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@exedanni
I'm a new fg rider (Ridgeback Solo) and the ratio my bike came fitted with is 42/16. My commute has no hills worth mentioning so I want to use a bigger ratio. Looking at the calculator a 42/13 would be ideal for the amount of skid patches, but I am concerned about the gear inches (86.5") and impact on my knees. A few questions:
1) What's the difference between having the same ratio with a large chain ring and a small one, i.e. 42/13 and 48/15 which are roughly the same ratio? Being able to skid would be nice but not a priority at the moment as I have brakes.
2) If I did end up swapping the chainring to a 48t would I likely need to buy a new (longer) chain as well?
3) For the rear sprocket I was potentially looking at the Surly 13t Track Fixed Wheel sprocket for £20 - is this considered a good model?
4) What tools (sorry, complete beginner) do I need to change the sprocket? Are there any good guides on how to do this?
Sorry for not posting a new thread but I don't appear to have the permissions to do so as I just joined the forum.