Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - most common gear ratio?

whats the most common gear ratio?

not sure i can say it is the most common, but most people will say 70ish gear inches is ideal for city riding. i run 50x19 which is just under that, and it treats me just fine. lots of off the peg bikes come with a 46 or 48x16 ratio, however.

i go 52-15 but my legs are stronger than average

I go 52-13 but my dick's way bigger than average

56 tooth chainring with a welded up 9 tooth driver...

53-11, but i usually just walk it around town.

I go 52-13 but my dick's way bigger than average


that's what i ment to say

I ride 48-18. Thats 70.1 gear inches. I agree that 70 is a good average. To put it in perspective, at 60rpm you're going 20 km/hr. At 90rpm (which is a decent sustainable rpm) you're doing 30km/hr. Powering it, you're probably spinning 120rpm, which is around 40km/hr.

Remember you're not always gonna be going in good conditions and full speed. When I ride with my dad, he rides casually at 20 so I reduce my cadence to 60. When I'm tired, a similar result. When theres wind, likewise. I reckon the average rider would spend a lot of time at 20km/hr, and when you have to spin at 40rpm to ride that speed, its no fun.

Past polls on this site have yielded a nice looking bell curve that peaks around 70-75 gi.

53x11 brakeless.

there's no single most common gear ratio. a lot of people have very different preferences. as already stated, most people ride in the mid-70s, in terms of "gear inches" - search www.sheldonbrown.com for a detailed explanation of gear inches.

i've ridden with people who push big gears and people who spin gears and without a doubt, the consistently fastest are those who have taught themselves to spin a low gear (65-70 inches, at most). i've ridden 48x18 and 49x19 for long periods of time, to get my legs to moving very fast. it's always shocking when i move back up to a higher street gear (46x16), but i generally find myself in great condition afterward - after a day or two of adjustment, i spin the higher gear as fast as i spun the low gear.

i recommend to everyone i know that they spend significant time in lower gears. i recently rode with a newbie roadie friend of mine, taught and explained to him some basics about spinning, and, in a few miles, got him quite easily up a couple hills that previously he had much difficulty with.

there's no single most common gear ratio. a lot of people have very different preferences. as already stated, most people ride in the mid-70s, in terms of "gear inches" - search www.sheldonbrown.com for a detailed explanation of gear inches.

i've ridden with people who push big gears and people who spin gears and without a doubt, the consistently fastest are those who have taught themselves to spin a low gear (65-70 inches, at most). i've ridden 48x18 and 49x19 for long periods of time, to get my legs to moving very fast. it's always shocking when i move back up to a higher street gear (46x16), but i generally find myself in great condition afterward - after a day or two of adjustment, i spin the higher gear as fast as i spun the low gear.

i recommend to everyone i know that they spend significant time in lower gears. i recently rode with a newbie roadie friend of mine, taught and explained to him some basics about spinning, and, in a few miles, got him quite easily up a couple hills that previously he had much difficulty with.

The best gear ratio depends on many things including where you are riding. In NYC perhaps a low gear is faster. I generally ride in areas where there are miles between stoplights with rolling hills. In that environment a higher gear ratio (high 78-81 inches) is clearly faster, assuming of course you are strong enough to maintain a decent cadence up the hills. I agree with the second bolded point....riding a lower gear at least some of the time is beneficial. Low gear to develop the spin...then high gear to develop the strength. I ride lower gears in the winter, because I'm in no mood to ride at full speed in the freezing wind, rain, snow, filthy roads, etc.

milbach, you've got a good point about the variable of social geography, but my intended point (which i'm clarifying in response to your point), is that i'd bet good money that if you train in a lower gear, you'll ride those miles between stoplights in rolling hills even faster when you put your bigger gear back on... which you say. so, high five! after some clarification we agree with each other.

spinning is good, but don't overdo really high rpms a lot or you will **** up your knees. mix it up with lower rpms to.

48x16 is the stock ratio on lots of bikes

48x16 is the stock ratio on lots of bikes

ditto

high rpms ****s up your knees? i was unaware of that....i lways thought that ifi was pushig a harder gear my knees would take more of a toll since they dont feel outstanding on my current spinny gear....

42 x 16 is a very common ratio for around town, good for accelerating and decelerating. It comes to about 70 gear inches. I personally ride 43 x 17, which is a tiny bit smaller even.

Anything much bigger really isn't very useful, unless you want to do long uninterrupted rides outside town.

Im on a 40 x 16. With 170's and 38c tires (STILL!) *Shakes fist at sky* STUPID WINTER!

Its like 65 - 66 inches. I also have a 14t which takes it up to 74 - 75 inches.

high rpms ****s up your knees? i was unaware of that....i lways thought that ifi was pushig a harder gear my knees would take more of a toll since they dont feel outstanding on my current spinny gear....

just my experience. i run 65" at times and end up spinning pretty consistently above 100rpm unless i'm climbing, which is rare. just like your knees aren't used to mashing big gears, nor are they designed to spin at 120rpm all the time. i just mix it up and avoid any overuse injury.

ya makes sence i would say. im running the super spinny 42X17 but i can do wheeeeeeelllliiiesss

I run 32/18 (51 gear inches) which I find just about right with what would equate to 700x56 knobby tires. It's a bit tough to get through the more technical spots and some steep climbs, but gives me a shot at everything. My biggest issues are the extended uphill sections with roots/rocks or loose ground. Without momentum clearing roots/log overs/larger rocks gets to be near impossible. I think the gearing is just about perfect for my uses, as I seem to be more limited by technical skills than the gearing in off road use.

On flat paved ground I really feel the limit on cadence at around 18mph which isn't bad. Downhill is just pathetic, although I've spun up to about 30mph and that's not exactly comfortable. The good news is when you are dead tired going into a headwind uphill and the start seeing some flurries and you ran out of water about 8 miles ago, you can really appreciate having your gearing too low. I learned that last night.

I have a 46t chainring with a fixed/fixed hub so i run 46/17 (17 skid patches) when i ride with my friends and just eat **** around town. Also, 46/15 if i plan on doing long rides.

I think a fixed/fixed hub was one of my favorite investments now that i think about it.

I've found that the most common gear ratio is the one that the rider is comfortable with. You shouldn't ride with a gear that you don't like.

I have a 46t chainring with a fixed/fixed hub so i run 46/17 (17 skid patches) when i ride with my friends and just eat **** around town. Also, 46/15 if i plan on doing long rides.

I think a fixed/fixed hub was one of my favorite investments now that i think about it.

i cant fingure out if the bolded is a good or bad thing. darn slang!

2.8 is a very popular ratio, however people get there. I run a 48/17.

I like 67GI for brakeless.My other set ups are between 72 and 81

A stock bianchi pista would be around 81 gear inches, right? I live in chicago, a flat city... i'm only out of the saddle for 1 or two revolutions. I feel comfortable with the stock setup right now, but my family has a history of knee problems and i don't want to regret anything 20 years from now. Would it be wise to go down a little bit?

A stock bianchi pista would be around 81 gear inches, right? I live in chicago, a flat city... i'm only out of the saddle for 1 or two revolutions. I feel comfortable with the stock setup right now, but my family has a history of knee problems and i don't want to regret anything 20 years from now. Would it be wise to go down a little bit?

Perhaps. I run 42x16 (69 g.i.) on mine right now. It's flat here too and during the winter, the FG mostly sees commuting duty. I don't care to skid (so skip patches aren't a big concern of mine) but prefer to gently backpedal when possible and brake when necessary. 69 seems about right for town riding, but in the summer I like to get out on the open road and 6.5 more gear inches (43 x 15) seems like a nice jump up.

So, it depends.

I ride around town on my roadie usually on 42x13 (84.9 gi). It's a good way to figure out what you like...take a geared bike out and play around with it.

My track/fixed bike is currently running 47x17, though I may drop the gi down a bit.

70 gear inches ftw. I have a 49/19 and it rocks. I live in a super flat city btw. I used to have 49/17 and I often felt like I was mashing, especially if there's wind. I'm starting to go on longer rides (at least for me, and I mean like 10+ miles without rest) and the lower gear rocks.

I have 46/22 in my commute bicycle. Considerig the 214 cm of tire circunference, the gear inche is 56 inches. I found this ratio good because there are some hills and many transit signals in my city. With this ratio, the avegare in my 20 km (12,5 miles) route is always between 25 and 27,5 km/h (15,5 and 17,2 mph), with shorts maximum peaks of 45 km/h (28 mph) in descents.

I have 46/22 in my commute bicycle. Considerig the 214cm of tire circunference, the gear inche is 56 inches. I found this ratio good because there are some hills and many transit signals in my city. With this ratio, the avegare in my 20 km (12,5 miles) route is always between 25 and 27,5 km/h (15,5 and 17,2 mph), with shorts maximum peaks in 45 km/h (28 mph).

You must spin like crazy..............

I too run a 48/17 and i find it to be just right. It's heavy at times even on small hills, but i'm new to riding. I also have no problem keeping cadence down hills.

thanks... think i'll gear down a little bit

I live in a real hilly area and i run 46x15.

I thought it was funny that while i've been visiting my parents for the past few days that ratio seems to low for me because Dayton is so much flatter than Athens.

53x11. but i live in the alps so it's chill.

A stock bianchi pista would be around 81 gear inches, right? I live in chicago, a flat city... i'm only out of the saddle for 1 or two revolutions. I feel comfortable with the stock setup right now, but my family has a history of knee problems and i don't want to regret anything 20 years from now. Would it be wise to go down a little bit?

Stock pista is 48x16 or 79 gear inches. I recently dropped mine down to a 46x16 (75 GI) and am really enjoying it, just enough difference to make the hills and wind a little easier. Or you might wanna throw a 17t cog on there if you want more skid patches.

I'm running 69 gear inches on my Ganwell Pro, which is a little spinny for me, but as comfortable as I would want to go brakeless.

Im riding 46x17 on 165's and 23c's right now. It was a great setup for awhile but now I just feel like im spinning to much to keep a decent speed. Im thinking about trying out a 47x15 on 170's next.

Also, how do you figure out your gear inches? Noob question. Sorry guys.

Im riding 46x17 on 165's and 23c's right now. It was a great setup for awhile but now I just feel like im spinning to much to keep a decent speed. Im thinking about trying out a 47x15 on 170's next.

Also, how do you figure out your gear inches? Noob question. Sorry guys.

search "sheldon brown gear calculator" in google

Im riding 46x17 on 165's and 23c's right now. It was a great setup for awhile but now I just feel like im spinning to much to keep a decent speed. Im thinking about trying out a 47x15 on 170's next.

Also, how do you figure out your gear inches? Noob question. Sorry guys.

1 - Measure the tire circunference;

2 - Calculate the tire diameter:


"Tire diameter" = "tire circunference" / 3,1415

3 - Calculate the Gear inches:


"Gear inches" = ("front cog teeth" / "rear cog teeth") * "Tire diameter"


Or use the xls file in the attachment.

new to riding SS's i was wondering on what ratio to run.
Live in the east bay, so its a bit hilly and then i found this article
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/17/SPI11064U2.DTL
"The most common gear ratio is 2:1; i.e., having a 36-tooth ring in front and an 18-tooth cog in back, or 34 and 17, etc. Other riders advocate a 1.8:1 ratio (32-18), which is a better suited for the hilly terrain in the Bay Area."

I am wondering are you guys, who are running well over 2:1 incredibly strong? or just not so hilly areas?

Anyone know how many GI's 46/17 would be?

Check this out too: http://rabbit.bareknucklebrigade.com/rabbit.applet.html

I run 46/17 equalling 71.1GI on my 23s right now I think. Works well, easily controllable and I've had it upto 30mph (50km/h) so far, which was a bit uncomfortable, but certainly possible - nice spin pace at 90/100rpm too. We have annoying rollers and combining winds at times here, so my 17 on the back is welcome for most of my riding, a 15 might serve nicely in a month or so depending on how I feel.

I ran 42/17 in the winter which was awesome, and still held pace fairly well (not often I'm cruising at summer-speeds when there's ice/crap around anyway).

I've just dropped from 46 x 16 to 46 x 17. Much better.

I've just dropped from 46 x 16 to 46 x 17. Much better.

That's where I"m at after a couple years of running too high a gear for the stops and stars of urban riding.

My first conversion used a 32x13 ratio (65 inches), which taught me how to spin and how not to coast. My Spicer/Mercier has a 46x17 ratio (71 inches), which is quite a bit steeper, but fast as hell for city riding. I was initially afraid that the gear might be a bit high for riding up hills and into headwinds (Highway 1!), but I put road drops on the bike instead of the bullhorns I had initially planned on, and the lower position from the drops gives me a very powerful pedal stroke when I need to get up a hill and a nice aero tuck when I need to take on a headwind or get down a hill fast. As an added bonus, the drops also look better than the bullhorns, IMO.

Last week I hit 35 mph on one of those speedometer signs (you know the ones - they tell you how fast you're going to try to keep people from speeding) at the bottom of a hill. Admittedly, that one is probably rather inaccurate, but I credit all of my speed on fixed gear bikes to putting in several months on a rather low gear before moving up.


I think if I were to go on more long rides with my track bike (mostly do those on my geared road bike), I would get a 15t on the flop side of my flip-flop fixed-fixed hub for long descents.

i ride 48x16 ~79 gi b/c twas stock but when i'm actually trying to go fast fast it gets a bit too easy for my taste, it's great for a nice steady pace though

my next bike is going to be 47x19 ~65 gi though d: just dicking around at slow speeds, tricks and what not

I think I'm pushing about 500 GI.

http://www.teammccallusa.com/images/clip_image005.jpg

I am surprised that there aren't people that ride 38/11 so that they can make their bikes lighter.