HHV gearing/etiquette Qs

1. Sure this has been answered but can't find it. Right now I'm using 48/16 which is what my bike came with. I'm doing basic training sessions at the moment and expect to do accreditation shortly. I'm not going to race in the foreseeable. But I'm noticeably undergeared compared to others. Should I get a 50t ring or 15t cog? I did ask this at the track today but was too knackered to remember the answer, which involved gear inches... I suspect I should err on the low side given what I tend to spin on my road bike. I don't really want to replace both cog and ring at this point.

2. When doing 'pairs rotating on the blue' drill, what should happen when a pair drop back and there's an odd number of riders in the group, so there is a trailing rider on the back of (a) the lower line of riders (b) the upper line?

Cheers for any pointers.

1: I train on 48/15 in the winter sessions. People will mostly speak in Gear Inches so worth downloading an app that works it out for you.

2: after you've come back down just move up into the gap, say hello to your new buddy.

The 'extra' rider will normally be on the blue line. In the big sessions you won't be able to tell whether one line has an odd number, just get on the line you're 'supposed' to be on and follow the wheel in front

Thank you both for this.

Hi. Yes, 48x16 is a little undergeared - the hire bikes are 48x15 and 49x15 or similar is a pretty common training gear. That said, Fred Wright and Ethan Hayter were winning track league on restricted youth gearing until pretty recently so it's not all about the inches.
For the "pairs on the blue" drill, the solo rider should be on the lower "blue" line. So if you're the next rider to join, you just drop down above them. The next rider drops down to the blue line behind you, the next joins above them etc. If people don't stick to this, it causes gaps, confusion and potential risk.

Thanks, your 'pairs on the blue' advice seems to make most sense to me.

You perhaps hint that the situation does cause confusion, and from my experience so far, I think @StephenC has a point when he says "In the big sessions you won't be able to tell whether one line has an odd number" -- and of course someone may drop out of an even-numbered group without warning. But clearly if you do find yourself the odd rider when you drop down, you should go down to the blue (lower) line.

This chart is useful, despite the shop that made it being awful.

Personally I do Intermediates training on 48-14 and used to use 50-15.

FTFY

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Sure. People tend to forget that packs like this are changing all the time - someone may pull out of either line, and gaps seem to open and close for no clear reason, so it's important to be flexible and prepared to move back or forward. The main thing is to be safe and predictable when you're dropping down
on the back.

@Sumo: I was prepared to learn about gear inches until I learned it was not the actual distance travelled per crank revolution, but the distance you would travel before crashing if you rode through a temporal anomaly and your bike suddenly turned into a penny farthing, or something ... then gave accepted wisdom the benefit of the doubt, but ultimately read:

For bicycles with 700c wheels, some cyclists quote gear inches based on a nominal wheel diameter of 27 inches ... the rolling diameter of a 700c wheel may be significantly higher or lower than 27", depending on the tire size, e.g. nearly 27.5" for a 700x38 tire, or just over 26" for a 700x20 tire. This can be the source of some confusion when comparing gears unless it is clear whether gear inches have been calculated using the actual wheel size or a conventionalised 27".

...and gave up. I suspect I am not alone.

47x15 here. I am old and fat. Have a 14t which I tried one week but training on a big gear was horrible.

I suppose it's worth mentioning that although more expensive to have some options, buying chainrings will give subtler increases in gear inch than switching cogs. Obvs.

Gear inches isn't that complicated. You get used to knowing vaguely what inch you're on. i.e. I ride about 84 on the track and about 66 on the road.

No one knows the maths behind it, you just learn what 70, 80, 90 gi feels like.

This calculator accounts for tyre size.

But not for crank length.

For that you can skip gear inches and get straight on with gain ratios.

+1 on Bike Calc ^^

Lost many hours faffing around with that, seeing the subtle Inch ratio change from 25mm-28mm tyres :)

(i don't track or race)