What's your favourite gear ratio?

it's no related at all. if anything, my experience with low gear ratio, like a polo bike, really does hurt my knee. Maybe I didn't phase my question or explain my situation clearly enough, my knee injury has been for almost 3 years and as a result, my whole leg is somewhat weaker than the healthy one and sometime even riding the 42:16 ratio could be painful, not the actual knee but "my leg is very tired" kind of ache. My physio has always said try to ride a higher gear ratio regularly to train up the leg a bit better and that's what I try to do on my road bike than I don't really rider very often. All I am wondering is if it would be worth upping the gear on my commute bike from 42t to 48t so I actually follow my physio advice on a daily basis. But my concern is once it's on the bike, it's a lot harder to change the gear since it's not a geared bike, so I was merely asking if it would be worth giving it a go.

And I think it's common sense that most, if not everyone here know a correctly set up bike is important and does have a huge impact on the rider as a whole.

Pushing and resisting a gear that's too big pits way too much stress on your knees when have to start, stop or slowdown frequently.

This is why velodrome riders can get away with gears in high 80's but on the road the constant changes of speed would destroy you.

It would destroy you unless you're HoKe.

Can someone explain what the link is between high gear ratios and bad knees?

The greater the pedal force, the greater the pressure on the knee. Obviously it's worse on a poorly fitted bike, but no amount of fitting will get round the basic mechanics. It just turns out that high force/low reps is more damaging for most people than low force/high reps.

It's an epidemiological effect, though. Some individuals will go through life mashing huge gears and still have a spring in their step at 100, others will do everything to look after their joints and still be crippled before they hit 40.

i run 42/15 with an 18 on the flip flop, i have a freestyle hub so i can run two fixed cogs, i have two sram powerlinks in my chain i have to remove two links to make it possible in the dropouts when flipping over.

on my training bike which ive been commuting on a bit lately i run 44/16, i wana go bigger on the front, maybe 48/16 or 50/16 anyone ride these, 48/16 only has one skid patch where as 50/16 has a few more but may be to stiff, what you reckon.

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I never rode fixed (starting to get a list of components for my first build, very excited) but I already know 48/19 is the ratio :)

50/16 is a track gear and generally not suited to road use.

seen alot of people with 48/16, not a geat deal different from 44/16 so ill give that a try i reckon, cheers

48/17 - ratio of the gods.

48/16, not a geat deal different from 44/16

Go out on your road bike and change up from the 12 sprocket to the 11. That's how much of a jump your making from 44/16 to 48/16

I have another fixed riding 42/15 so ill have to put a 14 on the rear to see, it's almost the same I guess, don't ride a geared bike

42/15 to 42/14 is a smaller jump, but 42/14 is obviously exactly the same gear as 48/16 so your test will be useful.

Tbh I think ill just buy the chainring and try it, it needs replacing, I rather not have the hassle of messing with the other bike as I've just set it up spot on. Just want something harder to train in. Considering the miche crankset, running a sugino messenger atm, fancy a change

If you want to do harder training then just find a more efficient training program, gearing isn't AFAIK generally a good thing to do just for training purposes.

Unless by training tore riding round in circles with few stops and start.

50/16 is a track gear and generally not suited to road use.

How so? I run 47-15 (Similar as far as I can see) and aside from powering up long inclines, I've never had any issues with it aside from muscle ache.

How long have you been on that for?

As tester said a little while back, it can put a lot of strain on your knees, mostly the starting and stoping as you're brakeless right?

Then again I don't know, maybe you travel everywhere a whole lot faster than I do on 48/19, it's generally accepted on the road to be at about 70GI and I think your gear comes out around 85.

My training program is pretty intense as it is to be fair. I just fancy a harder gear as 44/16 is to easy to train in an I feel like ill be able to benifit from a bigger chainring on the front. I did a triathlon today and 44/16 just didn't do it for me tbh.

How long have you been on that for?

As tester said a little while back, it can put a lot of strain on your knees, mostly the starting and stoping as you're brakeless right?

Then again I don't know, maybe you travel everywhere a whole lot faster than I do on 48/19, it's generally accepted on the road to be at about 70GI and I think your gear comes out around 85.

A fair few years. Nah, always with a brake. I tried around the 70gi, but despite learning to spin down Hampstead, I always found it more annoying than anything else. Maybe I'll try a 17t and see how that works out.

I find I'm spinning out more so on 44/16 than actually benefiting from the gear, I'm mainly training at Richmond and regents so lots of flat riding, few inclines at Richmond, we all no the FAT HILL! Aslong as I can cope between cars commuting ill be fine I ride with a brake

A fair few years. Nah, always with a brake. I tried around the 70gi, but despite learning to spin down Hampstead, I always found it more annoying than anything else. Maybe I'll try a 17t and see how that works out.

Give it a go if you can bare with it, I was on a higher gear and no regrets coming down.
If I'm honest, for a few weeks I ended up running about 90gi on the road...

I find I'm spinning out more so on 44/16 than actually benefiting from the gear, I'm mainly training at Richmond and regents so lots of flat riding, few inclines at Richmond, we all no the FAT HILL! Aslong as I can cope between cars commuting ill be fine I ride with a brake

I'll wait for 'tester to come along and explain the ins and outs if he feels like it.

"48/17 - ratio of the gods."

Most of the Gods are old and don't ride fixed anymore, let alone commute... But if they did, London way or similar that is, they'd probably go for 47/17. Personally I prefer 49/16 for a bit of extra kapow on the top, but then again I'm not a God.

44/16 works out at around 74.3 gi, capable on the road and 48/16 at around 81gi

I never really bothered looking at GI tables. I just asked people.

It was a bit of an issue when I built my Kalavinka because DA don't make a sprocket bigger than 16t, but I chose a slightly smaller chainring. I had no issues getting up the various Cols in London.

I had no issues getting up the various ColsHoles in London.
Just had to ftfy.

i knew a guy riding something like 50 (at least)/15 on a brakeless (!) bike around london. not advised.