Gear Talk / 11-32 vs 11-34
« on: April 16, 2014, 11:38:44 pm »I'm hoping that some of the frequent and knowledgeable contributors will weigh in on their opinion. I'm 69 years old. At 65 I rode self-contained from Chicago to Boulder (1,250 miles) without too much trouble. I have stamina but lack power. In May 2014 I plan to attempt the TransAm east to west self-contained. My bike is a Trek 520. The current configuration which has served me well is:
Years ago I swapped out the crankset for a 22/32/44.
The cassette is the original 11-32
Tires are 700 x 32c
Do I have much to gain by replacing the 11-32 with an 11-34 or will the benefit of a slightly lower gear be negligible. I'm thinking that with the low 22 granny chainring the benefit will be slight. Shifting has been smooth and I've had no problems. What do you think? Do I have much, if anything, to gain by going to an 11-34?
Thanks in advance.
George