What's your favourite gear ratio?

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  • 34/21

    With the clickety-click WI freewheel?

  • 48/16. Think I might step it up on the front to 49 or 50 as I've had a few 'I want to go faster' moments. Will an extra tooth or two up front make a huge difference?

    That's about 79GI that should be good enough for about 30-something mph on the flats should be fast enough, just pedal faster, though that ratio does only give you one skid patch which may be trouble if you skid quite a bit.

  • Lesson learned yesterday with a blowout on my way to get a new tyre. Dunno 79GI still doesn't feel like enough sometimes.

  • I am constantly surprised by peoples street gears. I guess I must be a spinner, but going over 70" for normal commuting seems ludicrous.

  • I am constantly surprised by peoples street gears. I guess I must be a spinner, but going over 70" for normal commuting seems ludicrous.

    +1

    45/18 on my hack bike (two brakes, so i don't care about only 2 skid patches)

    53/15 on my TT bike (one brake, which can lift the back wheel with only two fingers, as I discovered on Sunday morning, so again I don't care about skid patches)

  • 42 -16, but need to up the inches for my first triathlon, did I mention I was doing a triathlon?

  • im still in the nusery

  • get me out

  • Grow up then.

  • With the clickety-click WI freewheel?
    It is now but I used the same fixed.

  • doesnt that hurt your knees?

    me=46/17
    Sorry I was being a pedant. The OP question doesn't mention what type of riding.

    I use 44GI for polo
    65 for hill climbs
    73 for commuting
    etc
    etc
    etc

    I hate none specific ratio questions.

  • I wanna see him come up to Norths on that =D

    Craig McClean does seated hill reps as part of his training using between 90-100GI.
    and he is way up north.

  • im still in the nusery

    And this is where you'll stay if you keep posting shit all to threads.

  • Never thought I'd keep it but I'm really enjoying the stock ratio my fuji came with.

    Yes, it's an out of saddle moment when pulling away from the lights at anything other than a glacial pace, but the mid to high speed acceleration is great.

    I especially enjoy the speed at which the pedals seem to get lighter, and you just keep increasing leg speed rather than power (seemingly).

    I've never been a great skidder, but can skid the gear if I move my weight forwards.

    I still use the front brake a lot however.

  • Craig McClean does seated hill reps as part of his training using between 90-100GI.
    and he is way up north.

    Fark.

  • is there any real day to day noticable difference between 46x18 (67.2") and 47x19 (65.3")?

    I'm currently running 700x23c on the back but have got a vittoria randonneur (700x28c apparently, although i've heard they are actually narrower, more towards a 25) waiting to put on my new bike i'm picking up tomorrow.

    I'm currently running 46x18 and it's fine - i'm used to it, but the new bike comes with 47x19. is it worth me changing it to what i'm used to or are they basically the same. it's under 2" differnece.

  • Why don't you just ride the new bike for a bit and then make the decision?

  • I tihnk I will, just wondering if there really is any noticeable differnece.

  • 48/17.

    The Daddy.

  • i've been riding 48/18 (70ish) for nearly two years, and this week i switched to 48/16 (79ish). enjoying the novelty of blasting around the place and the extra speed, but it's much harder to stop and manoeuvre through traffic, and it prolly won't do my rollapaluza times any good.

    just wanted to ride a gear that takes a bit of extra pushing for a while and see how i like it. will keep it for a few weeks until my body adjusts and then decide.

    I'm on 48/16 on one of my bikes, I thought it was about 81 but I probably calculated it wrong. I like it.

    My other one is 42/15 (75.6) and it's also fine. Bit nippier in traffic, but I have a long flat commute so all round I prefer the taller one.

  • have been pushing 75" for a couple of months now, just the other day was out for a spin around and noticed this felt absolutely sublime. That is, my legs have adjusted to the higher gear than I was previously running--and now am able to either just maintain perfect momentum and cadence with relaxation, or, push some and get into a moderate work zone, to me that is the joy of fixed gear riding.

  • 46-16... although I am about to change down to 44-17. Not getting any younger. And I fancy being able to walk without aid of aticks when I'm in my 50's.

  • This week I am mostly enjoying 47-18. Was a good gearing for the ride to Cambridge too.

  • 52/18 as my first go, simply because the old Austro-Daimler I've converted was running a 52 chainring and I was on a 'budget'. Said budget has subsequently gone out of the window thanks to deciding to support my 'LBS' and have my wheels laced there... ho hum.

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What's your favourite gear ratio?

Posted by Avatar for smurfbike @smurfbike

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