Specialized Como 3.0 more torque

[forzavelo]

Dear all

Just trying to figure out how to help my wife. We purchased a new como 3.0 with a 50Nm motor. It’s great bike but my wife is finding it tough on the bigger hills. She tried my Tero X with 70Nm and found it far better, not surprisingly. But unfortunately changing her bike for something with more grunt is not really an option at the moment. Now my tero will have different gearing to her como so I wondered if changing the gearing would help ?

by the way it’s the derailleur version. And not the gates belt setup.

 

[Peter.Bridge]

Dear all

Just trying to figure out how to help my wife. We purchased a new como 3.0 with a 50Nm motor. It’s great bike but my wife is finding it tough on the bigger hills. She tried my Tero X with 70Nm and found it far better, not surprisingly. But unfortunately changing her bike for something with more grunt is not really an option at the moment. Now my tero will have different gearing to her como so I wondered if changing the gearing would help ?

by the way it’s the it’s the derailleur version.

Makes sense to me - just have to be careful with the tooth capacity https://www.bikeradar.com/advice/buyers-guides/a-complete-guide-to-rear-derailleurs

 

[matthewslack]

Yes, just fit a cassette with a lower bottom gear, and expect to replace shifter, derailleur and chain as well. Shop around, not as expensive as you might think. Straightforward to DIY, or to make use of a friend's skills if you don't fancy it.

Bear in mind that in those lower gears you will be climbing more slowly as well as with less effort.

You have three choices, depending on the type of riding you do, and how severe and common your hills are:

I switched from 11-36 9 speed to Shimano M5100 11 speed, 11-51. 40% lower bottom gear, good enough for almost any hill, even with my 40Nm motor.

10 speed typically has 11-42 or perhaps 11-46, so that might be enough.

Both of those options keep roughly the same closeness of ratios, they just add one or two lower gears to what the 9 speed provided.

The third option is the fairly new Shimano Cues, which gives wide range cassettes in 9 speed, as well as 10 and 11 speed options similar to above. The Cues 9 speed 11-48 might suit if the steep hills are not too common: the low gears are quite widely spaced, but the higher ones are much the same as the high ones on the normal 11-36 cassette.

All Cues use an 11 speed chain.

You will need a longer chain with a larger cassette. It is sometimes cheaper to buy two 'standard' chains and join part of the second one on than to buy a longer one! Although Cues has a 138 link chain at a sensible price which will be enough for any of these options.

 

[thelarkbox]

Is a larger chainring an option?

 

[matthewslack]

Is a larger chainring an option?

Smaller required if cassette stays the same.

 

[thelarkbox]

Smaller required if cassette stays the same.

Cheers.. perhaps 'Is exchanging the chainring an option?' would be a better phrase to hide my stoopidity

 

[saneagle]

It says the chainring is a Praxis, 48T, 104BCD. You can get a 42T or 44T one. You'd need to do something with the chainguard. If the chainguard works as a chain-guide, you'd need to add your own guide of some sort.

For each 2 T reduction, you have to remove one link from the chain.

In case you don't know, there's a safety recall on your present chainguard. they figured out that your trousers can get caught in the chain and make you fall off.

 

[egroover]

SunRace M980 9-speed Cassette 11-40T

Buy your SunRace M980 9-speed Cassette 11-40T from All Terrain Cycles today. Finance Offers Available.

www.allterraincycles.co.uk

Looks like you already have a long cage derailleur, so you'll just need a longer chain to go with the above cassette, a KMC 9 speed 116 link should do it (remove links if too long when fitting), those are about £15

KMC X9.93 9 Speed Workshop Chain Silver/Grey 116Links With Missing Link Unboxed

KMC X9.93 9 Speed Workshop Chain Silver/Grey 116Links With Missing Link Unboxed

sprockets.uk.com

 

[matthewslack]

If your bike matches the spec I see online of 27.5 wheels and 48T chainring, then the chainring is too big for hilly terrain. My 700c bike has only 38T, which is equivalent to about 41T with 27.5 wheels.

So a first step might be a 40 or 42T chainring. They will give the effect of the cassette having a 43T or 41T bottom gear respectively.

If you need more than that, you will need to go to a huge 48 to 51T bottom gear, perhaps also with the chainring swap.