hi i recently bought a used road bike (miyata 914) it is a great bike in very good condition. i have just started riding and although i teach a spin class or two at a local gym i have found it difficult on the road getting up some of hills around here (also i am an older, 63, rider). i checked the gearing on the bike and found the cassette to be a 12-21 hyperglide. i am thinking of putting on a 14-32 cassette. is this a good choice? should i also look at changing my inner chainring from a 42 to 38 or so?

hi i recently bought a used road bike (miyata 914) it is a great bike in very good condition. i have just started riding and although i teach a spin class or two at a local gym i have found it difficult on the road getting up some of hills around here (also i am an older, 63, rider). i checked the gearing on the bike and found the cassette to be a 12-21 hyperglide. i am thinking of putting on a 14-32 cassette. is this a good choice? should i also look at changing my inner chainring from a 42 to 38 or so?
I am assuming that this is all Shimano 9 speed, though I don't believe this would not have been standard on the Miyata.

Any cassette with the large cog greater than 27 is a mountain bike cassette and Shimano would recommend using a mountain bike derailleur. Is there a 14-32?

Most newer double cranksets come with 39/53 chainrings, so a 39 that fits (130mm bolt circle diameter) will be a lot easier (cheaper) to find. 38 is the smallest you can go with the 130mm BCD.

For other (more expensive) alternatives, do a search on this forum for compact cranksets and triple cranksets.

TF

If the bike has original equipment, it's probably 7 speed. You can get a 12x28 7 speed cassette at Nashbar for $22. Anything lower than that, You'll have to buy a new rear changer.
If the crankset is Shimano, a 38 tooth ring will fit on the 130mm bolt circle.
If the bike has a freewheel instead of a cassette, they also have a 13x24 7 speed freewheel.

I am assuming that this is all Shimano 9 speed, though I don't believe this would not have been standard on the Miyata.

Any cassette with the large cog greater than 27 is a mountain bike cassette and Shimano would recommend using a mountain bike derailleur. Is there a 14-32?

Most newer double cranksets come with 39/53 chainrings, so a 39 that fits (130mm bolt circle diameter) will be a lot easier (cheaper) to find. 38 is the smallest you can go with the 130mm BCD.

For other (more expensive) alternatives, do a search on this forum for compact cranksets and triple cranksets.

TF
thanks it is an all shimano set up and it is a 7 speed the 7x2 is part of the 914
yes there is a shimano 14-32 and a megarange 11-34 that i am a little wary of.

hi i recently bought a used road bike (miyata 914) it is a great bike in very good condition. i have just started riding and although i teach a spin class or two at a local gym i have found it difficult on the road getting up some of hills around here (also i am an older, 63, rider). i checked the gearing on the bike and found the cassette to be a 12-21 hyperglide. i am thinking of putting on a 14-32 cassette. is this a good choice? should i also look at changing my inner chainring from a 42 to 38 or so?

Sounds like the gearing of an old Centurion my buddy has who used to live in Florida. His bike had an 11-19 with 53/39. Wasn't a problem for him when he raced tris in Florida, but was quite a challenge when he move to the PAC NW.

I'd recommend trying a 14-28 first with your 42 small ring and see how that works for you. the 14 may seem a little low to you, but I wouldn't consider it necessary to have an 11 or 12 unless you are racing. With a 39 front/28 rear, you'll have a pretty low combination (about 38 gear inches). The 14-28 cassette will also have a little tighter spread and less percentage difference in each ratio.

Also, determine if you have a cassette or freewheel. Older road bikes often had the latter. To figure out what you have look here (http://sheldonbrown.com/freewheels.html) .
-R

Sounds like the gearing of an old Centurion my buddy has who used to live in Florida. His bike had an 11-19 with 53/39. Wasn't a problem for him when he raced tris in Florida, but was quite a challenge when he move to the PAC NW.

I'd recommend trying a 14-28 first with your 42 small ring and see how that works for you. the 14 may seem a little low to you, but I wouldn't consider it necessary to have an 11 or 12 unless you are racing. With a 39 front/28 rear, you'll have a pretty low combination (about 38 gear inches). The 14-28 cassette will also have a little tighter spread and less percentage difference in each ratio.

Also, determine if you have a cassette or freewheel. Older road bikes often had the latter. To figure out what you have look here (http://sheldonbrown.com/freewheels.html) .
-R
thanks for info AG i did check out wheel and it is a hub it is the very distinctive bulge on the right side. right now i.ll be recreational only until i feel comfortable with the bike and then i might join the local club that has rides and time trials. they have a lot o f older members so it will be a good fit.

thanks for info AG i did check out wheel and it is a hub it is the very distinctive bulge on the right side. right now i.ll be recreational only until i feel comfortable with the bike and then i might join the local club that has rides and time trials. they have a lot o f older members so it will be a good fit.Wow. If you're climbing any kind of real hills at all in 42-21, you're a better man than I. Save your elderly knees and mind with a nice 28 cog (don't worry, your derailleur will handle it) and enjoy the Miyata, which is a fine bike.

If you go to a 32 or the Megarange 34, you'll have to put a MTB RD on it. Not that expensive, but a slight bit of a hassle if you're new to bikes. Plus you really lose a useful gear option by having the huge granny.

I'm a couple of years younger than you, with 35 years off-and-on cycling experience, and probably the best thing that ever happened to me, bike-wise, was becoming man enough to admit I didn't need the same gearing the 21-year-old racers do. I couldn't turn a 53-12 when I was 21, and I sure can't do it now.
I just sold my last bike with "standard" gearing (52-42 or 53-39 in front, 23 to 26 teeth in back). My two remaining road bikes have 46-36-26 triples and 12-26 and 13-28 cogs, and I still don't use the highest two gears very often.
You're limited in what you can do by your crankset (probably 130mm bolt circle; as somebody else pointed out, 38 teeth is as small as you can go) and by your rear derailleur, which probably will handle a 28-tooth cog. I'd make both those changes, I think (depending on how much you're suffering now). If you get crazy and want to spend money, Ritchey makes (used to, anyway, and Rivendell still has some) a double crank with a 110mm (??) bolt circle that comes with about 48-34 rings. I had similar gearing on an old Peugeot 30 years ago, and it worked pretty well.

no, not the movie. You can convert your current rear wheel to a 8/9 speed carrier by doing the following: remove axle nuts, remove and inspect bearings, 9 per side. The cassette carrier is removed by a large allen wrench (sorry, I don't remember the size). Get local shop to order new 8/9 cassette carrier. Reassemble everything. Buy the following: 8 or nine speed barend shifters and 8 or 9 speed cassette in the larger size you need for the hills. I've done this myself and it's pretty easy to do. By going with the new 8/9 cassette carrier you have more cassettes available to you. 7 speed is getting harder and harder to find. If you can't afford the barend shifters you can still find 8 or 9 speed downtube shifters. Places like Bike Nashbar, Performance and Gearlink still sell plenty of 8 and 9 speed cassettes and shifters. As noted above, anything around 27/28 or larger tooth on the rear will require a new rear derailleur. The nice thing about barend shifters is you can keep your hands on the bars where you need them most. Good luck and let us know how it went. I also hope to be cycling at your age.

many thanks guys. i will definetly feel more confident when i take my bike to the LBS. at least i will have an idea of what i am talking about and not get upsold stuff i don't need. especially the info re: the rear DR on anything over a 28. lots to think about, i taking it in on the 31 may. cheers T

hi i recently bought a used road bike (miyata 914) it is a great bike in very good condition. i have just started riding and although i teach a spin class or two at a local gym i have found it difficult on the road getting up some of hills around here (also i am an older, 63, rider). i checked the gearing on the bike and found the cassette to be a 12-21 hyperglide. i am thinking of putting on a 14-32 cassette. is this a good choice? should i also look at changing my inner chainring from a 42 to 38 or so?

Welcome to the road...

From what you have described it sound like a simple change of cassette can get you in the ball park. Shimano still makes the HG 7spd series and are relatively inexpensive. You can probably go with a large cog of no larger than 30t without too much difficulty and it should work with the crankset and rear derailer you already have. You may have to add 1" to the chain but that isn't difficult. Just don't use the large chainring with the large cog which most will suggest anyway. For the price of a new cassette you can determine if you need to change more to suit your needs. I use a 13/30 combination on one of my older bikes and it works fine with a 38/53 double and a short cage rear DR.

Good Luck and let us know what you decided..

Check this out... http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=371&subcategory_ID=5133

Cheers...

hi again and thanks for all the info.
i talked to the guy at my LBS and we have decided to try the 13-30 shimano cassette. he thinks the current rear derailleur will work ok. he also said that i could try it for few weeks and see what i think and if i didn't like it or it was not working properly he would change it. seems ok to me. the prices were resonable too. 29.95 Cdn. for the cassette and 24.95 Cdn for the new chain. i take it in on may 31. cheers

well i got my bike back on tuesday evening and have been on a couple of short rides 14-15 miles. the new gearing is sweet(13-30). i can get up many hills with way less effort and stay in the saddle. as i get a bit stronger i'm sure it will be even better. there does not at this point appear to be any difficulty with the 30T sprocket and i don't notice hardly any difference in the top end. it was 12-21. many thanks for all advice and tips. this newbie forum was a great idea.:)

well i got my bike back on tuesday evening and have been on a couple of short rides 14-15 miles. the new gearing is sweet(13-30). i can get up many hills with way less effort and stay in the saddle. as i get a bit stronger i'm sure it will be even better. there does not at this point appear to be any difficulty with the 30T sprocket and i don't notice hardly any difference in the top end. it was 12-21. many thanks for all advice and tips. this newbie forum was a great idea.:)
Glad to hear that it worked for you... :) as I mentioned, I have the same set up on a couple of bikes and it's worked wonderfully with no problems at all.

Hope you have the same luck and put many good miles behind you.

Cheers...