I still remember watching the Tour de France as a kid and being fascinated by how smoothly the pros shifted through their gears on mountain stages. Twenty years later, after racing amateur crits and grinding up plenty of local climbs, I’ve developed strong opinions about gearing—and I’ve learned that what the pros run isn’t always what works best for the rest of us.
The Short Answer: 22 or 24 Gears
Most professional road bikes run either 2×11 (22 gears) or 2×12 (24 gears) drivetrains. The standard setup you’ll see in the WorldTour peloton is a 52/36 chainring paired with an 11-30 cassette, though this varies wildly based on terrain.
But here’s the thing—pros rarely use all those gears. Watch any race footage closely and you’ll notice they spend most of their time in maybe 6-8 gear combinations. The rest is redundancy.
Why Pros Choose Specific Gearing
Professional cyclists have team mechanics who swap cassettes between stages. Flat stage? They might run an 11-25. Mountain stage with a 20% gradient finish? They’ll bolt on an 11-34. This flexibility is something weekend warriors don’t have.
Tadej Pogačar famously ran a compact 50/34 crankset during parts of the 2020 Tour—a setup many club riders would recognize from their own bikes. The myth that pros always run massive gears needs to die.
Typical Pro Setups by Race Type
Flat classics and time trials: 54/42 or 56/44 front, 11-23 or 11-25 rear. These guys are pushing 500+ watts for hours.
Hilly one-day races: 53/39 front, 11-28 rear. Standard racing gears that cover most situations.
Mountain stages: 52/36 or 50/34 front, 11-30 or 11-34 rear. Yes, even WorldTour pros use 34-tooth climbing gears.
The Rise of 12-Speed
SRAM introduced 12-speed to road racing in 2019, and Shimano followed with Dura-Ace R9200 in 2021. The extra cog isn’t about having “more gears” in any meaningful sense—it’s about smaller jumps between gears and slightly wider range without sacrificing the close ratios pros need.
With a 12-speed cassette, you can run an 11-34 that still has tight 1-tooth jumps where it matters (the 14-15-16-17 range where you spend most flat riding). An 11-speed 11-34 has bigger gaps that pros notice when trying to hold a specific wattage.
What About 1x Drivetrains?
You won’t see 1x (single chainring) setups in road racing. The gear range just isn’t there yet. Mountain biking went 1x years ago because the terrain demands it and the weight savings matter more. Road racing needs that 52-tooth big ring for descents and sprints.
That said, gravel racing has embraced 1x completely. Lael Wilcox won Unbound Gravel running a single 42-tooth front ring with a massive 10-52 cassette. Different discipline, different needs.
Does Gear Count Actually Matter?
Here’s my honest take after years of riding: most amateur cyclists would be better served by learning to use their existing gears efficiently than obsessing over pro setups.
I’ve ridden with guys on 8-speed bikes who dropped me on climbs. I’ve also seen riders with top-spec 12-speed gruppos who cross-chain constantly because they never learned basic shifting technique.
The number of gears matters less than:
- Appropriate gear range for your terrain and fitness
- Smooth, well-maintained drivetrain
- Understanding when to shift and why
Recommendations for Regular Riders
If you’re shopping for a new bike or upgrading, here’s my practical advice:
For mostly flat terrain: 11-speed with 11-28 cassette is plenty. Save your money.
For mixed terrain with some climbs: 11 or 12-speed with 11-32 or 11-34 cassette. The climbing gears will save your knees on long days.
For serious mountains: Consider a compact crankset (50/34) regardless of what the pros do. Your pride isn’t worth a blown-out knee.
The pros might have 24 gears, but they also have 6% body fat, team buses, and massage therapists. Ride what works for you.
