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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!harpo!utah-cs!utah-gr!mueller
From: mueller@utah-gr.UUCP (Tim Mueller)
Newsgroups: net.bicycle
Subject: Re: how to ride, shoes, gear query
Message-ID: <1114@utah-gr.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 22-May-84 18:17:36 EDT
Article-I.D.: utah-gr.1114
Posted: Tue May 22 18:17:36 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 23-May-84 19:31:02 EDT
References: <2776@azure.UUCP>, <528@dual.UUCP>, <2812@rabbit.UUCP>
Organization: Univ of Utah CS Dept
Lines: 31

When I moved from Wisconsin to Utah I found the hills (and the altitude)
very difficult at first. I made a rather radical change in my gearing
from a 14-21 (45-52 in front) to some huge freewheel (I think it was a 
14-32). However, after a little work and getting used to the altitude
I found myself not needing the two lowest gears.

Since then, I have gotten in good enough shape to go back to a 14-21 six
speed with a 42-52 in the front. This has a low gear of about 54". I
can ride anywhere in the city and up most of the surrounding canyons 
without any trouble. There is one notable exception. The steepest
of the steep is a canyon called Little Cottonwood (any skier knows this
one well) and there is a race up to the Snowbird ski resort every Sept.

The first time I rode in this race I used that granny set up and put 
a 40 on the front with the 32 in the back. However, with a little work,
last year I used a 42 in the front and a 14-24 on the back and finished
some five minutes faster! (Some people ride this race on a straight block.
The race covers 10 miles and over 3000 vertical feet, most of which occurs the
last five miles. )

Now the kind of riding I'm talking about is me, the bike and the water bottle
and that's about it. I don't think I'd like to tour in the mountains with
a 60" low gear. But if you make yourself push bigger gears you can get used
to them even in the mountains and have the advantage of having close
gearing when riding on the flats. 

Tim Mueller
University of Utah

...harpo!utah-cs!mueller
ARPA  mueller@utah-20