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Tech Tip: How to ride faster, Part 2.

So one of the things that I noticed with super fast XC riders was this…they are on their big ring as much as they can. Heck I even saw a Pro-Racer at the Fullerton Loop not too long ago climbing a steep hill on his big ring (42T) and the granny gear in the back. I saw him fly up the hills with such speed you’d think he was sprinting.

I figured only pros do this kind of stuff. But then I saw it being practiced during last night’s group ride at the Loop by our very own Kim Finch. Kim was on her big ring pretty often and now it makes sense why she’s so fast.

Image Courtesy of Jenson USA

Now I’m not sure if crossing the chain line to that extreme is good for your drive train, but I know it works. How do I do know? Well, I tried it. I tried to stay on my big ring as much as I can and found there were some speed benefits to it. I even did it on some climbs and I got up quicker than I would have if I were on my middle ring or granny gear.