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Sunday, July 15th - Tsuchizaka & Beyond

It was windy today, wasn't it?
Did you guys have to fight hard against not only the hills but also the wind?
 
I wish I'd offered you one the home-made energy bars yesterday as we talked about recipes, as I fell behind on the Takayama climb and we didn't meet again.

No worries! Really glad we had the handshake and the chat on the recipe yesterday. It might be fun to have a energy snack recipe thread....

How was the Tsuchizaka climb and descent?

The heat and my fatigue made it seem tougher than it probably is, but I was able to keep a slow and steady pace up. Hearing your story, would love to challenge your 2nd climb of the day someday, but not the 3rd one...

Chikako, Brave, very brave, two days in a row ...

Oh Mark I'm sorry you had to go through the problems on your own yesterday. I was the last rider following the bunch most of the time, so should have noticed your shouts. Yes, it was a brave challenge! See you soon.

Tough men Aron and Eugen, on my way back to Chichibu station today, I practically followed the route Bart took us down on my first TCC ride in May. That day, I had no energy left to climb the small ascends leading to the station (thanks again for being great then), but today I was able to manage them without much problem.
 
Agreed about needing to get on a compact!

Been thinking about this... easier to put a bigger cog or cassette on the back, no? I am running 53/39 and 13/29 on a short cage derailieur. Works fine. Seen a 34/32 Sram/DA combo too. That might also be an option, but might make it too easy? Ha.

Then again, 25%...? That would be hard to walk up, let alone ride. I would look for a different route, but to each their own. What are you thinking of ending up with?
 
Been thinking about this... easier to put a bigger cog or cassette on the back, no? I am running 52/39 and 13/29 on a short cage derailieur. Works fine. Seen a 34/32 Sram/DA combo too. That might also be an option, but might make it too easy? Ha.

Then again, 25%...? That would be hard to walk up, let alone ride. I would look for a different route, but to each their own. What are you thinking of ending up with?

Well with the exception of this one particular climb, I can pretty much make it up just about anything on my full size 52/39 with a 12-28 cassette. For example, I made it up both the notorious Mikuni-toge and Kazahari Rindo without any stops or breaks. The issue as I see it is that I'm not able to maintain my optimal cadence. I have to drop down into the 40's on especially steep sections, when I'd really like to be in the 60's or higher. I end up mashing and not really using my cardio enough. I'd like to try a compact 50/34 with my current 12-28 cassette. I believe that would allow me to maintain a more ideal cadence through a wider range of climbs. I believe Alan is running something similar. If it turns out that I really never use the 34/28 combination, then maybe I'd go to a mid compact set up giving me the easiest gearing of 36/28.

In summation, based upon my math and my gut instinct, I think a 50/34 with a 12-28 cassette would allow me to maintain the optimal balance of cardio vs muscle (grunt) on most climbs.
 
Let me know how it goes. I might end up doing the same thing. Things like Mikuni are no fun for me with 39/29, but I am curious how much more enjoyable it would be with 34/29, and if it would be worth the expence for me.
 
Let me know how it goes. I might end up doing the same thing. Things like Mikuni are no fun for me with 39/29, but I am curious how much more enjoyable it would be with 34/29, and if it would be worth the expence for me.

I'm working on getting a used Hollogram crankset. We'll see if and when I can get my hands on one any time soon. ;)
 
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