I have not figured out which one to use. Anyone with some insights?
I imagine the `right’ answer will vary with individual. I’ve ridden the course 3 times and learned that a 50/36 Q-ring compact with a 12/27 in the rear allows me to keep cadence up and power and HR under control on the climbs.
I have cycled that course in 5:20 with a 12/27 and a 39 up front.
If you have questions, I suggest you go with a gear you think you may not use.
What kind of riding do you do now, and what gearing do you use? If you are already riding substantial hills, your current gearing is probably fine.
If you are riding mostly flats with not much hill training, then you will likely want to add some lower gears to your current setup.
Richter Pass and Yellow Lake are both long steady climbs. Are you training on something similar? If so, leave your current setup alone. If not, add more easy gears.
It’s nearly impossible to answer your question without understanding your current training and gearing. And are you a good climber or a lousy climber?
BrokenSpoke
Thanx. It sounds like i should stick with 12-25. It is probably a “safer” gear for me.
What are the odds that you’ll find yourself spun out in a 53x12, wishing you had an 11?
Compare those to the odds that you might find yourself grinding out a 39x23, wishing for a 25.
Finally, compare the “damage” that not having that 11 might have on your day VS not having the 25.
Plenty of people will use the 11 and a several won’t ever need a 25. But are you one of them?
Remember - Richter Pass is not what kills people. Feeling really good on the rollers and pushing hard to the out & back is generally what kills people. Yellow Lake comes down to how smart you were earlier in the day. If you played your hand well, you might actually benefit from that 11 headed back into Penticton. If not, that 25 just might come in handy.
what’s your weight? you average IM bike split? compacts or not compacts? strong/weak cyclist? etc?
I’ve gone 39/23, 39/27, 34/23, 36/23 for the past 4 years, and found that my best one was the last one…but my fitness was also the best at the time. I’m heavy, so needed the extra gears vs. someone that is 150lbs and could spin up the hill in a 39/23. Nicest part about the compacts for that race was not losing the top end coming back down richter through the rollers/YL into town. Also nice on the flats to have lots of gear options with little overlap.
Found that with the 12-27 (9sp), there was too big of gaps to get comfortable on the flat sections - gear shifts changed my cadence by 10rpm @ the same exertion, tough to find a happy medium.
That is the thing. Last year i wish i had an 11 coming back to Penticton. But the climb at Yellow Lake i was glad i had a 25.
165 lbs Ave bike split 5:30. I have a 39/53 at the front.
unless you plan on breaking the course record and going sub 4:30… there is not much need for a 11… when pedaling a 53-12 at 100rpm… you are already over 30mph…any gain in speed from there cost a lot of watts and isnt a good investement …
You felt good on the rollers, Khai? You might end up being called 'The Khai" with statements like that!
OT I would be glad to have a 25 on Yellow Lake, but I’m going to trust the stock 11-23 (and 39-53) on my Dual, since that’s how I’ve been training and I feel a lot stronger than last year, when I had not only a 25 but also a 36 tooth granny gear - and it still felt tough!
If you have questions, I suggest you go with a gear you think you may not use.
I’ll second that. If you need to ask, you should definitely go with the easier one. Do not forget he hardest climb comes in with nearly 140 km in your legs.
Francois in Montreal
I’ve gone 39/23, 39/27, 34/23, 36/23 for the past 4 years, and found that my best one was the last one…but my fitness was also the best at the time. I’m heavy, so needed the extra gears vs. someone that is 150lbs and could spin up the hill in a 39/23.
Someone who is heavy may actually need larger gears rather then smaller ones, as a smaller person puts out less watts they may need smaller gears then a bigger person even if they are going faster.
I have ridden 5:04 - 5:15 on IMC and weight about 145lbs, I like a 12/25 and found that even on Yellow Lake I was in 39/25 and was putting out over 275 watts to keep my cadence above 75 rpms.
Personally, I think the 11 is extremely useful on the IMC course, but the 25 is by far more important. My remedy is to take out the 16 cog from the 12-25 and add in the 11, so now you have an 11-25. Better yet, buy a SRAM force 11-26 cassette (if you run Shimano). I love that cassette…very versatile.
I think the 11 is only useful if you are on the heavier side, use 650 wheels or plan on riding well under 5 hours. Most people would be better off on the downhills coasting and eating then trying to push an 11 tooth.
Now Kona is a course where you need and 11 tooth.
The 25 is essential for us fat girls who like to spin up Richter Pass and Yellow Lake ; ).
I agree with your opinion on Hawaii…I run a 55/11 to stay upright in the tail/crosswinds there, but I also think the 11 comes in handy in the big descents in IMC.
I bet I can tuck and coast past most people pedaling an 11 tooth down richter or yelloow lake.
Maybe most people, but not me ; ).
unless you want to go for a course record, its a wise choice to save up your legs going downhill and use the watts for the flats and uphills… it s not worthy to pedal down the IMC hills… tuck in and save the enegry would be a better option. People have to realise the cost in enevery/watts required to speed up when already at high speed… it s a waste… Take for advice the strategy of the fast rider like tom evans or Chris lieto on ironman canada course… not much pedaling going on downhill…
I am very strong with short distances (which means fast, and not a long drawn out race) and I find my 39/53 with 11-23 is too aggressively geared. It’s so rare as to be almost without mention that I spin out on the highest gear and would never do it in a race (only on steep hills to “see how fast I can go”); if I was going that fast, the extra pedalling would be almost totally a waste of time anyway and I’d use the proven tactic of easing downhill to save watts for the up. I wish I could trade my rear in for a 12-25. I do like to keep my cadence well over 100, though, so that could explain my preference for “easier” gearing.