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Decide on a gear ratio for your fixie
By parkr on Saturday, Jun 07 2008.
The gear ratio of a bike is the ratio of chainwheel to cog teeth. Choosing an appropriate gear ratio for your fixed gear or single speed bike is as important as any other factor to ensure happy riding. The question is often debated in bike forums and the typical answer is that everyone is different and no ratio is right for everyone. Some factors to consider are the terrain and type of riding you intend to do in your area, your fitness level and leg strength, and your preferred cadence.
Starting first with terrain and riding style; if climbing hills is important then you will need to select a lower gear ratio, to make the most of your riding, than if most of your riding is on the flat, where a higher gear ratio will suit better. Remember that, even on the flat, a lower gear will make starting easier and allow for punchier acceleration at the expense of a lower top speed. This may be something to consider in urban areas with a lot of stop-start traffic.
Whilst some seasoned cyclists may profess to riding huge gear ratios, that may not be right for everyone. Fitness plays a part too. Think too about the strain this may place on your knees. It is better to start with a lower ratio and increase later than opting for a knee grinder straight out.
This leads us to cadence. Cadence is a rate, typically expressed as the number of pedal revolutions per minute. Ideal cadence varies between individuals and may depend on your height, sex, and body geometry. Recommended cadences tend to be around 80-120 rpm. Find a gear ratio that allows you to reach your ideal cadence. Bear in mind that sometimes this "ideal" cadence may feel faster that what you are used to. One of the advantages, of fixed gear bikes at least, is that they usually force you to pedal faster than normal.
Technical factors will also influence gear ratio selection. These include crank length, wheel size and bike geometry and you should investigate several ratios until you find a suitable one for your bike.
If you are riding fixed, make sure that the ratio of chainwheel to cog teeth is not a round number, such as 48:16. This will cause uneven tyre wear as a certain crank position will always correspond with the same tyre contact point. If you start, stop or skid with your feet in the same position, then your tyre will wear unevenly. Choosing a different ratio, such as 44:15, will avoid or alleviate this problem as there will now be multiple contact points.
For fixie conversions, that have horizontal or diagonal dropouts instead of track fork ends, a further constraint may be finding a ratio that is compatible with the desired chain length and rear wheel position. Changing the size of the chainwheel and the cog will vary the distance between the bottom bracket and the rear axle for a given chain length, so some consideration is required.
So that gives a brief overview of how to select a gear ratio for your bike. With manufacturers now offering track bikes for the road, the factory gearing is often quite high. Hopefully this article will give you some guidance, whether that ratio is right for you.
Thanks to cyclelicio.us for the photo.
Happy riding!
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Comments
how do you count your gear
how do you count your gear ratio?
I know nothing about gear
I know nothing about gear ratios, but i am riding on 44/14. I want to be able to ride backwards, do wheelies, and other tricks. I do not care about going fast or traveling distance, i just want a ratio that is ideal for backwards riding, wheelies... ect... what is the best ratio i am looking for?
i just buit my bike and just
i just buit my bike and just used what i had so im running a 41:16 but i was wondering if a differnt ratio would make skid stopping easier...? or is it that i weigh 230 and its just that hard to stop that weight? i can skid stop but there is alot of fighting with the pedals, it looks so easy on youtube
you have a good ratio i
you have a good ratio i ride a 47:17 and im on the heavier side its pretty easy to skid your prolly doing something wrong it takes time and some practice and youll be doing the shit you see on youtube =P
im riding 44/14 and i dont
im riding 44/14 and i dont know anything about gear ratios. i want to do wheelies, ride backwards...ect. what would be ideal for me? i do not care about traveling or going fast. jschles84@gmail.com Thanks
I currently ride 45 - 17,
I currently ride 45 - 17, which is perfect for flat urban lands such as my native country Holland with lots of fellow bikers and pedestrians not quite being as alert as I am on my fixed. It gives great acceleration, deceleration and relatively easy skidding.
On chain and cog wear, as Sheldon Brown pointed out this is an issue but to be frank, we should see it in perspective. I don't believe Sheldon Brown was much of a skid stopper, he said he always sported a front brake which is fair enough. Those of us that solely rely on the skid, will wear out tires out much quicker than our cog, chainring and chain.
To give an example, I ride a 50's forged aluminum Sugino chainring (with only three bolt-attachment) that has served several owners since long before I was born. It has probably seen more use than most today's rings will ever get to see, and it still isn't up for replacement.
-Peter
As a 16 yr old (46 years
As a 16 yr old (46 years ago!) I rode a 72" gear, 48x18, and I found this comfortable for the area I lived in, the West Midlands. For 10 mile time trials I went up to 48x16 (81"), and I returned times of 24 1/2 minutes without much real effort. Many racing cyclists use about a 63" gear (eg 42x18, 44x19, or 47x20) for training, and this is the ratio I intend to use on my next fixie, and should be ideal for the hillier country where I now live (Shropshire) and I would recommend this ratio to anyone who is a beginner, in training, getting on a bit, or lives in hilly country.
i've just built a fixed gear
i've just built a fixed gear bike for training around regents park, london. Frame is a terry dolan track frame, 700cc wheels and a 49/17 gear ratio with 165mm cranks. seems to be a nice set up for churning laps around the park and getting around town. bit slow to get going but good mid to top end speed. when it comes to long hills or something with a bit of a incline then i need to turn up the gas on the legs.
any comments post to ryantheodore@netscape.net
44:15 will eventually wreck
44:15 will eventually wreck your chain, chaingring and cog, but it will have 15 skid patches, unless you can skid both sides, then it will have 30, which is just ridiculous. 44:14 will be a little faster and work out to have 7(or 14) skid zones which should be plenty. with a 700/23c and 165-170 mm crank arms you'd have 82.6 gear inches per revolution instead of 77.1 for the 44:15 ste-up, plus extending the life of your chainring and cogs id better than extending your tire life. tires are relatively cheap.
here's how you can see how even numbered gears save your chain and cogs
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/chain-life.html
and here's how you can see how to get the most skid patches
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html
Worth mentioning that if you
Worth mentioning that if you want a trick bike you will want a small ratio with something small up front (40T-42T) where is if your just getting about town its preferrable (i think) to have something bigger up front, makes it less 'spinny' for example. I ride 48-19, its lurvely in Landan.
so 44:15 would be a better
so 44:15 would be a better choice for 165mm is i want to smash and cruise around a flat town??? thanks
For a comparison between
For a comparison between road and track cycling, most Keirin riders race 50x14t or 51x14t, with the largest sanctioned value being 55x12t.
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