Do a search on compact cranks for a lot of discussion on gearing. Also check out Slowman's article on gearing. Bottom line- if the gearing feels too big to you, then it's too big, regardless of what anyone else says. FWIW, I run a 50/34 compact with either a 12-25 or an 11-23 (depending on the course) on my tri bike.

if it feels too big, definitely go compact. You can go cheap from Nashbar, too.

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Ultegra 12-27 is the budget choice for more climbing gears (do "they" even make 12-27 in 105? I don't think so). The other S company makes one that goes up to 26.

Compact cranks will probably run ya $200 and up. Many/most triathletes are overgeared, so a compact crank solves that problem, albeit for a bit more $. (Crankset, plus you also might need a new compatible BB while yer at it)

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float , hammer , and jog

I can tell you what didn't work for me -> 53-39 w/ 11-23 was overgeared for me at Coeur d'Alene. I rode 5:47 which was a comfortbale pace for me, but I think I toasted my legs on the couple of climbs there where I didn't have a small enough gear to 'spin' rather than 'mash'; paid for it on the run. I will definitely be gearing down for Lake Placid next year. I will probably try a 12-26 cassette first (since it's cheaper) and ride some big hills w/ that; if that doesn't do the job, then I'll look into smaller chain rings up front.

I did IMUSA this year with a 55-39 and 12-25 I felt well set up. I am very much a masher cadence somewhere 70-80. I think if you put a 12-25 on you would be fine.

Good luck

K

What works well? Get out and bike more, eventually you'll be able to push those gears without any problem.

All kidding aside, as others have said, a compact crank will help, but it's not as simple as just throwing on a new crankset. You'll need to adjust chain length, and possibly replace the front derailleur.

If you swap out cassettes, you'll still have to change chain length, and if it's too steep of gearing, your rear derailleur. I know Dan had an article on this on the slowtwitch website (I think under building up the ideal tri bike).

While I joked at the beginning, to be honest, if you put time into it, you'll find you are able to push bigger gears. Given you're not doing IM Placid until next summer, I think you've got time if you didn't want to go through the hassle/expense of a different set-up on your bike.

Chris

11-23 is good for flat course like IMFL ... to save your running legs at average cadence (80-90 flat to rolling / 60-70rpm on hills) you're better off with a 12-25 and if you prefer riding at higher cadence (90-100rpm flat to rolling / 80-90 on hills) on a course like IMUSA go with the 12-27 for the race (and train on 12-25).

As someone already said - compact cranks are nice but significantly pricier and changing a cassette takes a few minutes while changing a crankset changes your entire set up of the drive train (I regularly swap out an 11-23, 12-25 or 13-29 depending on the course)

Nashbar cassettes. 12-25 and 12-27 (I think). $19.95... And drop that 53 down to a 52.

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Thanks. Do you find any problems with chain length or having to adjust the derailleur for the increased gearing when you change them out, or is it simply a matter of swapping cassettes and going?

The mechanical side of things will be fine for me - I wrenched for many years, though mostly worked on mountain bikes. Some things on the road side of things are a bit new, and the nuances of proper gearing is one of them.

Some of you have said just ride more, and I agree with that to an extent, but I think you also have to be smart about how and where you ride. I would think there is a big difference between setting up a bike for Florida, and for a very hilly area (where I live). I have a very good base, having spent big miles of both road and mountain bikes. Part of the problem is just adjusting to a new geometry - I don't feel that I have the power that I'm used to on a road bike. I'm sure this will come with time (I hope) and hopefully it's just a matter of building the muscles in this new position, but I can't help but wonder if I need some smarter gearing as well.

I regularly swap 12-23, 12-25, and occasionally 12-27. No other changes. **

** disclaimer - if swapping cassettes on the same wheel. For some reason, when I swap from my stock Rolfs to the 404's, I always hafta twist the barrel adjuster on the rear der. maybe two twists to get the shifting smooth again. I guess the spacing is slightly different on those 2 wheels. As far as changing the cassette on a given wheel, no other changes needed, at least not on my bike.



PS - you also might wanna have your bike fit evaluated. Issues with that could be contributing to your situation.

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float , hammer , and jog

The one thing I've heard that people run into with swapping the cassette is that if the bike has a small derailleur arm that it won't fit right for the 27 - I use a medium derailleur (I use Campy comps / there the long derailleur is usually for triples) and have had no problems swapping back and forth even all the way to a 29. If the cable tension is a little off I may have to adjust the rear derailleur a tiny bit but nothing out of the ordinary.

Giving yourself and your muscles some time to grow into the new bike is definitely key - give it a couple weeks and it's definitely good to cross check the fit (not to get used to a bad one).

My tri bike has the same gearing as yours and I recently started switching to a 12 -27 for hilly courses and am glad I did. I've had no problem with chain length. Everything shifts just fine.

 I currently ride with a compact crank and a 11-32 cassette. I used to ride in the coastal mountains of Calif and learned to love my granny gear. You don't use it very often but really appreciate it when you need it. My goal is to stay seated and aero while maintaining a high cadence.
I haven't run into any hills where I live now that have forced me out of the saddle.