Torino nice who's doing it this yr

[Scattamah]

You're in the vicinity of 400 - 550 miles with a boatload of climbing. I flew out on the 4th and back on the 13th. Ride started on the 5th...I was in Nice for the 11th.

HTH.

Greetz

S.

[JustinF]

In. Tomato booked, also Rifugi Don Barbera booked for the sat night.

[Scud]

I’m in, dorm room booked at Tomato hostel too.

Currently building bike ready, going for 46/30 Absolute Black chainrings at front and 11-36 rear!

[Bearbonesnorm]

going for 46/30 Absolute Black chainrings at front and 11-36 rear!

You might be surprised by how much use 30 / 36 gets

[JustinF]

looking at ghetto 46/30 using a mtb triple crankset with just two rings, although there was a release yesterday from Easton that will also get consideration.

[Bearbonesnorm]

I rode on 36/28 - 11/36 and absolute minimum kit / weight. I thought I'd have plenty of gearing in reserve ... not so much

[jameso]

looking at ghetto 46/30 using a mtb triple crankset with just two rings, although there was a release yesterday from Easton that will also get consideration.

Drives me nuts that brands are making 'gravel' cranks now while still making them too big for anything like this ride Shimano 10s MTB compact doubles had it right - 48mm CL, 28-40 (or 28-42 on XTR) - perfect for this sort of thing. Q factor only 10-15mm wider than a road chainset. We need more modular cranks, Cinch system and Middlburn style. More of that due I hope.

Gearing debates are personal stuff but fwiw, I have a fairly light pack (4-5kg), 685mm OD wheels (650 x 47mm) and a 28-40 up front, 11-34 at the back. The lowest gear may get a bit of use on day 1, the 28-30 (2nd) ratio a fair bit more use overall.

[wriggles]

looking at ghetto 46/30 using a mtb triple crankset with just two rings, although there was a release yesterday from Easton that will also get consideration.

Drives me nuts that brands are making 'gravel' cranks now while still making them too big for anything like this ride Shimano 10s MTB compact doubles had it right - 48mm CL, 28-40 (or 28-42 on XTR) - perfect for this sort of thing. Q factor only 10-15mm wider than a road chainset. We need more modular cranks, Cinch system and Middlburn style. More of that due I hope.

Gearing debates are personal stuff but fwiw, I have a fairly light pack (4-5kg), 685mm OD wheels (650 x 47mm) and a 28-40 up front, 11-34 at the back. The lowest gear may get a bit of use on day 1, the 28-30 (2nd) ratio a fair bit more use overall.

Agree with that. Its only really the Sugino that is a proper compact plus crank I have seen. I will be 11-36 on the back and 28/44 "compact plus" on the front using a converted Shimano triple chainset or just put a 2 x 10 mtb 24/38 on the front.

(and if anyone wants a cheap shimano 105 triple crank to convert keep an eye on the classifieds in next day or so )

[Richard G]

Looks like there will be a bunch of us at the Tomato. That's pretty exciting!

I'm going to be in sh*t condition due to lack of training / riding, but I'm still really looking forward to it. Should be an amazing experience.

[SixPotBelly]

I'm a maybe. What's the overall trip length, i.e. how many days are people generally overseas for?

I'd say ignore the distance completely, it's not the constraint to progress on this kind of ride, and look instead only at the 20,000m total climbing. If from past experience you know how many loaded meters you can manage to climb in a day, dividing the 20,000 by that will give you a far better idea of how many days it'll take you to complete the full route.

[JustinF]

looking at ghetto 46/30 using a mtb triple crankset with just two rings, although there was a release yesterday from Easton that will also get consideration.

Drives me nuts that brands are making 'gravel' cranks now while still making them too big for anything like this ride Shimano 10s MTB compact doubles had it right - 48mm CL, 28-40 (or 28-42 on XTR) - perfect for this sort of thing. Q factor only 10-15mm wider than a road chainset. We need more modular cranks, Cinch system and Middlburn style. More of that due I hope.

Gearing debates are personal stuff but fwiw, I have a fairly light pack (4-5kg), 685mm OD wheels (650 x 47mm) and a 28-40 up front, 11-34 at the back. The lowest gear may get a bit of use on day 1, the 28-30 (2nd) ratio a fair bit more use overall.

my issue is that this bike is also used as a tourer and occasional commuter, ideally I'd like to swap cranks and maybe cassette, but having a single BB standard makes that easier, FSA do a 46/30 but it's square taper, I'd like to just swap out my 54/30 FSA 24mm hollowtech compatible.

[In Reverse]

I'm a maybe. What's the overall trip length, i.e. how many days are people generally overseas for?

I'd say ignore the distance completely, it's not the constraint to progress on this kind of ride, and look instead only at the 20,000m total climbing. If from past experience you know how many loaded meters you can manage to climb in a day, dividing the 20,000 by that will give you a far better idea of how many days it'll take you to complete the full route.

Agreed, I just wondered how long people were taking and accordingly whether I could snag the time off work.

You're missing a bit from your post where it's not about how fast you can ride it, but how fast you want to ride it.

[JustinF]

I'm a maybe. What's the overall trip length, i.e. how many days are people generally overseas for?

I'd say ignore the distance completely, it's not the constraint to progress on this kind of ride, and look instead only at the 20,000m total climbing. If from past experience you know how many loaded meters you can manage to climb in a day, dividing the 20,000 by that will give you a far better idea of how many days it'll take you to complete the full route.

I said something to JamesO outside a mini market at the airport meet point along the lines of, it's not going to be how far you can ride but how much you can climb, little did i know then what a bastard Colombardo is, I'd have said how high you can walk with my 34/36 and chicken legs

[SixPotBelly]

Agreed, I just wondered how long people were taking and accordingly whether I could snag the time off work.

If it helps I think I took a week over it last year, missing out the Strada Cannelloni (sp) and going straight from Col de Braus to Nice. The first year was a couple of days longer, but doing the whole route. People were quicker and people were slower though. It's so hard to advise.

You're missing a bit from your post where it's not about how fast you can ride it, but how fast you want to ride it.

You're bang on there. It's a route to savour, not to race IMO. But you can bet there'll be someone who takes all the shortcuts and posts a photo of himself on Facebook in Nice after just 3 days. Who's to say which one of us is right.

[In Reverse]

That helps. I was thinking maybe 8 days of riding plus a day at each end to travel/drink/etc.

[JustinF]

looking at ghetto 46/30 using a mtb triple crankset with just two rings, although there was a release yesterday from Easton that will also get consideration.

Drives me nuts that brands are making 'gravel' cranks now while still making them too big for anything like this ride Shimano 10s MTB compact doubles had it right - 48mm CL, 28-40 (or 28-42 on XTR) - perfect for this sort of thing. Q factor only 10-15mm wider than a road chainset. We need more modular cranks, Cinch system and Middlburn style. More of that due I hope.

Gearing debates are personal stuff but fwiw, I have a fairly light pack (4-5kg), 685mm OD wheels (650 x 47mm) and a 28-40 up front, 11-34 at the back. The lowest gear may get a bit of use on day 1, the 28-30 (2nd) ratio a fair bit more use overall.

I'm running a 36 rear so tbh it's similar gearing to yours within a % or two if i can get the desired 46/30 out front, specifically in 24mm shimano compatible BB guise.
One of the reasons I want it is I've also used this bike road touring with a 4 man tent, panniers and a few days worth of food for two people and the supplied FSA 50/34 24mm cranks gave a good range paired to that 11-36 out back, put paired back with no luggage 46>11 is still a usable top end gear

A simple crank and chain swap to change the range according to terrain isn't too much to ask no?

[jameso]

^ not at all, no. Didn't mean to be critical of your choice at all, just frustrated that the options from Easton etc don't go down to a 42 outer. The low end can be OK with a 30. I just have zero need for a 46-11 top gear on a bike like this and I prefer the range gaps on an 11-28 or 11-32 ideally, while a smaller outer means I can use an 11-32 and hardly ever change off the front unless it's a proper hill and I have bags on. Just preferences and habits :)

That's the frustration, that the bike industry is steering people towards what they've decided works for mainstream bike categories or ride formats, rather than allowing for some of us to create what we want. Middleburn and White Ind have some useful options but the more that get on board with SRAM or Cinch spider fitting the better this is all looking.

[Alpinum]

I'd say ignore the distance completely, it's not the constraint to progress on this kind of ride, and look instead only at the 20,000m total climbing. If from past experience you know how many loaded meters you can manage to climb in a day, dividing the 20,000 by that will give you a far better idea of how many days it'll take you to complete the full route.

Quite true for most parts of the Alps.
Be it ski mountaineering, mountain biking or hiking - what I take into account first is vert gain/loss. Then terrain type and distance.

[Bearbonesnorm]

just frustrated that the options from Easton etc don't go down to a 42 outer. The low end can be OK with a 30. I just have zero need for a 46-11 top gear on a bike like this and I prefer the range gaps on an 11-28 or 11-32 ideally, while a smaller outer means I can use an 11-32 and hardly ever change off the front unless it's a proper hill and I have bags on. Just preferences and habits :)

That's the frustration, that the bike industry is steering people towards what they've decided works for mainstream bike categories or ride formats, rather than allowing for some of us to create what we want. Middleburn and White Ind have some useful options but the more that get on board with SRAM or Cinch spider fitting the better this is all looking.

It's a pet-hate of mine ... the industry seem to be building Gravel / adventure / whatever bikes with varying degrees of in-build limitation. These bikes should extend opportunity, not reduce it.

[whitestone]

Going way off-topic here ...

+1 for the Cinch system, nice and modular letting you choose the setup you want: hilly route - small chainrings; flat route - fit big chainrings; 1x - no problem.

[robbie]

Guys I have a nice sram force 1x groupset for sale 42 front 10 -42 rear, change the front sprocket and you will be sorted for the big climbs

[wriggles]

just frustrated that the options from Easton etc don't go down to a 42 outer. The low end can be OK with a 30. I just have zero need for a 46-11 top gear on a bike like this and I prefer the range gaps on an 11-28 or 11-32 ideally, while a smaller outer means I can use an 11-32 and hardly ever change off the front unless it's a proper hill and I have bags on. Just preferences and habits :)

That's the frustration, that the bike industry is steering people towards what they've decided works for mainstream bike categories or ride formats, rather than allowing for some of us to create what we want. Middleburn and White Ind have some useful options but the more that get on board with SRAM or Cinch spider fitting the better this is all looking.

It's a pet-hate of mine ... the industry seem to be building Gravel / adventure / whatever bikes with varying degrees of in-build limitation. These bikes should extend opportunity, not reduce it.

Agreed. Still too many rebadged CXers still out there with race bike gearing. Think also the consumer partly to blame here. We have got used to multiple wheel sizes, 1 x, 2 x & 3 x systems and being spoilt for choice so when we cant have exactly what we want we cry. Whats wrong with 3 x 7?

[Scud]

Well i've run into my first problem, hugely expensive Absolute Black 46/30 front rings don't actually have clearance in frame, building a lovely Reilly Gradient but inner rings fouls the chainstay, Spoke to Absolute Black, they state put in 2mm spacer, but then axle through is too short......bugger!

Back to dinnerplate rear cassette it is, although will try the MTB crank in there... hate this minefield of having to spend lots of money only to find they don't work and nothing on AB website to suggest they may have clearance issues when the normal Shimano Compact rings don't..

[pistonbroke]

That's annoying Scud, will AB take them back? When you say the 30t ring fouls the frame, is it that the chainstay bends out to accommodate wide rear tyres in which case a 34t round ring will also foul. I suspect that the reason that a lot of the recent spate of gravel bikes only take 1x drivetrains is that the production costs of designing a chainstay that takes a double and 45mm tyres are higher. I was considering getting AB 30/46 rings as well but the hassle of returning them from Spain if I get a similar issue is making me think again.

[pistonbroke]

Just had a look at the Reilly site, nice bike btw, rewind my comment about a 34 inner not fitting, they clearly spec a Shimano 105 compact double. Is it due to the AB oval rings not having offset teeth? The clearance on a compact double must be pretty tight. Have you considered the FSA or Praxis offerings, they go down to 30t but are not trying to squeeze the ring onto a compact BCD.