LeRoi wrote:11x27 would be ideal. 27 for the slow climb up the windy climb and an 11 for the fast downhill tailwind on Old Altamont. Good luck finding that gearing though.

I don't know why there aren't more 11xbig cassettes out there, if you need a 28 to spin up it it'll be a screamer of a descent, right?

In case anyone is interested in solving this problem, lessons learned in building my "sierras" bike:
* you can mix campy cassettes, so you can build say a 11x29, just make sure the cross-over spacer is right
* IRD has an 11x28
* compact 34/52 with an 11x28-9 makes a nice setup
* an 11 is nice for passing RVs on the descent from tioga pass :lol:

-Tad

The 12/27 cassette worked well for me.

Unfortunately, the fierce cross winds on Midway and my aero wheels did not.

I wasn't able to finish for fear of taking myself or someone else out.

I'll be sure to make a more prudent wheel choice next year.

What winds?

Was unbelievable wasnt it? At the top it was a full on gale force no doubt.Trying to keep you boys and girls off the centerline in the windy areas provided a certain challenge. Especially the" special people" with the aero wheels!

Good racing.

I had fun. Hope you all did too.

Will

I decided to go with the majority opinion and run my 12/27. Turned out to be the best choice for me. Kevin's comments regarding saving my legs on the steepest sections are what sold me, but the biggest benefit I hadn't anticipated....

The strong winds dropped the pace for the entire length of Patterson Pass far below last year's pace. Had I been riding my 12/25 I would have had to grind several sections that last year were sit and spin.

I didn't do quite as well as I'd hoped, but it was a great race and I'm happy with the results.

Here's a link to my race report...

http://bicycletrip.com/page.cfm?pageID=277

I used a 50x36 and an 11x26. That worked out fine. My 26 did not go unused...

The second time over Altamont pass was on the ugly side. Chris Lieto had a 53x11 and used it to good effect. I hit over 52 mph there. Thank god I've worked on spinning more this year. That section was actually much harder than the climb that lap.

CPhipps wrote:...But our 35+ 1/2/3 winner had a 53-12, which is a slightly smaller gear.

Stop taking away my excuses, Phipps! :lol:

Actually, the only time I really needed the 11t was when I was chasing back on during the Altamont descent- once in the group it wasn't necessary.

I used a compact 50-34 with an 11-23. The 34-23 was enough for all the climbing, but I was spinning out in the 50-11. But our 35+ 1/2/3 winner had a 53-12, which is a slightly smaller gear.

It was more like 20m this year in the 35+ 1/2/3 because of the wind. Looking at my SRM files after races, I can usually tell where climbs by the intersection of the dropping speed line and the rising power line - this year it was really difficult because we took the base of the climb relatively easy, only to wick it up at the top. At least the first two times - I got popped from the lead group 2nd time up Flynn. :(

As for gearing, I would have been happy with a 10/27. That ish was WINDY! I'll definitely put together something with an 11t for next year.
-Peter

The 17 minute mark is a good call. Seems about right if you are timing it from the Power station. Labbies used to time it from Melquenie Ranch. Still 17 to 20 minutes depending on wind.

So the steep sections are likely under 5. Religion being 3 at the most, it is steep but short.

In the 3's last year the main climb took us around 17 minutes. First time was a bit slower, 2nd & 3rd times were a bit faster.

Mad axeman... If you put these climbs into minutes,
what do you think they would be? The steep sections,
or the whole climb. Thanks

Would you use the same gearing in the "Clydedale" division??? ha ha ha ha :lol:

Thanks guys! Your responses are really helpful. Now... I just need to show up with good legs.

Mark Edwards
Team Bicycle Trip

As I mentioned to some before the Climb to Kaiser, I believe there is a point of diminishing returns as your gear gets smaller.

Being in my back yard, I know the course very well.

There are only two short sections of Patterson Pass there are very steep, the section known as Religion and the very top.

The SRAM 11 x 26 is a good call.

Ron

I used a 12x27 last year in the M35 1/2/3's with a 39x53 crank set. That worked fine. I probably could have used a 12x25, but wouldn't have liked it as much and probably would have paid for it in the end.

This year I'm riding a compact crank w/ 36x50 rings. I will be in the pro/1/2 race and am debating between an 11x26 SRAM cog set or a 12x27. Basically what it boils down to is I can have the equivalent to a 53x13 top gear and keep the 16t cog with the 12x27 or have the bigger top end (about 53x12 equivalent) with the 11x26 but no 16t cog.

I think that the top end gear is irrelevant coming off of Patterson Pass, or off the Wente climb, but it might make a difference coming off of Altamont Pass back towards Tracy. That descent is fast with a tail wind and not steep enough to just tuck and coast. Hence I am leaning towards the 11x26.

Your 12x25 and 12x27 are identical up to the 21, then it's 23 vs 24 next. Hardly worth worrying about and then you can spin more in the 27 as you grind up the steep headwind climb of Patterson.

Also another way to look at it is like this:

Which is better?

1. Grind more up Patterson Pass in your 25 to the detriment of you legs?
2. Spin a bit more in your 24 on one of the less steeper climbs and have a more comfortable gear on Patterson Pass? Both of which will save your legs.

i use a 12-27 at Patterson. it's pretty damn steep up that stupid climb.

but, i use a 12-27 in crits, too.

lazy to change cassettes ... and, only use the bottom 4 cogs anyway.
-

anyway, i'd say spin the small gear to save legs up the climb. it's a fast descent - but, i've used an 11t for about 5 minutes of pedaling in the past decade ... so, i'm not a very good judge of that.

11x27 would be ideal. 27 for the slow climb up the windy climb and an 11 for the fast downhill tailwind on Old Altamont. Good luck finding that gearing though.

12x25 is what I have used in the past for this course and will use again. I am a 45+/3 average to slightly above average climber.