Racing a hillclimb this year? Check this out.
One of the things I love about SRAM, is their ability and willingness to listen to their customers, and turn that information into products that fit our needs. It has not gone unnoticed in the last 3 years since SRAM introduced their first road group, that they have not really had a solution for people who need more gearing than a compact crank will deliver. This came up in a conversation that I was having with Ed over at SRAM today, and he mentioned the Mt Washington hillclimb, and how easy SRAM makes it to switch to a gear setup suitable for riding big climbs. When I rode Mt Washington a few years ago,that was one of my biggest challenges. Initially, I wanted to go with a compact crank, and a cassette with a 34 tooth big ring on it. My thought was that I would save more weight by having a lightweight crank than a lightweight cassette. Plus, I would be able to have a closer shift pattern, thus prompting more efficiency. After taking it up Burke, in VT (an absolute beast of a mountain), I wasn’t happy with the results. The next training run was up Ascutny, and then Okemo, in the same day. I had swapped to a triple crankset, with the biggest ring removed, and an 11-26 cassette. This setup worked like a charm, but in order to swap it over, it over, I had to swap the crank, the BB, the chain (for length purposes). Where I’m going with this, is that Ed pointed out to me that in order to get the same gear ratio now, all you have to do is swap to an XX cassette an rear derailleur. It’s quick, easy, and very lightweight. Guess what? It also works for touring. Pretty slick. Have another cycling issue that needs solving? Call us and see what we can offer for solutions.
