jeez...i would have thought this thread would do more business, but maybe since it is titled a primer for noobs, the veterans here have their gearing down & don't really have much use for it. or perhaps i am the only dunce that just is never 100% satisfied with any gear ratio/inches i run
anyway, heres my latest dilemma...
i am this close to ordering a new bike that offers lots of chainring & cog options in the build.
my problem is that i just do not care for the usual gear ratio suspects due the local terrain & my riding style. it is as flat here as my 1st girlfriend was. i have to purposely go out of my way to ride on the few bridges over the inter-coastal waterway to get any incline at all & only 1 of those is even slightly challenging.
the upshot is that right now i am runnning a 14t cog with a 46t chainring. i have no problem keeping up a pretty good cadence or riding over any of the previously mentioned bridges & outside of the occasional stiff headwind i still sometimes wish i had even more gear-inches. not to mention that while I don’t think of myself as a participant in silly commuter racing, it does still gripe me a bit when I am chugging along pretty good & a roadie blows by me pedaling lazily along in the biggest ratio on his 20 or 30-something speed & i know i can not keep up no matter how much I spin.
so tell me…am I crazy to be considering ordering the new bike with a 48t chainring & a 13t or even 12t cog? those small cogs are bad on chain-wear right? i know I would be better off with a bigger ring & a bigger cog but the 48t is the largest they offer.
thanx for any suggestions…