PAP Wonders...Long Cage, B-Screw and Roadlink

Have you ever felt you needed more gears? More lighter, easier gears to climb? Putting a large cassette may be one of the first things that came into your mind (a road triple may offer more range but this is not a possible option because of availability reasons). By large, we mean 32t and bigger. Mountain bike cassettes on road bikes? Why not? It sounds like a good idea. But, can the rear derailleur handle it?

A Road bike rear derailleur. Highlighted is the Cage and the B-Screw.

For this article, we'll explore three ways to mount a large cassette on your road bike. These are a Long Cage rear derailleur, adjusting the B-Screw and adding a Roadlink. Let's start with what sounds most interesting - the Roadlink. This range-increasing revolutionary invention has been around for a few years and chances are, you might have heard about it.

A Dropbar Time Trial Bike

Time Trial bikes (including Triathlon bikes) are characterized not only by their aerodynamic shapes and usually large gears, but also the uniquely-shaped handlebars. These are basebars with the brake levers and the aerobars bar-end shifters. The separate brake levers and shifters bucks the trend of most other bikes where they are integrated together (Shimano STI, Campagnolo Ergopower, etc.) or at least close together (mountain bikes). For Time Trials and Triathlons, aerodynamics is the king. That's what aero-bars are for. The aerobars allow riders to ride in an aerodynamic position. Since these riders don't ride technical trails nor in a group (or peloton), they don't need their brakes nearby. What they do need is to shift gears to  adapt to the terrain and still remain in the aerodynamic position - hence, bar-end shifters.

Time Trial bike with a Dropbar and Clip-on Aerobars.

Why use dropbars on a time trial bike? My answer is "a bike that works for me is a good bike". So far, I have only raced one duathlon (run-bike-run) that I think a bar-end shifter set up would be alright. Most times, duathlon races here involve some degree of climbing and of course, descending. For the climbing part, you can ride out of the saddle and still shift depending on the steepness of the climb. For the descending part, I find it more confidence-inspiring to use the drops - lowering your center of gravity and adding stability when descending. Also, there are races where there are U-turns - having brakes and shifters close together would be useful. Decelerate - shift to an easier gear - make the U-turn - accelerate - when you gain momentum, shift to a harder gear. Thirdly, group rides feel much safer because the brakes are within reach.

The shifters on a dropbar are integrated with the brake.

Another benefit of dropbars is the multiple positions available. You can choose to ride the hoods and the drops. If the pads of the aerobars do not stick close to the dropbar, you can use the tops too. By puting clip-on aerobars, a new position is added.

Available Positions of a Dropbar with Clip-on Aerobars.

Those descriptions are typical for road bike set ups. In time trials and triathlons, aerodynamics is king. Yes, that's why I spec mine with clip-on aerobars and thus, I can be in an aerodynamic position.  I know I said earlier that shifting is still important in the aerodynamic position. It can still be done using the right hand (keeping the left arm firmly on the aerobar). After shifting to the appropriate gear, return to the aerodynamic position. For the most part, the aerodynamic position is maintained.

Front view of the cockpit.

Conclusion. A Time Trial or Triathlon bike might look unorthodox or maybe, even unusual. But, it works. There are multiple hand positions available - allowing for confident climbing, descending and group riding. Second,  the aerodynamic benefit of aerobars is maintained. I think the bottomline is "to go with what you would find useful." Dropbar mountain bike, flatbar road bike, bullhorn road bike.

Function over Form.

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PAP Wonders...To Buy or To Build?

When it comes to getting a new bike, there are two options you buy a built bike or spec & build one yourself. Almost all cyclists start with a built bike because it is always available. Why not? Go to the bike shop, look for one you like and go home with your new bike.

A "Spec & Build" Bike.

Built bikes. Built bikes are normally built up in such a way to accommodate majority of riders. For road bikes, this would mean compact cranks and an 11-28 cassette. For mountain bikes, cranks would either be triple or double, and paired with a wide range 11-34 cassette. Although, nowadays, mountain bikes spec'ed with single chainrings (or 1x - "one-by") are becoming more popular.

• Drivetrain. These rarely have "straight" groupsets (except for the higher end models). There are always parts from another groupset of the same manufacturer or from a different brand. For example, when manufacturers quoted a bike as having a "Shimano 105", what I got were Shimano 105 shifters, front derailleur and rear derailleur. The crankset is a non-series model from Shimano and the cassette is Shimano Tiagra (one level lower than 105). Because these are not as complex as the shifting mechanisms, these substitutions have hardly any recognizable effect (see our article about mixed groupsets). The brakes are unbranded.
• Wheels and Cockpit. These components are usually supplied in-house - by the frame brand itself. Another possible supplier would be a subsidiary or sister company of the frame manufacturer. For example, when I got my Giant Defy, the wheels and tires are from Giant. The whole cockpit - stem, handlebar, bar tape, seatpost and sadde - are also wholly provided by Giant. Essentially, the whole bike except the drivetrain are produced by Giant.