can anyone explain

8119tm

OK just got a new bike yesterday its a boardman from halfords
the thing is i find I'm getting out of breath and peddling faster its like the gears are too light compared to my old bike the old set range from 14-24 on the back and 52-42 on front

new set 12-25 and 36-50

any input would be great thanks

niceonetom

Well 50x12 is a bigger (harder to push) gear than 52x14 so what you're saying doesn't really scan...

DirkVoodoo

There is very little difference between your top end gears (52-14 and 50-12),( with the old bike being slightly faster on the flat assuming you can provide the power.) EDIT: Sorry I was reading 50-14 on my gear calculator, tom is indeed right and 50-12 is a bigger gear.

Have you compared speeds? You should have plenty of gears on 50/36-12/25 to stop you topping out on flat terrain unless you are a pretty strong rider, so it may just be that the newer bike "feels" slower because it is requiring less effort.

These things are hard to judge over the internet though, I recommend you find a local boards spin and go out with some experienced heads to see what the story is.

Try to select the gear that gives you the same ratio that you would have been used to on the old one, rather than being in the same cog position on the back (i.e. 3rd cog). If you feel you're spinning too fast switch up a gear.

BostonB

Maybe the old bike was really heavy.