Difficulty In choosing sprokets

Hi all,

Purchased by first fixed gear last week and had my first ride yesterday riound regents park, i managed about 4 circuits but i still noticed that most people on road bikes were still managing to go quicker than me...

I have a Old Terry Dolan track frame with reasonable components so the bike is about 9kg and i have omega 1 wheels but i am riding a 16t back sproket and found it hard on slight inclines but also found on the flats my speed was limited by the cadence i could get..

Any one have any advice on set up to maximise speed without ruining acceleration?

Any Ideas would be appreciated...

Also after the ride i tried a couple of skid stops at low speed at which point i relaised my the fixed sproket had loosened and the ring around it (lock ring?) had come off!!! why would this happen and how tight does it need to be to be safe?

Finally the chain ring i am using i think is 42or 43 t i am finding slowing down or even skidding needing a lot of force and often feel like im gonna get thrown out of the saddle is this because of the gearing or just me being a pussy?

Either way any help is gratiously taken and im loving the excitment at the mo of riding the fixed bike its awesome...

Sounds like your gear ratio is about right. I think 42-16 is about 71GI, which is probably about right. In terms of skidding etc. It just takes time to learn the technique properly, but in the mean time, HTFU couldn't hurt.
As for your lock-ring/sprocket, they need to be tight as fuck! I repeat; tight as fuck! And it is not at all recomended to be riding a fixed gear bike on the streets without a lock-ring (at least if you only have 1 or no brakes).
To make skidding easier, get a 17t sprocket.

Purchased by first fixed gear last week and had my first ride yesterday riound regents park, i managed about 4 circuits but i still noticed that most people on road bikes were still managing to go quicker than me...

All down to fitness. There isn't a magic bike or gear ratio that'll make you go faster.

Go to 46 x 16 = 75.6 Gear Inches.

Tighten the fuck out of your cog, then tighten your lockring.

The fear of being thrown is just you being a pussy, but I hope for your own sake you have a brake fitted.

42 x 16 is 69.0 GI

69 GI depending on whether your working it out with 27inch nominal, or 700c, and what size tyres you're running.

i know its on sheldon brown, but i cant be arsed. what does 48x19 equate to? running 700x25

Yeah, the most common size 700 x 23 = 69.0

i know its on sheldon brown, but i cant be arsed. what does 48x19 equate to?

Equates to weak = 66.4
http://software.bareknucklebrigade.com/rabbit.applet.html

Purchased by first fixed gear last week and had my first ride yesterday

I'd give it a bit longer than that before starting to change components. Also go and try some hills / traffic light stop starts before thinking about upping the gearing.

Equates to weak = 66.4
http://software.bareknucklebrigade.com/rabbit.applet.html

what gearing do you run?

Getting a bike with gears could make inclines easier and raise your top speed. Fitting a back brake makes skidding a doddle.

Also after the ride i tried a couple of skid stops at low speed at which point i relaised my the fixed sproket had loosened and the ring around it (lock ring?) had come off!!! why would this happen and how tight does it need to be to be safe?

Please tell me you're riding with a front brake at the moment.

Yours,

A concerned thirty something

I run 66.1 on my commuter/mess about bike. And 69.9 on my Sunday best.

im on 700c*23 vittoria rubino....

So if i have this correct if the GI goes up the pedal resistance is higher ie higher gear?

does changing the rear sproket up 1 have a higher effect than changing the chainring up 1 or are they the same effects?

Either way i am quite happy as after appriox 10 miles of riding yesterday i had mild pain in my elbows and arms but no back pain at all in my lower back which is what i am used to after maybe 5 miles all in all well worth the 300 quid i spent...

what gearing do you run?

Depends which bike, roughly:

75(street)
72(street)
77(street)
95(track)
51(polo)

If you feel that you're about to be thrown off the saddle - are you not strapped into your pedals?

That is an amazing picture.. repped

Not sure why you imagined you would suddenly be faster than people on road bikes. All of them have the ability to gear much higher than you and won't even need to be able to spin.

Pain in the elbows on short distances is sometimes an indicator of an off sized stem. Where is the pain, inside or outside.

Depends which bike, roughly:

75(street)
72(street)
77(street)
95(track)
51(polo)

Bloomin' eck, I'd imagine accelerating in a points or devil is fun on that

Equates to weak = 66.4
http://software.bareknucklebrigade.com/rabbit.applet.html

I am officially MA3K approved weak. Hurrah! ;p

As well as me! (47 instead of 48).

I am officially MA3K approved weak. Hurrah! ;p

Do you play polo on that bike? :!

Not sure why you imagined you would suddenly be faster than people on road bikes. All of them have the ability to gear much higher than you and won't even need to be able to spin.

Pain in the elbows on short distances is sometimes an indicator of an off sized stem. Where is the pain, inside or outside.

I was getting pain in the outside of the elbow to the lower ligaments of the tricep...

I have got a 50 cm frame with on one midge drops and planet x stem i am about 5'8-9'' and normall regular trouser length and shirt arm length if that helps?