Gearing

err, good luck with that tommy...

he she it has gone now. Working from home is weird, you get to see some right strange people.

46/17

46-17
42-16
44-17

All good. But if you don't like spinning (and grinning and winning) then go up up up!

gotta spin FTW

46/17 is still just big enough at the front if you want to whack on a 14 at the back and ride HH.

for a town/work bike I'd go 42/16.

OK, I think I must be really weedy. I ride 48:19 and love it - super quick getaway and I can spin it up to enough speed for London roads. I even find 48:17 to be a bit high.

Anyone else rolling under 70 inches?

48-18 for me. No idea how many inches that is. Was riding 48-16 but i couldnt skid it bcause i am a failure :(

Oh yeah, good one asm - another reason for lower gearing: easier skidding, skipping and track standing.

My favourite is 46x18, maybe I'm slow.

46x16 , i use that for work but am getting really tired lately(new company - BUSY) , might swich it soon, but i've used it for 6 months, doing more than commuting so i think that its a good gear for knocking around?

at the moment i use 49 17, thats what iv always used, if i wanted to skid it alot easier and also do more trick stuff, what should i be looking at using, glow could u recomend anything? or is it just that im not too good at that sort of stuff?

hippy rides 69 GI..

he ain't exactly slow. spins like a mutha..

so it can't be all that difficult, seeing as he's really fat.

i find mine ok for skidding, though not a big fan of it.
have a front brake- save on tyres.

Currently: hack bike is 65" and nice bike is 55" (for one week only). I still managed a comfortable 20mph along Holloway Rd on 55", which gets me most places quick enough :)

mashton
Anyone else rolling under 70 inches?

As I've done my SS on the cheap (i.e. it cost nowt) I got lucky with a "magic gear" - 34:13 gives me 65 gi on my MTB.
I've found as you get used to it you get quicker and used to the range of cadences in a matter of weeks - now looking for another "magic gear" at about 70 gi.

I'm gonna have to invest in a half link.

You guys running fixed must get through sprockets/chainrings every couple of months until your fitness levels off!

BTW, for those who don't know what gear inches are, its the equivalent wheel size you'd be turning if your crank was bolted directly to the hub - just like a penny-farthing.

i just started riding brakeless on my newly built hack using 46x19 now that's about 64GI, really liking it - feels like i can do anything with it

i like 46x17 although now as i have got stronger from riding more i could go higher but i can't really see the point. plus you get 17 skid patches.
if you go much higher than that you'll be cursing riding home tired after a days graft into a cunting headwind.

i ride a 77.3 in oxford
and a 72.3 in londinium

danger joel at the moment i use 49 17, thats what iv always used, if i wanted to skid it alot easier and also do more trick stuff, what should i be looking at using, glow could u recomend anything? or is it just that im not too good at that sort of stuff?

wheelies and the like are easier in a lower gear... but i don't think trackstanding is?! but i'd say go lower, i ride 49-19

track stand is way easier on polo bike 42:19, but takes a while to get there :( . commute 44:16 for winter, will go 48:17 in summer

mashton Oh yeah, good one asm - another reason for lower gearing: easier skidding, skipping and track standing.

Usual bike is 71.5 inches (49/18) but my winter hack is 68.6 inches (47/18) - good for windy weather/ slow winter muscles, and also
warms you up quicker with a bit of high rev spinning on those frosty mornings!

sh** i guess riding 52-19 is a bit more hardcore than i bargained for, but can i get sprockets bigger than 19?

thanks glow, ill see if i can find a 19 toof clog to try that out.

52-19 isn't really hardcore it's a standard gear inches (just under 74 like 46-17) it just sounds hardcore because of the big number at the front.