Another new TQ motor: hpr40

[mschwett]

Spot on. There's a kind of puritan thinking with road bike brands, we don't dare go lower, that would be weak, you'll just have to muscle up that hill as God intended...

to be fair, things have changed a LOT. you can go to a bike shop and get a tarmac or aethos with a 50-34 up front and 11-34 in the back in ultegra, dura-ace, some equivalent sram version i'm sure. 1:1 on a super light road bike will get you up a lot of hills, and of course it's pretty rare for a paved road to exceed 10% for any duration and really more like 6% typically, in the states.

that dura-ace is 34:34 off the shelf these days says a lot, 20 years ago that would have been considered weak and unmanly

 

[Rás Cnoic]

Hi ras,I'm writing from Modena, a small Italian city near Bologna.
I would like to underline that when I talk about very steep climbs I am referring to fairly short sections with gradients of 20 to 25percent.
As Yaco wrote, I absolutely don't think that slopes of 30 or even 38percent can be overcome with this engine....at least at my age and with the wattage I can develop.
I follow your forum with interest to understand if anyone has tried to change the praxis crankset or alternatively if it is possible and how a larger cassette would work (for example 42 teeth)

Modena - lovely! Yes your hills sound like mine, under 1km generally but 20 to 25 percent. So currently with the double on the Canyon you've got a 34 x 34T lowest gear or around 25 or 26 gear inches. My Vado Sl has a 36 x 46T, a 1x (single chainwheel) and about 21.5 gear inches. Quite a difference. Depending on the capabilities of the Shimano 105 rear derailleur you might be able to fit an 11- 42 cassette that would work. The other option is something like a GRX derailleur, but I don't know enough about the compatibility of 105 and GRX and 2x versus 1x and with long cage derailleurs and the various brifters. It all gets pretty complicated and specific.

 

[Rás Cnoic]

to be fair, things have changed a LOT. you can go to a bike shop and get a tarmac or aethos with a 50-34 up front and 11-34 in the back in ultegra, dura-ace, some equivalent sram version i'm sure. 1:1 on a super light road bike will get you up a lot of hills, and of course it's pretty rare for a paved road to exceed 10% for any duration and really more like 6% typically, in the states.

that dura-ace is 34:34 off the shelf these days says a lot, 20 years ago that would have been considered weak and unmanly

Yes very true, things have changed. I dread to think what block I raced on in the 80s and yet I don't recall major hardship due to the high gears because I was young and very fit (!!) and of course everyone was doing it. I do remember how remarkable my first mtb felt with its triple chainring and 15 gears (!) I felt I could climb any steep ramp, it really was a revolution having such a low granny gear.

I did think with some direct to consumer/online companies now with their bike configuration pages that gearing changes might be an option, but it seems like it's more handlebars saddles and tyres, from ones Ive looked at and not so much the drive train. Expensive and complex to change drivetrain I suppose. So more off the shelf suit than going to the tailor.

 

[mschwett]

Yes very true, things have changed. I dread to think what block I raced on in the 80s and yet I don't recall major hardship due to the high gears because I was young and very fit (!!) and of course everyone was doing it. I do remember how remarkable my first mtb felt with its triple chainring and 15 gears (!) I felt I could climb any steep ramp, it really was a revolution having such a low granny gear.

I did think with some direct to consumer/online companies now with their bike configuration pages that gearing changes might be an option, but it seems like it's more handlebars saddles and tyres, from ones Ive looked at and not so much the drive train. Expensive and complex to change drivetrain I suppose. So more off the shelf suit than going to the tailor.

true. when i bought my aethos i wanted the 11-34 instead of the 11-30, so it came with that, whether the LBS switched it or specialized did i don't know - you can't order it that way from the website. i'm surprised more DTC bike brands haven't embraced simple changes like that especially when it's within the groupsets' stock choices.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

I did think with some direct to consumer/online companies now with their bike configuration pages that gearing changes might be an option, but it seems like it's more handlebars saddles and tyres, from ones Ive looked at and not so much the drive train. Expensive and complex to change drivetrain I suppose. So more off the shelf suit than going to the tailor.

Don't think I've ever seen gearing options on an ebike product page. Too bad, cuz most seem to come geared for flat topography.

One reason for DTC brands to shy away from gearing options: Having to deal with the fallout when buyers pick the wrong option. In a bike shop, you can go over the options and steer the buyer toward the best fit.