES, although a single speed will do a lot to build up leg power and spinning.
What do you think to getting a rear wheelbuilt up with an 8 speed Nexus hub to slip into the SS frame for geared rides then could easily go back to SS when desired?
When I race with my SS I actually post faster lap times than with my geared bike. I think it's just down to shear bloody mindedness that on the climbs I just have to grit my teeth and keep the cranks turning where on geared bike there's always an easier gear to change down to when things hurt.
LOL - Smug is not the look I normally have - more like sheer pain, but yes I know what you mean. I did do the last race on a full suss with gears and it was kinda, nice though!!!!!
Given the rain forecast and having ridden in the nearish Swinley - it will be a mud fest
I hae found one of the best reasons to have a bottle as well as Camel is to spray mud off the front d/r and rings to avoid suck and mud off the rear and chain!!!
Full sus and gears good to avoid suffering IMO as I'm useless - missing this one though
It CANNOT be as wet as the last one (for us poor afternoon racers) I killed my pads, wore through part of the backing metal, and totally destroyed the spring clip, no wonder I wasn't stopping!
I've never had so much water and mud in my shorts either!
