Emily
I'm thinking of getting a fast, responsive and light cyclocross bike for:
City cycling - (every day)
Occasional Triathlons - (2 a year)
Triathlon club rides - (once a month)
Light tours of no more than few hours - (a few times a year)
My worry is that I read the gearing on a cyclocross bike is low. Does this mean I won't be able to go very fast on flat races?
Is the low gearing on a cyclocross bike lower than on a hybrid bike?
I like to be in a high gear on my current hybrid bike when I'm cycling fast, say down a hill or along a flat when there's not much wind. However, I am told that I have a bad habit of using the high gears and that I should take notice of good cadence so perhaps I shouldn't be using the high years.
If any of you think that low gearing is a problem on a cyclocross bike that would hinder my speed, then is there anything I can do to change the gears so that I can go into higher gears?
Answer
Low gearing is not bad for you. Learning to spin, that is keep a high pedal rate or "cadence" is efficient. Lance Armstrong won the Tour De France all those times over Jan Ulrich because he could spin and Jan didn't. It's how Greg LeMond won the TDF 2x as well (look it up)
In many races if you are under a certain age you have to use lower gearing. It's to keep you from hurting yourself and to teach you good form. Low gearing also reduces the stress your knees take. This in the long run is a good thing.
A cyclocross bike will certainly handle be plenty strong for what you're talking about. You can also look into something called a sport-touring or club racer. These are bikes that strike a great balance between sportiness and comfort. Club racers are an under rated class of bike and deserve your attention. Plus how the bike fits you is most crucial. A properly fitting bike makes much better use of your energy and is more comfortable to ride. A good example is the Trek Portland model. There are others, this is just a very visible one.
Low gearing is not bad for you. Learning to spin, that is keep a high pedal rate or "cadence" is efficient. Lance Armstrong won the Tour De France all those times over Jan Ulrich because he could spin and Jan didn't. It's how Greg LeMond won the TDF 2x as well (look it up)
In many races if you are under a certain age you have to use lower gearing. It's to keep you from hurting yourself and to teach you good form. Low gearing also reduces the stress your knees take. This in the long run is a good thing.
A cyclocross bike will certainly handle be plenty strong for what you're talking about. You can also look into something called a sport-touring or club racer. These are bikes that strike a great balance between sportiness and comfort. Club racers are an under rated class of bike and deserve your attention. Plus how the bike fits you is most crucial. A properly fitting bike makes much better use of your energy and is more comfortable to ride. A good example is the Trek Portland model. There are others, this is just a very visible one.
What do you think about the LeMond RevMaster Spin bike? How do you think it compares to the other spin bikes?
tcjtivo
I may be changing gyms. The one catch is that the new gym has LeMond RevMaster spin bikes. They are a bit older but in decent shape. Spinning classes are a priority for me. I tried a class with the LeMond and it was just so different than the other bikes that I'm used to, like the Star Trac and Johnny G's, etc. I just don't know if I can adjust and most importantly keep the mental motivation up to reach my goals. What are your thoughts? Thanks for any and all help that you can give me.
Answer
I won't ride on anything that has "LeMond" on it.
I won't ride on anything that has "LeMond" on it.
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
No comments:
Post a Comment