[JimP]

I watched the Tour of Oman this morning and it appeared that some of the riders were using mid-length cages on the rear derailleur. Some of the climbs looked steep enough to need a cassette with something larger than a 28 tooth cog so a longer cage would be necessary. Did anyone notice this?

 

[cxwrench]

longer cages by themselves don't allow larger cogs, they wrap more chain, nothing more. the angle at which the pulleys move has to change to use large cogs. the new shimano and sram derailleurs that are compatible w/ 30t or larger cogs have different geometry than the standard road derailleurs. it's not just the cage length.

 

[TrojanHorse]

I'd be surprised if a pro had anything larger than a 28 actually - the fast guys who tackled Mt Baldy last year in the tour of California had standard cranks and 11-28 in back "in case they needed it" That's a 15+% grade at the end and they're blasting up it at 15 mph, I seriously doubt they're in the 28. maybe the guys at the back of the pack were...

 

[redlude97]

I'd be surprised if a pro had anything larger than a 28 actually - the fast guys who tackled Mt Baldy last year in the tour of California had standard cranks and 11-28 in back "in case they needed it" That's a 15+% grade at the end and they're blasting up it at 15 mph, I seriously doubt they're in the 28. maybe the guys at the back of the pack were...

Contador Rides SRAM's New WiFli Red At Vuelta - BikeRadar

 

[TrojanHorse]

Thanks for the link.

Interesting and yes, I'm surprised. the article mentions he's the only one in the peloton with the wifli and he only put a 32 on one time.

Maybe he can't maintain his previous pace without certain pharmaceutical enhancements.

 

[redlude97]

Wiggins' Shimano Di2 Long-Cage Derailleur | Pro Cycling News: This Just In | Bicycling.com

 

[AvantDale]

David Millar’s XX equipped Cervelo S3 Giro 2011 | theroaddiaries