What's your favourite gear ratio?

after riding fixed/singlespeed, your legs become the gears.

52/15 on my fast bike abit crippleing somethimes in liverpool
42/18 on my trick bike for crazy spins and going slow everywhere

52/15 on my fast bike abit crippleing somethimes in liverpool
42/18 on my trick bike for crazy spins and going slow everywhere

I know what you mean, we've only got short climbs up here but they are steeeep.

'Spinny' is relative to the norms established amongst the entire population of fixed gear riders.

What you're feeling is not 'spinny'. Possibly 'a bit less grindy'.

Dunno. You'll have to adopt another adjective.

Mincy, 48/16 is too mincy for me.

Samson: 45x17
Europa: 49x17
Malvern Star: 42x15

42:16 to make it easy on my dodgy knees

42:16 to make it easy on my dodgy knees

Ditto!
Plus it's 69" which gives other forum members the oppurtunity to post a Bill & Ted image...........

50:20, 67.5"- nice and spinny (honestly some of the ratios i read on here make me wince- i've had tendonitis and it was far from pretty), big ring+big sprocket=big contact area+longer life parts.

44:16... use both legs to skid so 16 patches

46 -16 standard, innit!

48:16 - That's what came with the bike and seems to work for me.

53 / 20

3/32"

42-16 (sometimes 42-15)

any bigger and I cant get up the hills in Bristol (I dont always use SPDs) any smaller and you cant get down the hills fast enough

46:17

I was riding 46:16 (standard) but going up by one tooth on the sprocket has made it just that little bit easier to skid while being able to maintain a decent cadence on the ups and downs of our fair city.

Blimey, gear specs have changed a bit since the 60s. Used to say e.g. 81" (which you could get with 48x16 or 45x15 or 51x17 etc. Specifying by ring and sprocket size makes gears which are, in fact, the same appear different. Mind you, what do I know - there used to be nobbut fields around 'ere.

track 90"
fixed commuting did a year on 68" then 9 months on 71" and last few weeks trying 75" to see if it helps with the track after spending lots of time doing leg strength work before I even thought about stepping up that high. Route isn't very stop/start and 9 miles pretty flat so ideal for experimenting.

I had to bail on a short climb today - shock horror. It was about 18%, and I was riding 119". It was fine on 102" :)

46:14 - 7 skid patches

Just changed to 48:17 from 48:18.

47:17 — 74.6 gear inches, 17 skid patches. and BTW, prime numbers FTW!

I was riding 48:16 before, which is what my Pista came with. there's a world of difference, now I can climb/brake/squid pretty easily.

i'm running this on my 2 bikes:
46x18 = 67.4"
47x19 = 65.3"

It is amazing how differnet it feels. much easier to skid on 65.3", but then again that is on a track frame rather than a conversion...maybe we should'nt go there.

65 is a bit spinny on the flat, but much easier for the big hill I leave at the top of.

I had to bail on a short climb today - shock horror. It was about 18%, and I was riding 119". It was fine on 102" :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EY7lYRneHc

Hi guys. I'm running as it came out the box; 42:16. As a real novice, perhaps I can ask your advice? I want more speed on the flats. I don't mind making it a little harder on the inclines which I suppose I have to have if I want the extra speed. Is my first step to reduce the 16 or increase the 42?

Hi guys. I'm running as it came out the box; 42:16. As a real novice, perhaps I can ask your advice? I want more speed on the flats. I don't mind making it a little harder on the inclines which I suppose I have to have if I want the extra speed. Is my first step to reduce the 16 or increase the 42?

cheaper to change the 16T down but much bigger jump in gearing than changing the ring

have look at Gear Inch calculator to see the impact

Hills? I'd struggle riding that sort of ratio on a flat, dear god. As a newby to this site I am finding it difficult to believe such ratios are possible on single speed. I used to think my 36-16 was as high as I would dear go. Criky How fit are you people?