Are we so unfit now?

[Wold Ranger]

When I look at modern bike's gearing compared to the 60's, 70's and 80's era's or even earlier-come to that, it makes me ask, "how did they do it" with such high gearing on much heavier steeds.
A lot of modern pro bikes now run 52/36 with a 27 or 28 bottom cog, but when I was a young un, all the pro's, including my old Grandad, who still holds some TT records that have yet not been beaten, they were running 12-21 and 53/42 and seemingly went up hills a lot faster, than we do today.
I know riders were leaner and smaller back then? But it does beggar the question really?
As a kid (showing my age now) used to watch them fly straight up some of our famous Yorkshire hills, whereas now the pro's have to weave and grunt and at a much slower pace.

 

[MRGRUMPY]

Re:

I agree.
See everybody riding compact chainsets and mtb cassettes.
I still run a 42/52 and an 11/25 on my steel Eddy Merckx.
I rode 70 miles in 4 hours on Saturday including the coast road in North Norfolk which is quite hilly and I had a 29 mile return leg with an almost constant headwind.
I don't see the need for any lower gears.

 

[Deleted member 24574]

Re:

Average speeds are up and time trial records have moved on leaps and bounds. I think there are some rose coloured glasses in place.

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re:

Ate you sure the gearing is that much different.
The big cogs at the back come from having more options with all 11 cogs or so there. With the 11tooth cog it means the front big ring can drop a fee teeth or they can go faster for the same spin. 48-11 gives ~same as 52-12 iirc. I run 48-11 on retro MTB.

Also the extra big cogs at the back when not used for cadence continuity means the small front ring can be smaller giving a wider range if needed.

 

[Matt_wood55]

Depends what the intended use of the bike is. You won't see a TT bike with 36 x 28.

 

[Deleted member 24574]

Unless it is a mountain TT or hill climb.

 

[Matt_wood55]

Unless it is a mountain TT or hill climb.

and a rider on a touring bike!

 

[Midlife]

I guess the "twiddlers" have beaten the "pushers" in the end

Seriously, the trend is towards higher cadence it would seem to me, maybe Mr Armstrong is to blame?

Shaun

 

[mattr]

Cos pros know that grunting away on massive gears doesn't actually get you to the line any faster.

God knows where you get the idea that average TT speeds are anything other than up.

(FWIW my father still holds a handful of course records. Most of them are now on motorways. So no one is ever going to take them away from him)

 

[Stick Legs]

In the pro ranks the inches of gearing is wider, and the top is still higher than before, don't forget a lot of 6 speed freewheels only ran a 13 bottom.

So you have 11 speed cassettes, as cool as a 11-21 straight block would look the best idea is to have the bottom half straight with a few bail out cogs. Old 6 speed blocks were straight or 13,14,15,16,18,21 to give some spread within their limitations.

Spinning is a recognised technique, and much more accepted than before. Modern cadences are very high to my eyes, Hinault looks like a diesel engine compared to Froome or Nibali.

In normal use most of us ride unsuitable bikes for many reasons, most cyclists you see on a carbon road bike would achieve near the same levels on a good Audax bike and be more comfortable.

I dare say the proliferation of compact chainsets, triples and wider cassettes is not an example of our unfitness or lack of The V but more likely a symptom of increased market, reduced production costs, better understanding and technology.