Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Is 48x15 really too hard for the city

This is in and around Manhattan (wash heights) were it is mostly flat but going uptown there are a couple of hills, not too many but stop and go could take some not too much effort (guess geting used to it). I've had this bike for two weeks only so I'm still getting used to it, but everybody I tell says it is too high (or low you correct me) for a beginner. Can I get away with raising just the back cog? If so how much?

That is more gear than I care to push. I would put at least a 17 or 18 on the rear. Spinning beats mashing in my book. Of course, that is just me and I do not know how you ride or how strong you are. If it feels comfortable stick with it.

44x17 and 49x17 are magical gears for me. just sayin'

45:15/16 for me. 18 freewheel if I want to go through (big) hills.

I like 65 to 70 gear inches for about 90% of my riding.

I pump a 46x15 in ATL. It's pretty hilly here, though.

Even though 48x15 sounds pretty stiff, generally after a week or so, you'll get used to whatever gear you ride. I say go for it.

I'm running a 48x16 in the flatland of FL and it's just about perfect. 48x15 you'll be pushing.

Figure your average speed and comfy rpms, factor in the hills and get yer gear inches from there. For me it's something around 23mph, 110rpm, blah blah. Bike's still ridable when I'm feeling lazy and pushing 50rpm.

i learned how to ride track on a 48/16, recently switched to 48/15 after being prompted by a messenger buddy. he claimed it was "the champions choice". Most experienced riders i know go with this gear. i actually find it easier to get up hills, although stopping those last few feet can be difficult, i do skid a lot more though. I find it much easier to lock up at high speeds.

I'd advise against it if you're trying to learn to skid, better to start with a lower gear, get the basics down than go for that.

Random question of curiosity - how big/tall are some of you that are running the higher gear inches? I mean, I can push a tall gear just fine, but in terms of practicality a lower gear and higher spin just work better with my smaller build.

5'7" 140 lbs and I ride 45/15 in Memphis. Not too hilly, but it has its moments. I stand for hills, but I still spin quite a bit going down so I don't want to go much lower. I'd rather fight a hill than spin my legs off going down the other side. I also run a front brake and don't skid, so that's not an issue.

Interesting. We're precisely the same size.

i wont tell you what gear right for you. how would i know?

i've ridden 52/16 for periods, but i find 48/16 most comfortable. the bigger gear was awesome when i wanted to "pound" but was tiresome when i was half-awake trying to trudge into class.

i think the best gear is one that you spin out as often as you feel like you mash it. with the average coming in at your most comfortable cadence. just because you can push a gear, wont necessarily make it ideal.

Even if you are strong enough to push 48x15 well, remember your knees. That gear will be pretty serious wear and tear on your knees for daily driving.

It depends. Do you want knee arthritis when you're 40?

Granted I'm in Albany so I have to deal with real hills, and I've had knee injuries in the past, but I roll 53:21 (Satan's gear-inches, wooo!). Spinning is good for you. It makes you stronger.

dont forget to think about what if you want to go for a long ride.

gearing is a preference, some people like to spin, others like to mash.

if you are getting around fine, maybe it isnt too tall for you.

then again, maybe you just dont what you like.

change it up and find out what you like.

whats the worst that can happen... you have extra chainrings and cogs laying around?

dont forget to think about what if you want to go for a long ride.

gearing is a preference, some people like to spin, others like to mash.

if you are getting around fine, maybe it isnt too tall for you.

then again, maybe you just dont what you like.

change it up and find out what you like.

whats the worst that can happen... you have extra chainrings and cogs laying around?

try to change up whatever costs less, though. :)

Hehe.
I'm on a 42/16 right now, but for longer rides the lack of top-end is killing me. thinking about changing up. 48/15 is pretty intense though, Iunno about that unless I had a brake..

try to change up whatever costs less, though. :)
yes, cogs cost slightly less, but you can always sell and swap parts with friends.
(friends because they probably know how much you actually rode on that chainring etc.)

Someone should set up a BF cog swap for these kinds of experiments.

I currently ride 44x15, that can be a bit much sometimes.

My girlfriend rides 42x17, now that is just pure heaven. You don't even have to think about stopping, it just happens. You don't have to think about going either, the light goes green and all of a sudden you're cruising along comfortably. I'll be picking up a 16 or 17 tooth cog within the next few weeks.

I'd rather take it easy. Then again, I also plan on putting some Nitto Promenade bars on my next build...

I'd advise against it if you're trying to learn to skid, better to start with a lower gear, get the basics down than go for that.


+1. low gears till you know how to stop, go up a couple, a few inches at a time as you get more comfortable at spinning and stopping. if you can keep the same cadence on a higher gear (as riding a lower gear will teach you to do), you'll go faster. and you gotta be able to stop fast, too.

Interesting. We're precisely the same size.

Interesting.. so am I... plus 5 lbs..

Not if you like your knees.

Stopping + starting at lights = pain.

I currently ride 44x15, that can be a bit much sometimes.

My girlfriend rides 42x17, now that is just pure heaven.

I'm currently trying a 42x16 right now, and while it's great up the hills, I'm turning about 1000rpm going down. (The hills are steep around here)

I think a 45x16 with an 18 on the flip side would be the best solution for the varied terrain around here.

Az

48x18 is great because it's flexible enough for stop and go, yet you can learn to spin in the city without losing control. I prefer spinning a little harder than mashing high gears, just because I love my knees. I find 68-70 gear inches to be perfect for city riding with a few hills.

I'm running a 48x16 in the flatland of FL and it's just about perfect. 48x15 you'll be pushing.

Figure your average speed and comfy rpms, factor in the hills and get yer gear inches from there. For me it's something around 23mph, 110rpm, blah blah. Bike's still ridable when I'm feeling lazy and pushing 50rpm.

How can these two (48x15 and 48x16) really be so different in feel/performance with just one teeth of difference???

i learned how to ride track on a 48/16, recently switched to 48/15 after being prompted by a messenger buddy. he claimed it was "the champions choice". Most experienced riders i know go with this gear. i actually find it easier to get up hills, although stopping those last few feet can be difficult, i do skid a lot more though. I find it much easier to lock up at high speeds.

Same question as above...

I'm mashing a 52x17, and i don't get why anyone would ride anything else. Granted, in edmonton there is only one hill and most of my commuting is long open roads rather than start/stop in traffic- but as it is, i can usually keep up with cars "off the line" at traffic lights and I find my self wishing i had a bigger gear going down hills more often than i am crying going up them... and stopping is easy- i just use my brake.

are my knee's going to get wrecked?

I think ryand hit the nail on the head and most people have switched gearing enough to find exactly what they liked

for example these are the gearings that I have gone through
48x14 --> 48x17 --> 44x17 --> 46x17

I live in quite possibly the flatest place on earth....and I could easily run higher gearing that I currently do although I have found that I like to spin better than mashing...the next bike will probably be setup with a 43x17 or 42x17....I also like 17t cogs because combined with most chainrings they give you 17 skid patches which is nice

i started on a 42 x 19, graduated to a 45 x 19 (up 17th street @ Market & Castro in SF), then slowly worked up to a 45 x 17... same reason as stated above... 17t and 19t yields 17 and 19 patches respectively. Moved to Chicago, moved to a 52 x 19, then to a 52 x 17. Perfect. Just did a century on the 52 x 17 (Tour De Cure in Grafton, Il. Not to many hills.) I'd like to go more, but I find the mashing up / spinning down hills ATM to be highly complimentary.

Not to threadjack, but I'm anticipating moving to a city with much smaller blocks (Philly), and I remember pushing a 42x15 there seemed silly with how far you typically got before you had to stop, assuming you don't just blaze every stop or light. I've been enjoying riding my winter bike with 44x18 around Montreal, which causes spinouts only in weirdly long stretches of green lights, and a couple of long gentle decents.

I like to spin too, usually 90-120 rpm when I'm happily moving along... do you folks like to mash, or do you just go really fast? A radar device on Bernard last week clocked me at 25 km/h at a comfortable pace and spin in stoppy traffic with the 44x18 bike... Montreal has long blocks for north/south, and lots of places east/west where you don't have a stop for a while because of cross-island train tracks. Philly and Manhattan certainly don't have that, plus way more vehicle traffic.

Anyway, for a standard reply: 49x18 on a light road bike and 44x18 on a heavy mountain bike feel good to me in a "hilly" city, small enough to not die from a standstill, big enough to haul a little ass where possible. From riding in Philly, I'd say 49x15 is a heroically high gear and gearing down is a practical idea.

I had 52x14 on mine. I loved the top end but hated the low end. I am considering getting a quick realease and getting a track/track rear wheel with different size cogs on each side, maybe 14 on one side and 17 on the other. As long as my dropouts have the space. Is this a good idea?

I have a fixed/fixed hub with 48/17 on one side for everyday riding and 48/15 for the races. You can ask the beautiful people I rode with during April Fool's race in Philly that the 15 sets a nice pace. It's nice to be able to flip from a commuter gearing to a flat-out fast ride gearing. For all you kids who have a fixed/fixed, I say throw two cogs on and try it out.

PS I started riding fixed ~5 years ago with 48/18 and a brake. I rode this year's MonsterTrack 48/17 brakeless (and breakless) and now am an all-the-time-brake-on type guy.

I ride 48x18 in New York but I'm thinking of going lighter. My right knee is in a constant state of discomfort. I think, for me, the problem is getting up to speed after a stop over and over and that I 'favor' my right leg more. And, I have a hunch my sneakers and toe clips/straps don't help. When I switch to Look pedals and road shoes, my knee doesn't hurt so much. But I have no problem climbing what hills there are around here with that gear.

This is in and around Manhattan (wash heights) were it is mostly flat but going uptown there are a couple of hills, not too many but stop and go could take some not too much effort (guess geting used to it). I've had this bike for two weeks only so I'm still getting used to it, but everybody I tell says it is too high (or low you correct me) for a beginner. Can I get away with raising just the back cog? If so how much?


48x17 uptown. easygoing ratio that chugs up hills and starts/stops no problem.

also install a brake unless you wanna die the way you lived...brakeless

I had 52x14 on mine. I loved the top end but hated the low end. I am considering getting a quick realease and getting a track/track rear wheel with different size cogs on each side, maybe 14 on one side and 17 on the other. As long as my dropouts have the space. Is this a good idea?

quick release on a rear track wheel is definitely not a good idea. it might work if you have tension screws but i would still recomend against it. having those two ratios would be sweet if your dropouts allow it but definitely stay with bolts and get a wrench with the 15mm hex hole on one side of it... it makes switching pretty mindless and easy. Swobo makes a sweet 15mm hex/pedal wrench/bottle opener combo in conjuction with park tools which is totally sweet.

I'll pick up a 17 cog and put it on the flip.

i use 48/16 on track, but my coach says i should go up to 48/15.
and for streets, are you f***ing me?

46-16 brakeless in winnpeg, where hills are non-exsistant

are you able to stop easily with that 46-16 combo?

yeah its not bad... you really need to work at it though, and i am probably going to be adding a brake soon. it gets tough stop by just resisting the pedals, you pretty much have to skid if you want to stop at any meaningful speed

Well I would like to learn to stop by skidding