What's your favourite gear ratio?

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  • My cruising cadence is far from 95, probably down at 80, I have no endurance, I only ever really cycle round Central London where I'm never more than 3 minutes from stopping at a traffic light. I only managed to keep it high because the stars had aligned and most of the lights were green.

  • Go 48x17, or even 48x19 if you've got a 19t. Centuries are for spinning.

  • ^^44/17 taken your aching achilles in mente (should you even do the ride if you have some buggers?).

  • Achilles could be from over ankling. I had this a while back.

  • yeah I tried HTFU and it got worse. lower seat a notch and see if it helps.

  • 44/17

  • 44/17

  • 44/17 is close to the golden 70GI where most people can hold a healthy cadence at a practical speed.

    It's a ratio that most people will be able to climb the hills you'll encounter on without spinning too much on the descents or flats.

  • 44x17 is an excellent gear. Started my last fixed century on 48x18, but swapped to a 19 about 30 miles in (though to be fair i had raced a 25 the day before).

  • 70gi is probably appropriate for a flat ride, but you might want to take into account any headwind you might face.

    There's nothing 'golden' about it. Your speed will depend on your fitness/condition and the distance you have to ride. Ultimately the average Joe will go faster on a lower gear over distance due to fatigue. Choosing your gear based on 'spinning on descents' is a load of bollocks. If you don't like pedalling...

  • n/a

  • 48/17!

  • 48 16

  • All is I know is that I have a 17 on and it's gets me all but the steepest of stuff. Is there a formula for working gear ratios ?

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What's your favourite gear ratio?

Posted by Avatar for smurfbike @smurfbike

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