It's horses for courses. There are many different reasons for riding, and
pushing a relatively big gear up a hill or, more generally, adapting your
riding to the arbitrary limitations
Of your machine is one of them--albeit, I daresay, an odd one/ But it is one
that appeals to me.
Patrick Moore
iPhone
On Jun 30, 2013, at 7:47 PM, dougP <dougpn...@cox.net> wrote:
> I don't see it as a contest. The bike is a tool to get me where I want to
> go, and should be versatile enough that I don't have to consider the terrain
> or road surface or other conditions to be limiting factors. I don't get the
> whole "how often do you need a granny gear?" thing. It doesn't matter "how
> often". What matters is that it's there when I need it. A lot of
> interesting places are at the top of steep hills, some of them quite long.
>
> Patrick, I agree about using limited gears on known routes. I have plenty of
> 20-30 mile rides close to home that only need maybe 3-4 gears. But once I
> get onto new turf, unknown territory or off-road, the triple with the wide
> range cogset is welcome equipment. Happiness is being able to pedal a load
> at 4 mph.
>
> dougP
>
> On Sunday, June 30, 2013 6:24:49 PM UTC-7, Patrick Moore wrote:
>>
>> This is interesting. My own take on the bike-to-rider "contest of mastery"
>> is that I like to adapt myself to the bike's limitations and to the
>> circumstances -- terrain, wind, gear, load, etc. I'd rather learn to grunt a
>> 40 lb load up a mile-long hill than to create a gear system that will let me
>> exert more or less equal energy at 18 mph on the flat, 10 mph on the hill,
>> and 30 on the downhill. (I used to be that way, but no longer -- in fact, I
>> was that way theoretically, devising ingenious gear systems, but found
>> myself riding a very limited range of gears.)
>>
>> For me, one of the great joys of cycling is overcoming obstacles -- wind,
>> hill, load -- with limited means. It's horses for courses. Of course, my
>> favored rides are short (and, relatively, energetic) but, with that
>> qualification, I hugely enjoy riding one gear across many different
>> circumstances. Even with the two derailleur bikes I have (Fargo, mostly off
>> road, Ram, on road) I "naturally" ride in just 2 or 3 gears across a very
>> wide range of conditions, load, wind, hills.
>>
>> I daresay that, after 8 hours in the saddle, and facing a miles-long, steep
>> hill against a wind with 40 lb of gear, I'd be grateful for that 20" low,
>> too. But I did want to add this other, perhaps very idiosyncratic,
>> perspective, to the many that make up the world of pleasurable cycling.
>>
>>
>> On Sun, Jun 30, 2013 at 7:09 PM, Anne Paulson <anne.p...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> I don't want my bike to order me around. I don't want my bike to be
>>> whining to me that I can't ride some nice quiet road. I'm the boss of
>>> my bike, and if I say Sweetwater, we go up Sweetwater, so I need gears
>>> that do the job they are hired for.
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sun, Jun 30, 2013 at 5:15 PM, Eric Platt <eperic...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> > And yet, in the latest issue of Dirt Rag (a mountain bike focused
>>> > magazine),
>>> > the mechanic column had a quote along the lines of "the only thing dumber
>>> > than a triple on a mountain bike, is a triple on a road bike." Seems
>>> > like a
>>> > lot of folks are thinking that way.
>>> >
>>> > Now, for non-loaded touring, on the hills I have ridden, a compact with a
>>> > 32/42 (or 44) up front and a 12-36 rear might be fine. Then again, for a
>>> > long climb either out east or west, would probably want a 24 up front,
>>> > along
>>> > with the 36 in the back.
>>> > Eric Platt
>>> > St. Paul, MN
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > On Sun, Jun 30, 2013 at 6:21 PM, Anne Paulson <anne.p...@gmail.com>
>>> > wrote:
>>> >>
>>> >> People who ride compact doubles chose those bikes. Sometimes just
>>> >> riding by them on a steep hill in your comfortable triple is enough to
>>> >> make them rethink whether their gearing is what they want. People
>>> >> sometimes buy the bike for the fitness they wish they had, instead of
>>> >> the fitness they actually have.
>>> >>
>>> >> I rode Sierra to the Sea with a friend. He is one of those
>>> >> technophiles who wants everything new, and he has some kind of
>>> >> whizbang titanium bike, with some kind of superlight wheels (one of
>>> >> whose hubs cracked during the ride, and of course there was no way to
>>> >> fix it, so he just continued on with what he said was considerable
>>> >> drag). He had what to me seemed to be absurdly high gears given the
>>> >> ride, although he did not do the steepest hills I did. I think his low
>>> >> was probably twice as high as my ridiculously low low. But after the
>>> >> ride, he emailed me about getting lower gears. Good choice.
>>> >>
>>> >> It would be great if we could get a Riv contingent on Sierra to the
>>> >> Sea. We could show another riding esthetic, opposed to the go-go-go
>>> >> esthetic that some of the fast riders have. Nothing wrong with going
>>> >> fast, or wanting to go fast, as your entire purpose of riding, if
>>> >> that's the way you feel. But it doesn't hurt to show people another
>>> >> way of thinking about riding.
>>> >>
>>> >> On Sun, Jun 30, 2013 at 4:10 PM, dougP <doug...@cox.net> wrote:
>>> >> > Thanks for the write-up. I plan to mark my calendar for next year
>>> >> > (never
>>> >> > too early to plan). That's a wonderful area for cycling.
>>> >> >
>>> >> > Last year, a charity I'm involved in did a week long tour through that
>>> >> > area,
>>> >> > and Sweetwater Springs was an optional route. We also used some
>>> >> > interesting
>>> >> > hills in the Napa Valley. The only grumbles we heard were from folks
>>> >> > with
>>> >> > compact doubles and standard racing bike gearing who were unhappy about
>>> >> > the
>>> >> > hills. Since most of the event crew rides 30+ lb touring bikes, we
>>> >> > found it
>>> >> > difficult to be truly compassionate about "the problem".
>>> >> >
>>> >> > dougP
>>> >> >
>>> >> >
>>> >> > On Sunday, June 23, 2013 11:20:09 AM UTC-7, Anne Paulson wrote:
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >> Last week I was on the (very fine) Sierra to the Sea ride put on by
>>> >> >> Almaden Cycle Touring Club. It was tons of fun. Rivendell was
>>> >> >> represented by me, and also JimD. The first night, I hopefully
>>> >> >> snuggled my British racing green Roadeo next to JimD's orange custom,
>>> >> >> hoping that in the morning I'd see a little red Betty Foy, but alas, I
>>> >> >> was disappointed. That was pretty much the only disappointment of the
>>> >> >> entire trip, though. The food was super and plentiful, and somehow
>>> >> >> ACTC managed to route us across the entire state of California on
>>> >> >> fabulous roads.
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >> Some of those roads were rough: Dogtown Road in the Sierra foothills,
>>> >> >> some Delta roads and the fabulous Coleman Valley Road in Sonoma County
>>> >> >> spring to mind. My Roadeo with Rolly Polys purred like a kitten. The
>>> >> >> Jack Browns might have even been a better choice.
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >> Overheard:
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >> Rider #1: My neck gets so sore sometimes when I'm riding, I have to
>>> >> >> look down for a while instead of looking ahead.
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >> Rider #2: Me too, even though I know it's not that safe.
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >> Me: Have you tried raising your handlebars?
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >> Rider #1: ?? You mean tilting them?
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >> Me: No, just moving them up higher.
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >> Rider #1: (puzzled) I don't think you can do that on my bike.
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >> Jim Warren showed up to say hello and ask about the ride, on his Hunqa
>>> >> >> with the Big Bens. The two riders with me were obviously appalled at
>>> >> >> the the idea that someone might try the ride with Big Bens. ("But
>>> >> >> they're so heavy!") In fact, Big Bens would be great.
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >> In addition to the idea that bikes need to be shod with 23 mm or 25 mm
>>> >> >> tires, a number of the Sierra to the Sea riders apparently subscribed
>>> >> >> to the common belief that extra clothing, food and equipment weigh
>>> >> >> less if you carry them in a backpack or in jammed pockets, than if you
>>> >> >> carry them on the bike. Saddlebags and front bags were not much in
>>> >> >> evidence.
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >> One day we rode from Calistoga to the Russian River. The optional
>>> >> >> route included Sweetwater Springs, one of those roads that is terrific
>>> >> >> in almost every possible way: deserted, with oak grasslands, then a
>>> >> >> secluded little valley, then a (steep) climb up through redwoods. The
>>> >> >> regular route was not too shabby either, but I chose the Sweetwater
>>> >> >> option. On the way up I passed a couple of other riders walking. I
>>> >> >> understand the appeal of compact doubles if compact doubles give you
>>> >> >> low enough gears. And for a lot of people (who are stronger than me or
>>> >> >> lighter than me or both) compact doubles do work. But riders who are
>>> >> >> walking the steep hills, or riding up them with some knee-destroying
>>> >> >> cadence in the 30s or 40s, need lower gears. It's sad to hear, "The
>>> >> >> guy in the bike shop told me..." when the guy in the bike shop
>>> >> >> obviously told the rider the wrong thing.
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >> I highly recommend Sierra to the Sea. Try it for yourself next year
>>> >> >> and
>>> >> >> see!
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >> --
>>> >> >> -- Anne Paulson
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >> My hovercraft is full of eels
>>> >> >
>>> >> > --
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>>> >> >
>>> >> >
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> --
>>> >> -- Anne Paulson
>>> >>
>>> >> My hovercraft is full of eels
>>> >>
>>> >> --
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>>> >>
>>> >
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>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> -- Anne Paulson
>>>
>>> My hovercraft is full of eels
>>>
>>> --
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>>
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> http://resumespecialties.com/index.html
>> patric...@resumespecialties.com
>> http://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickmooreresumespec/
>>
>>
>> Albuquerque, NM
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