Bigger chain rings used by pros: 54 - 40, (I use 50 -34)

Wheels of Happiness Many pros are using bigger chain ring; 54 - 40, 56 - 44. Pros can ride at 60 kph

Advantages:   straighter chain line, less bending of chain and therefore less friction.  (But I guess this hard on the thighs and calf) Only for Iron men.!

They can handle steep mountain roads at 40 - 34.  My bikes have following chain rings:   50-34, 52 -36,  and 44 -34 - 24 (for MTB)    I am a mere mortal.

Fighting sarcopenia in later years

Wheels of Happiness

With 3 years + 7 decades behind me, I am aware that I am all ready undergoing sarcopenia  -  ie - loss of muscle mass and bone density.  That why I can not risk going off road, or going faster on descent.  

Thus: this post has to supplement biking with some free body weight exercises like lunges, and knee bends with weights.  And has to follow the recommendation that riding be done on big chain rings for added torque and resistance training to counter sarcopenia.   

Thus I try to do DOMSA ride, diversion, Bombongan, Teresa Antenna ride on big chain rings.  These rides leave me exhausuted and drained that is why this post spends a lot of time sleeeping, taking a nap in the afternoon.  

This post expects that he could live better, if not longer with these exercise routines.

When you disassemble your crank, be sure to watch your FD adjustment

Wheels of Happiness

This post always neglect this and after a crank disassembly, the FD could not shift the fd to the large chain ring  More specifically the crank has not been tightened well or got loose when this post used the bike.  All this post had to do were:   1.  tightened the crank bolt,   2,  loosened the high adjustment screw of the FD adjustment screw.  

It seems that with Campy super torque crank has this common problem.  It does not fit most of the BB and there seems to be about 1 mm of play - hence the need for wave washer.  But still there seems to be some side to side movement that is why sometimes the chain falls off.   The video maker recommends using loctite to fix the crank.

Its all very detailed and all complicated that is why many just let their mechanic do the job;   pay them well and let the mechanic do the worrying.    That is why I had to bring the 10 mm hex  crank bolt tightening too.  

Do oval chain rings make you faster?

Wheels of Happiness The author says its better. In effect if you have 32 oval, you have 3 sizes: 30, 32, 34. So takes care of the differences in power and weak stroke My experience though is that it causes rapid wear of the chain ring and chain. My first bike had Shimano oval. I stick to round chain ring.

Climbed Bugarin all the way to Manang Rinas eatery (KM 68) using big chain ring

Wheels of Happiness

My bike ride today was to Bugarin KM 68, using big chain ring 52 x 28.   Like the gear combination I used for the Teresa Antipolo loop.   Before I drop down to small chain ring before Km 63  (before climbing to the bamboo farm.   This time it was big chain ring all the way.   The going gets rough at km 64, right after the restaurant row.  

But thereafter going gets less tough.  The gradient at Bugarin must be 5 to 12 max (or even less)

I dreaded going up Bugarin before   May gear was small chain ring ang the biggest cog at the rear

What was my feeling (especially that I just turned 73)

1.  Like Eureka -  see I did it big chain ring all the way;

2.  Like I was very young again;

3.  Like I had a new bike

I will try this at Cabrera, Domsa, diversion and Antenna.  I hope I dont break my chain.

Yesterday was my large chain ring day

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines
June 13, 2017

Choose riding on large or small chain ring

                                                          Small (39) or

                                                 Large Chain Ring (53)
I read an article once of a lady rider, height challenged at 4' 11"but who won a dreaded mountain climb. She was asked what was her training secret. One of these she said was alternating your practice between small and large chain ring day.  When you choose either large or small you do not shift the front derailleur.You just shift the rear cogs.Thus at small chain ring, when you want speed and you are at 34 36 or 39,  you simple have to pedal faster.   When you are at large chain ring, when climbing hills, you shift to your cogs to the biggest if  needed.

Yesterday, I rode to Jala jala up to km 73.5 (2 km into  the Jalajala town proper, just past  the arc and the dragon fruit farm.

I ate lugaw at simples where I met Meong, Ado and Joel.  Joel said he was off form yesterday and had hard time chasing me.   I climbed Montevideo 53 x23,  and same for Callahan, for Baras Pililla 53 x 23 also, 53 21 at Quisao and going back to Malaya power plant was 53 x 28.

I also chased some MTB and road bikers in Tanay.  I gave my best shot and even overtook their fastest rider from km 56 to 57 in Tanay.  Not bad for 66 y.o . senior

But one thing I observed is that your muscle ache and there is noticeable strain on the calf and thighs.   But you feel much stronger

The general idea is variety and getting stronger by varying your practice

P.S.

Prior to this I had only small chain ring day.  Reason, I could not shift to large chain ring.  Reason?  I could not shift to large chain ring. Reason?     The cable was loose and  I mistakenly loosened a shifting screw which I thought was limiter to the large chain ring shift (it was pala for the small chain ring and by loosening it, the fd stayed farther from the line of the large chain ring and hence  it could not be shifted.  Thus when I screwed it in, the problem was solved

Computing for the Gear Inches of MTB with two upgraded chain rings, 26 wheels; upgrade to 1 and 2 chainring and 42t addition

Wheels of Happiness

Rizal Philippines
December 24, 2015

                                       Converting to dual chain rings for MTB

Workshop from bike radar - converting to single or double chain ring for 9 speed set up


One way of reducing weight of MTB is to go for 2 chain ring 26 and 36, remove the 18 or 17 cogs, for a 10 speed and add 42 t cogs (with the One upgrade that weighs only 55 grams).  This is possible if you have XT or XT R cogs.

        For an 11 speed set up with XTR, XT gear set.   with 26 er
                                                   26                         36

                10                                67.6                    93.6

                12                                56.3                    78

                14                                48.3                    66.8

                16                                42.2                    58.5

                18                                 37.5                   52    

                21                                 32.2                   44.5

                24                                 28.2                   39

                28                                 24.1                   33.4

                32                                 21.1                   29.

                36                                18.5                    26

                42                                16.09                  22.3


     However, I checked with Haooh in Taytay Rizal and told me  that 24 granny would be easier to acquire

Let us recompute for a 27.5 with a 10 speed  cogs.


As you can see, at 24 x 42, you can really a very low gearing at 15.71!!!    


                                                 24                       36    (for 27.5er)

             11                                59.99                  89.99

             13                                50.76                  76.15

             15                                 44                      66

           (17)                                38.82                 58.23 (this will have to be removed to accept the 42

             19                                 34.73                 52.10

             21                                 31.42                 47.14

            24                                  27.5                   41.25

            26                                 25.38                  38.07

           32                                  20.62                   30.93

           36                                  18.33                   27.5

           42                                  15.71                   23.57

At 36 you can just use one chain ring and not shift (may be this is their choice for single ring.  93 would be near 100 which is near the 50 x 12 gearing..   26 would be enough to cover most hills and ascents.  Now I understand the craze for single chain ring  the 36 choice, and the 42 cog.    Splendid

The upgrade will set you back:

One up 42          -     P2,300

New chain ring

           24     -            1,300

           36                  2,000

Total                        6,600

Upgrade of my SARS roadie into a Cyclocross (RB and MTB)

Wheels of Happiness


I have finally completed the Hill Climber bike project. I did the following: replaced the chain wheel 53 x 39 with 44 x 32 x 22 Deore with 175 mm arm, installed a 3 way STI (sora), had a long cage RD (sora) and 10 speed 11 to 36 cogs: 11 13 15 17 19 21 24 26 32 36. I chose the STX, the more expensive but lighter cogs (with holes and spider arms) vs Alivio which is heavier.

The whole project cost me P7,800 for the sti, cogs, and the rear derailleur. I still have to find a 3 plet front derailleur. (The one I use is an old sora for 2 chain chain rings only)

Why do I have this project:

1. I have to use friendlier gear ratios as I am not getting younger.

2. When we go back to Banawe and Mt. Data, I will not run of gears.

3. I plan to join the guys who go on island hopping tours using cylocross bikes (I still to buy 25 mm wide tires) O I may go solo in August to Mindoro and up to Panay island

4. Convenience.

Pay Close Attention to the Driveline

Bike and Save the Earth

If there is anything that you must pay attention to in your bike, it is your drive line:   your shoes, your cleats, the pedal, the crank, the chain ring, the chain, the sprocket and the rear wheel, its hub and bearings.  They are the ones constantly subjected to wear and do a lot of constant repetitive cyclical motion when   you ride.

For instance, if your current cycling shoes weigh 600 grams and you can buy one that is 400 grams.  You multiply the weight loss per pedal stroke as savings in effort/energy.  Say you pedal  5000 times during your ride, youi have saved a total of  l,000,000 grams or l,000 kg or a ton of effort.  That is substantial.  The pedal weight, crank arm length (l70, l72.5. 175) are critical.

There was a champion biker used to 172.5 crank length.  However he heard everybody shifted to l75, and he shifted to l75 on a raced day.  All was well until the last l0 km when his legs gave way under him.  He could not pedal anymore and all the vigor was gone.  The 2.5 mm difference in length, though how tiny it was blew his effort to be first.  2.5 mm extra crank length multiplied by number of revolutions would have mean great energy effort more for the poor cyclist and former champion