Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - What gear inch do you use?

I'm trying to find out what the average fixie uses. I like to spin 90-95 rpm on my roadie and we have alot of long hills out here in desert. I think I read that 70 gear inches is the norm?

there was a thread a few days ago about this, scroll back a couple pages and you should find a poll with a good distribution.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=176154&highlight=gear+inches

70 for me. Great for going up VT. hills, sorta slow coming down :eek: :eek:

what's your favorite gear on the roadie?
use that.

85.7 -- I rounded down for the survey.

Would be higher but I live in one of those "foothills" cities where there's a sizeable elevation change just to go to the grocery store/class.

70.9

If you know how fast you expect to be going, what your desired cadence is, and your tire size, punch 'em in here to get a whole spreadsheet of values.

http://grit.homelinux.net/gi/

85.8

and 88.2 on my beater... ouch. whodathunkit.

Sincity - thanks for thinking of this thread/post. I am going to be going fixed after my pending move to MPLS/St. Paul and was wondering the same thing.

Muchas gracias!

65-70.....solo rides.
81 for group rides with slow roadies.

update~

I go just a teeny bit higher than my favorite roadie gear. If you are going to ride your fixie like you ride your road bike, keep in mind that a lot of the riders on this forum don't ride that way. Bombing around city streets is a lot different and has different gearing needs than hammering a 20-30 mile stretch of rural farm roads.

49x19=67.4 gear inches.

Works fine for me, I was running 19x44 on the other bike and it was fine as a beginner gear but not so great going down hills, spins too fast. Great for skids though. Either way it can be really fun to roll a small gear and have that fast acceleration, but I think I'm also rather slowly get used to higher gears and have my legs get stronger.

I ride a 47x15 which gives me roughly 83 gear inches. Savannah(a very flat city) is my home, but i've had no problem for the past 3 weeks here in atlanta which is quite hilly.

between 63.5-66

69. The only time it gets annoying is on the long flat stretches when I get passed by a roadie. I may gear up at some point but I really like not having to get out of the saddle to climb.

8 inches baby!....wait. No.

46 x 18 = 67.2

I completely spin out on any sort of downhill, but at least I have no problem handling the uphills.

50-92 depending on what I'm doing. I'll probably go down to 45 this year though. 50 is just to high for a lot of things.

90.13 when i race. 52*15.

48x18...69.3

50 is just to high for a lot of things.


like what?

75.6, so i just BARELY made it into the 75-80 category

like what?

Barspins.

48x17 right now with 175mm cranks. Used to be 46x17 with 165mm cranks. Gain ratio is actually lower w/ the longer cranks and higher gear, but just slightly. I notice no difference what so ever except for my spin being more comfortable.

Either way, it's geared higher than I'd like. Hasn't been too much of a problem as everything in town is flat and the only time I'm out in the hills is when I'm on the geared bike.

44x16. with my tires it works out to 65.4. Seattle is all hills and I live at the top of a long one, and like to take it easy on my knees. I spin out way to easily though, it sucks.

I run a 79.2 for the most part, but I live in Saskatchewan, our province makes pancakes look like they have serious terrain in comparison.

I run like an 83.

49x16 WOOP WOOP!!!!!

64.1 and lovin' it. Spin to win! Everyone riding fixed should just work on their pedal stroke to avoid spinning out, PLUS it will save your your knees!

42x16 = 69

Spin is in

40 x 15 for me.
Going to switch it up soon, I think. Have a nice Dura-Ace 16t cog and a neato 48t chainring. We'll see how that works out... Should be better for when I move to Philly in May, since it's a flatter town than Baltimore by and large.

42x16 = 69

Spin is in

Another Sixty-niner here. Makes it easy to start and stop in town and helps me smooth and quicken the cadence on long rides in the country.

I like about 65 or even lower if I'm doing hilly base miles. Spin, spin, spin and your knees will love you.

according to Sheldon, my 48x17 +23mm + 175mm = 74.2. It's just a little too low though, so I'm voting 75-80.

I'm going to move to either 77ish or 78ish soon, depending on how much money I feel like spending.

like what?

steep and or long climbs. I have to get off and walk with 50" occasionally and long climbs just suck.

50 inches seems really, reallllly low. I was doing 60 inches on the road conversion and it worked good for gunning up pretty big hills (if anyone from PDX is reading, the 33rd hill that starts going downhill at NE Fremont was a semi-regular occurence for me), even if I'd arrive out of breathe at the top.

I'm loving 67.4 inches now, got that perfect pedal stroke down on it on the ride home today and I was gliding almost effortlessly once I got to full speed, super fun. Haven't taken it up any seriously big hills yet though, but the moderate hills on my commutes downtown and to work are fine.

I've ridden with 72" through 82", and I find I get around just as fast at 72" as I did with 82" but with a lot more control, especially downhill.

I presently ride at 73.3 because I like biopace, and a 53t chain ring and a 19t cog come close enough to 72".

Sometime in the future I'd like to try a long distance ride (long for me, 165 miles) through the Cascade Mountains, from Bend, OR to Portland, OR.

A 43t biopace ring and a 17t cog would give me 66.5", and I think I could do the whole ride, hills and all, with that gearing.

67.5" for now, used to run 85.1" but my knees started to complain (live on a giant hill, I see many people walk their mountain bikes up it, tearing up it with a high ratio was fun, but too hard on the body).

Um... 42x14 ~84 G.I. downhill is fun, until I want to stop... I don't mind pushing pretty hard, I am generally late for something anyway.

77.1

77.9 ...basel is fairly flat compared to the rest of switzerland.

I'm at 77ish right now (46x16)
About to drop down drastically to the mid 60s (46x19)

my two street ride are 69 and 73 my track ride is 85

74.3 for going down the rural hills and dales on my clincher wheels. I use a 70 on my tubular wheels for my hilly rides and just spin like a hamster on speed.
I hit 36 mph in my 74.3" gear once and it was glorious!

During the winter/early spring I usually run around 64" on the road. My mileage decreases due to the weather and saddle time. When summer arrives and I have more miles in the saddle the inches creep up to 77".

I hit 36 mph in my 74.3" gear once and it was glorious!

I've not gone that fast on a fixed-gear bike, but I know the "glorious" feeling GeraldChan describes, and which I have felt once or twice when my spin just comes together.

Whizzzzzzz.....

In the eary 1970's I hit 55mph going downhill on a geared bike, on Canyon Drive between Beaverton and Portland, Oregon.
At 55 the bike became airborne, skipping from high point on the pavement to high point.
It scares me now, just to remember it.

I get a genuine thrill out of going fast on a fixie, even though it may not compare to the high speeds geared riders take for granted.
A different thrill than pure speed.
I don't know what to call it.
Feels good.

AND...I get around town on my fixed gear bike as fast as, and maybe faster than the typical geared bike rider.
The elite geared bike riders pass me like Killer Whales.
Whoosh.
Wake turbulence. :)
We have some elite riders in this town.
Yeah, Killer Whales.
Not big fat baleen whales, but sleek, powerful, effortless, agile Killer Whales.
Beautiful legs, whether male or female.

Still, I'd rather ride fixed, and I think I have more fun and learning than anyone else on two wheels.

Y'know, I fly helicopters for a living.
Right now I fly the most advanced helicopter in the civilian world.
German.
Very German.
Powerful.
Precise.
Idiosyncratic.
Very much like my fixed gear bike.
If you ride a fixed gear bike and understand it, you have flown a German helicopter.

46 x 16. Nothing wrong with spinning.

But on the track, for racing, 47 x 14. Still quite a low gear for the track.

When I was young and fit I rode 48 x 14. Sometimes on big, flatish tracks I even rode 93.5inches. I forget what the set up was.

I've not gone that fast on a fixed-gear bike, but I know the "glorious" feeling GeraldChan describes, and which I have felt once or twice when my spin just comes together.

Whizzzzzzz.....

In the eary 1970's I hit 55mph going downhill on a geared bike, on Canyon Drive between Beaverton and Portland, Oregon.
At 55 the bike became airborne, skipping from high point on the pavement to high point.
It scares me now, just to remember it.

I get a genuine thrill out of going fast on a fixie, even though it may not compare to the high speeds geared riders take for granted.
A different thrill than pure speed.
I don't know what to call it.
Feels good.

AND...I get around town on my fixed gear bike as fast as, and maybe faster than the typical geared bike rider.
The elite geared bike riders pass me like Killer Whales.
Whoosh.
Wake turbulence. :)
We have some elite riders in this town.
Yeah, Killer Whales.
Not big fat baleen whales, but sleek, powerful, effortless, agile Killer Whales.
Beautiful legs, whether male or female.

Still, I'd rather ride fixed, and I think I have more fun and learning than anyone else on two wheels.

Y'know, I fly helicopters for a living.
Right now I fly the most advanced helicopter in the civilian world.
German.
Very German.
Powerful.
Precise.
Idiosyncratic.
Very much like my fixed gear bike.
If you ride a fixed gear bike and understand it, you have flown a German helicopter.

Awesome post.

52X21 for me. I believe thats like 63 GI. I like spin.

8 inches baby!....wait. No.

roflmao :D