# Sierra Century gears



## jjcools (Jun 28, 2011)

I am signed up for the Sierra Century this year and plan on doing the double metric option and wanted to know what gears people are running? This will be my biggest ride yet but figure I can use the Folsom lake loop to gauge. If I can get up to two times, I should be ready.

Right now I have 53/39 front and 11-23 rear and know that I am going to need something. I was thinking Chorus 12-29, is that too big of a jump? 

The gears seem good, I will only be missing a couple but I am not sure I would notice that as much as the ease of the 29.


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## ericm979 (Jun 26, 2005)

Looking at the profile for Slug Gulch it looks like the hardest sustained part is 1 mile @ an average of 10%. That's pretty difficult, especially in a ride with 10k' of climbing.

It's better to have low gears and not need them than to need low gears and not have them. I have no idea of your fitness but give that this is your biggest ride yet I'd suggest that a 39x29 would be the minimum low gear, and a 34x29 would be better.

The Folsom Lake loop is 55 feet of climbing per mile. The Sierra is 85 feet per mile. That's significantly more climbing.


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## jjcools (Jun 28, 2011)

Wouldn't the Folsom loop be 100ft per mile?


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## shibaman (May 2, 2008)

I did Slug Gulch a couple of weeks ago when it was cold. It is a tough climb. My bike has a compact with a 12-27. I love to climb, but I wouldn't have minded to have my other Dale with a triple. While I was doing it I was thinking how it would suck to do it in the heat!


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## bddbb (Dec 8, 2001)

I run a 34 x 28. 

You can waste a lot of energy pushing too big of a gear. Energy that you will need later if it's a long ride.


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## hanyu (Oct 21, 2005)

I rode Slug a few weeks ago. I have a compact crankset and 12-26 and didn't have any issues with the gearing. Then again, I was fairly fresh at the time. During the event Slug comes after many miles in the saddle and it will be pretty warm out.


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