Alberto approves.

http://road.cc/...h-contador-goes-apex

I’m in pancake flat The Woodlands, TX and out a 50x32 on for a trip to Italy in 2014 and haven’t switched it out yet. And have no plans to anytime soon.

Only if you have it paired with a MB triple up front. (FWIW, that's exactly what I had to do to survive my recent vacation to Summit County, CO, and I'm only 49. :o )

Pussy!

That said...if gearing up allows a higher, more efficient cadence, then it will make your girly self faster.
I keep the 11/28 on now always-rather than the 11/25.

I'll probably have the 11/32 on next year, puss that I am...

Somebody better break out the kitty litter..
'Cause there sure are a lot of pussies in this thread!!

I'm 39 and put on a 32 when I raced IMMT last year and absolutely love it. I previously had a 28. Both on a compact crank. I do like challenging myself with hilly/rolling races and rides. I use the 32 a fair amount and rarely spin out (~30mph). I believe my runs off the bike have improved as a result.

4.2 w/kg FTP and i ride a 32.
No shame.
Do whatever works for you. Who cares what other people think.

No, and if you need a 32 and didn't buy it because of fear of being a p***y then you'd definitely be a dumbass!

You'll definitely notice the difference. I have a 28 on my bike, I can get over the steeper stuff no problems but sometimes my effort/cadence is dictated to me by the gradient i.e. at anything 10% or higher I'm either pushing close to threshold and/or having to grind it out at a cadence that's getting uncomfortably low (and makes my knee ache on longer climbs). Was down in the Alps last month and rented a bike that came with a 32 at the rear, really noticed the difference in being able to spin more and control my effort on the steep sections.

When I upgraded the group on my road bike I went from a 50/34 11-28 to a 52/36 11-32. This put my bike in a sweet spot for me to be able to climb almost anything in my area and yet it improved top speed in downhill or long slightly down gradient sections, whereas, before I struggled with the 50 11 combo to stay in the pace line when the guys picked up the pace because I am a slow spinner and a horrible climber.

On my tri bike I have a 52/36 with a 11-28 because I normally stick to flatter routes and the few hills I encounter up to 20% for a few feet max. can be handled with picking up the momentum and then a quick standing surge over the crest. If I used the tri bike on hillier courses I wouldn't hesitate to add a mid cage and a 11-32. Still sticking with the 52/36 though.

Besides if you are training solo not drafting who really sees that you have a 32? And when you are in a road group the most impressive people in the group are the ones cruising up the hill while casually chatting, whereas, weak climbers like me keep subconsciously hitting the shifter hoping there is a 34 cog available. :-)

Yes.

You should never use anything but an 11-23

You mean 12/23

😉

+1

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"see the world as it is not as you want it to be"

Nice :)

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"see the world as it is not as you want it to be"

In most cases, a simple DR extender such as Wolf Tooth Road Link will give you all the leverage you need for a 30 or 32. When I converted one of my tri-bikes to a 1x drive, I used the Road Link instead of wasting money on a long cage DR. It works perfectly.

I'm 57 and running a 32 in back with a 50/34 up front. As long as I have hills to climb that require me to put out 400 watts for more than 3 minutes on the 34-32 to just stay upright I'm satisfied I have nothing to be ashamed of.

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"...the street finds its own uses for things"

I got 32 this year as well, it feels awesome on steeper climbs. Age has nothing to do with # of teeth in your cassette.

If while riding you feel like you want or need another smaller gear than what you have available, use the following checklist:

Will I ride this route, similar routes, or harder routes again in the future?
Are you in fairly normal condition today? (i.e. you're not ill or massively fatigued)
Can you afford what is a relatively cheap expense in bike terms?

If the answer to each of the above is "Yes" then move onto the final question:

Are you a huge pussy who will cave to what others tell you to use rather than getting what you actually want or need?

Yes = get a bigger large sprocket or a smaller small chainring
No = you're a pussy and you're doomed to ride unsuitable gear options

I've been road racing for 25 years and switched to semi-compact and alternating between 28 and 32 on the back. I wish I would have made this move 10 years ago. I'm now considering 50/34 up front and going up to 34 in the back for the bad stuff.
Gearing has no bearing on your manliness.

I feel like you don't really understand power very well. The gearing you have doesn't magically make you faster or slower, it just changes your cadence on the bike.

Choose a chainring/cassette combo that gives you the best range for whatever event you are using it for. If you feel your cadence is bogging down with your current setup, then I'd look towards getting a gear ratios closer to 1:1.

This. I’ve frequently heard at races, these hill are so difficult. Well no they aren’t you need to fix your gearing. You may be going slow but 200 watts is 200 watts. You flatten the course with gearing not with cadence (for the most part).

What size chainrings are you using? If you are in a 54 or a 53, then consider going to a 52 or even a 50. This would let you keep a closer ratio cassette.

Just another option for you to consider.

I think you meant to talk about the small chainrings..... assuming its not 1×

So if above 34T, consider dropping. Which may mean also changing the big ring as you don't want a difference greater yhan 16 teeth from big to small.

was thinking about this the other day.
I run a 32 rear

has anyone noticed a difference between a 32 and 34 rear?

One has 2 extra teeth and is thus approximately 6% smaller gear

I haven't tried 32 vs 34, but I rode my 1983 Miyata 710 with its 42-28 low gear today and I noticed that I suck.