Gear calculator update: pick drivetrains by tap, and gear steps in watts
By insidebike
The gear calculator has changed in three ways since August.
Pick by touch. Chainrings are a 1× or 2× switch and a row of stock pairings; cassettes are a speed toggle (11, 12 or 13) and a row of every stock range at that count, drawn from 221 cassettes and 165 chainsets. The drivetrain is drawn as bars: tap a cog to step its teeth, and a wrong tooth shows as a bar out of line. Model search and typing remain as links.
Steps in watts. The gap column was a percentage. It now shows the extra pedal watts to hold 90 rpm in the next gear on a gradient assigned to that gear: +15% for the slowest on Road, +20% on Gravel and +30% on MTB, easing to −3% at the fastest, for a modelled 75 kg rider on a 7 kg bike.
Compare efforts. An optional switch adds your FTP (250 W by default), the watts each gear needs at every cadence coloured against it, and sliders for maximum incline, decline and flat speed. Links carry all of it.
Also: a lowest and highest gear summary above the table, a 29 mm road tyre, brand and speed filters on the cassette list, and a fresh page now starts on Shimano’s 11-28 rather than a sequence only microSHIFT sells.
The watts are a model, not a measurement. If a number looks wrong, tell us.