What's your favourite gear ratio?

I've been riding riding my first fixed gear for the past day or so

Before changing to 48/19, which is actually the correct gear, have you considered that a "day or so" wouldn't really be long enough to master anything? If you must skid, you can do it on 48/17 pretty much as easily as on 48/19, although the lower gear will obviously make it easier to come to a controlled stop.

@Murphys_Law thank you for your response. I think a 19t rear cog may be the way to go for now

@mdcc_tester good point! I totally agree. Will try get a few hours practice every night before considering any changes.

Get a 19t anyway and get used to spinning.

It also would be easier to get foot retention if you haven't already.

Got some nice mks straps and cages on the bike. Will have a look and see if there are any decent cogs for a good price. I believe the current 17t cog is a miche one.

Question for LFGSSers: I've been thinking of building an off road SS dirt/mountain-type bike. I wouldn't actually be riding up that many steep inclines, just trundling about some tracks in the locality. Bearing in mind that I'm a bit of a nodder really, what's going to be a good gear ratio, sepcifically for the chainring? Cheers.

what's going to be a good gear ratio

2:1 for 26" is a good starting point, chainring choice is usually dictated by crank choice but somewhere in the 30s is normal

32:16 is standard 26" SS gear, 32:18 for a 29er, though I always ran 32:17 and found it fine.

Cheers all, very helpful.

opinion on 54x16 ? (in the city on a track bike)

fucking stupid.

you'll be slow to start and find it hard to stop

54x18? aha

Entirely stupid

slightly less stupid

just go 48x19 and learn to pedal

just go 48x19

54/21 would be fine if he already has the chainring.

opinion on 54x16 ? (in the city on a track bike)

Perfect if the only part of this city you want to ride is Herne Hill velodrome :-) You'll want to go up one or two teeth on the sprocket to ride indoors at Lee Valley.

54x18 is also very stupid since it is only one skid spot.

hmmm true, what about 49x18? is that ok

It's in the region of what is normally considered appropriate.

mainly london and birmingham central.

just go 48x19

this

I live in Seattle which has similar hills to SF. It sucks because in order to make it around, you need a spinny gear. Some riders will go down to the low 60's (gear inches) but I'm around a 66-67 with my 47x19. I like 47 since I can use just about any of my cogs 19-15 and still have tons of skid patches.

Going with a 48 can really limit your skid patches and will kill tires quickly. With a 47, I can go a long time on a rear tire without issues....it also makes a huge difference if you learn to skid with both legs locked back instead of just your stronger leg.

I have to buy a 48 before next season because our local velodrome is making 48s mandatory for the lower Cat classes.

Still one of my favorite charts.
47t rules. It's like the "Sweet spot" in that chainring area....you can throw any cog in the rear and have tons of skid patches.

In summary, "47 is a prime number".

Yep, if you are going to be changing cog and skidding then its a perfect choice.

Personally, I havent changed sprocket in about ten years.

Have just bought a bike thats come set up with a 49t on the front and 16t on the rear. Being my first time riding such a thing I have no idea but would that be an ok ratio for riding around town? Don't mind massively if its a bit of a slow starter, are there other things to consider?

Stick a 19t on