The Appaloosa doesn't climb more slowly than a road bike because of it's length, it climbs more slowly because your body can not generate the same amount of speed per watt with the riding position. This could be easily demonstrated by riding the same slope 3 times with a power meter at a constant wattage. One time ride it with the bars high, one time lower them 1 inch, and one more time an inch further still. The speed will go up as the wattage stays the same. Chains don't flex, except side to side, if they did they'd snap. Chainstays flex side to side, but not in compression. As to unusably low gearing, for 7+ years I've been specing bikes with 24 granny gears and 40t large cogs, with gear inches between 16 and 17, depending on tire size. It's perfectly usable, and helpful on loose terrain with a load. We've experimented with gearing as low as 14.45, with a 20t ring on a 94 /58 triple and a 36 out back. Again, perfectly useful. Walking up a steep scree covered slope with a load is much harder than pedaling, even if you are moving slower than a walker. As to the OP's idea, I would recommend a wolf tooth road link, a longer chain, and an 11-40 9 speed cassette, which will not seriously mess with the derailleurs capacity. Shifting is fine in the smaller cogs, you simply have to dial the b screw out a bit. I've set up hundreds of bikes like this, with many repeat customers asking for the same thing, again. Works fine.
-James / Analog Cycles On Saturday, October 16, 2021 at 12:07:01 AM UTC-4 Drw wrote: > I know of a number of people who don't mind friction shifting 10 or 11 > speed. For me, i got tons of ghost shifting when i tried 10 speed with bar > ends. Especially in the little cogs, the chain really wanted to jump around > and the tweaking between gears was so minor that i went back to 9 speed. > Wide range 9 speeds are readily available these days and unless it's a 1x > system, i don't really see much need for 10+. I feel like im a pretty weak > rider on prolonged inclines as well, so i definitely understand the desire > to find a gear that will work on hills. > FWIW i have a 1x bike with a 38t chainring and an 11-40 (i think) > cassette, and another bike thats a 2x with a low of 24-42 and that is so > low, it is a little hard to keep the bike balanced for me, or exhaust > myself by spinning so fast. > On Friday, October 15, 2021 at 8:55:29 PM UTC-7 Kushan wrote: > >> All - This has been a highly educational discussion. >> >> My intention is to have a cope out gear for those long rides when I am >> already on mile 60-70 and then hit a an incline of 8%+. With my current >> 11-36 set up, I do find myself "maxed up" quite often on such a ride and >> wishing for an extra gear that can take me over the next edge. >> >> Here is what I am thinking about the options discussed here: >> - Mountain tamer and changing the front chainring: This is definitely an >> out-of-the-box option. However, having tried to fiddle with front derailers >> on other bikes, I too share the hatred for them (but continue to use them >> out of the need for a wide gear range). My current drive train is set up by >> RBW, works perfectly, and I am just afraid to mess with it. >> >> - Wide range cassette: In addition to what brizbarn mentioned above, I >> got another data point on this front. A friend just recently got an 11-40 >> 11-speed cassette with 8-speed Nexave derailer and Silver thumbies in >> friction mode. He is using this with 34-24 in front. I haven't tried this >> myself but he swears that it works like a dream. Plus RBW did this whole >> set up for him and I am inclined to believe that they wouldn't do it if it >> wasn't working well. So I am most likely going to try out this option of >> using a 11-40 or 11-42 cassette (9 or 10 speed) with my existing derailer. >> I am going to try it out without an extender since it seems to work for >> others. >> >> - Hike-a-bike: You guys make a valid point on this one. Logistically, >> this option is no slower than what I am proposing with a wide-range >> cassette. The biggest hurdle though is the mental pain of admitting that >> certain hills at certain times are beyond your abilities. There is also >> that "poor you" look you get from others as they pass you :) . But >> nonetheless, this is a fine option indeed and I might just stick to it in >> the short run until my current components wear out and need changing. >> On Friday, October 15, 2021 at 8:00:30 PM UTC-7 brizbarn wrote: >> >>> Kushan, I think a lot of these things people are mentioning are >>> unnecessary. Get the 10 speed wider-range cassette, put it on and ride it. >>> You use friction shifting, so you should be able to shift through all >>> those gears just fine without needing to buy other stuff. Maybe you'll >>> need a new chain, since yours may be too short for the jump from 36t to >>> 42t, but maybe not (or maybe add some extra links back on your current >>> chain). Your 9 speed Diore derailleur will more than likely make it to that >>> 42t. My friend ran a similar set up just fine with the same derailleur, >>> but had it 1x. I currently run a 1x10 with microshift 11-48 cassette and >>> derailleur, 38t narrow-wide chainring, and a left-handed front friction >>> shifter on a Paul Thumbie, it all works like a dream. I second Joe's >>> dislike of front derailleurs and will probably never go back. Also, never >>> under estimate getting out of the saddle to crank up a hill, relying on >>> your body rather than having the perfect gearing. Nothing wrong with >>> hike-a-biking when things get too steep. >>> On Monday, October 11, 2021 at 11:10:13 AM UTC-7 Kushan wrote: >>> >>>> Hi all - >>>> >>>> I acquired a 2021 Appaloosa over the summer and have been using it as >>>> my primary bike for the past few months. Despite the generous gearing >>>> (38x24 in front, 11-36 9-speed in rear), I am finding myself grinding >>>> significantly on sustained climbs over 7-8%. Part of this is my weight >>>> (250 >>>> lbs). The hefty tubing and upright bars of the bike contribute as well (my >>>> lighter road bikes with similar gearing feel easier on the same climbs). >>>> >>>> To make it a bit easier on my legs, I am contemplating "upgrading" to a >>>> wider range cassette in the back. More specifically, I am thinking of >>>> trying a 10-speed 11-42 cassette >>>> <https://www.amazon.com/SunRace-MS3-10-Speed-11-42T-Cassette/dp/B01JA6UBWQ/ref=sr_1_9?dchild=1&keywords=10%2Bspeed%2B11-42t%2Bcassette&qid=1633974437&s=sporting-goods&sr=1-9&th=1&psc=1> >>>> and >>>> wanted to get the group's input on whether this is a good idea. >>>> >>>> - Will this even work with my current setup? I have Shimano Deore >>>> derailer and use Silver2 friction shifters for both front and rear. >>>> Based >>>> on the recent newsletter from Will on different derailer and cassette >>>> combo, I feel like this should work. Attached is the picture of the >>>> derailer when I am in the lowest gear both front and back. >>>> - I currently have 9 speed 11-36 cassette and shifting works great. >>>> How will going to 10-speed affect the quality of shifting? >>>> >>>> >>>> Best >>>> Kushan >>>> >>> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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