Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - 46 chainring, thinking about trying 48 t chainring. Any thoughts?

I was curious, I'm currently 46/17 and was thinking of trying 48/17. Worth trying, or waste of money and just stay 46/17 :P

it depends what your looking to get out of it.is the 46 too easy you will have a bit more speed with a 48.I run a 48x16 set up ,I jumped up from a 44x16..thats a 4 tooth jump.46x16 might be an option too.

I don't know, it just seems like 46/17 is nice, but it feels imo like I'm doing a lot of work and not going very fast :/ I live in flat areas with the only hills being a bridge here and there...I might try 46/16

I went from 42-16 to 48-17 and I have hills, you should be okay.

48/17 is my favorite gear ratio. I find it to be very well-rounded for the mild hills (also mostly bridges) where I live.

Enjoy the negligible difference.

The difference won't be huge but adding 3 gear inches should be noticeable.

OP - you'd get more out of keeping 46t up front and changing your cog to 16t.

In Portland here I went with 46-16 from the stock kilo 48-16 and it definitely helps with all of the stop n' go's that I encounter... That being said, I say try and find a cheap 48t chain ring (or a bike with that gearing) and try it out...

Well, I wanted to try 48/17 because the sram omnionomnomnom's come with a 48 chainring. Granted I can change the chainring to another brand, 46 but - think ill give 48 a try.

I ride 46-16 with a few hills. If it were flat, i'd definitely bump it up some.

I ride a 700x23c wheel, 170mm crank, and a 48*16 gear (single speed only)

I normally cruise at 19-22mph, max out at about 32-34 before I spin out.

I live in a relatively flat area with some rolling hills if I choose to ride them. I really like the gear, but occasionally swap to a 50*16. The two tooth jump for me (in my case from 48-50) is significant enough that from a standing start I can feel the higher strain. I can curise a little less easy since the extra few teeth in front at my normal cadence run at around 20mph on the low end.... which makes me "try" a bit too hard for my liking.

My opinion is that the two teeth in front will mean, given the same cadence I ride about .5 mph faster, but have to try a bit harder, and increases my max speed enough to be noticable. It also makes stop-light starts a little more work, and I can actually feel the difference in time it takes me to get up to speed.

Hope this information helps.

What's wrong with the 46? Going from 46 to 48 isn't much of a change. Get a 47 and then you'll always have maximum skid patches regardless of what cog you use.

cogs are cheap. keep the 46 ring and do a 16t cog. i really like 46x16/17 (in/out of form, in my local rolling hills) as a gear choice.

One other thing to think about is chain length. When you change gearing your wheel will move in the dropouts. But two teeth is a pretty minor change and shouldn't force you to change your chain length, unless you're already at one extreme.


cogs are cheap. keep the 46 ring and do a 16t cog.

This.

How do you guys ride with those ratios, I'm guessing my ratio 48/16 isn't much different from 46/16 and its tough as hell haha. Maybe I just have weak legs.

How do you guys ride with those ratios, I'm guessing my ratio 48/16 isn't much different from 46/16 and its tough as hell haha. Maybe I just have weak legs.

Depends on the bike, how far you plan on going, your condition, the terrain.

Some guys here actually ride on the track.

My SS is ~17lbs and I only do 20mile training rides.

48x16 in tennis shoes and baggy jeans on a 25lb bike is very different than the same gear on a 17lb bike, in an uber-dork spandex kit (what I ride in), with carbon soled shoes and clipless pedals. It may not be you,... it may just be your intent.

hell go to 49t

I went from 46x16 to 46x17 and noticed a huge difference. There are a lot of hills (big ones) around here so 46x17 is better, but sometimes I feel like I'm spinning pretty fast, especially downhill. If you don't have any serious hills to deal with, 48x17 might even be lower than what you want (depending on how you ride). I'd probably just go with 46x16 or higher. Oh and cogs tend to be cheaper than chainrings (in my experience).

See this is what sucks, the SRAM Ormoiaoaonomnomnom's only come 48 chainring crankset. I have a feeling I might like 48/17...

The sugino messenger I heard is a kind of a waste and I might as well buy the Sram Ormonomnomnoms... I just really want a new crankset. Why? Heck, why do people buy Aerospokes, or Chris King Headsets, or Brooks B17's. I just want to buy some nice parts for my bike :love:

I happen to like the SRAM S300 better than Ominominominominominoms. Less money too.

http://www.universalcycles.com/images//products/large/26702.jpg
http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=26702

It totally depends on terrain. I ride 48-15 because my town is flat as a pancake. Why don't y'all like Sugino cranks?

I happen to like the SRAM S300 better than Ominominominominominoms. Less money too.

http://www.universalcycles.com/images//products/large/26702.jpg
http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=26702


Bro..bro...bro...those are nice, but I want 1/8. I need dem + tarck points son!:innocent:

Bro..bro...bro...those are nice, but I want 1/8. I need dem + tarck points son!:innocent:

bro, labeled by universal cycles with "courier". That gives you mad street cred. :thumb:

i have the s300 on the kilo (46/16) and the omniums on the gtb (48/17). i will have to say that 1) the omniums are stiffer than the s300 (1/8" vs 3/32"; 144bcd vs 130bcd), and 2) 46/16 and 48/17 are really close in terms of gear inches, and both are good all-around gear ratios for street use/commuting. it allows you to tackle the occasional hill, and still push 20+mph on flats. 46/17 is a good gear for street use/commuting as well, but you're more likely get dropped on a group ride (whereas with the 46/16 or 48/17, you at least have a shot at hugging the wheel in front of you).

i have the s300 on the kilo (46/16) and the omniums on the gtb (48/17). i will have to say that 1) the omniums are stiffer than the s300 (1/8" vs 3/32"; 144bcd vs 130bcd), and 2) 46/16 and 48/17 are really close in terms of gear inches, and both are good all-around gear ratios for street use/commuting. it allows you to tackle the occasional hill, and still push 20+mph on flats. 46/17 is a good gear for street use/commuting as well, but you're more likely get dropped on a group ride (whereas with the 46/16 or 48/17, you at least have a shot at hugging the wheel in front of you).



Hrmm thanks. That's pretty helpful!

Hahah, but the Sugino is labeled messenger. Which is more street cred, courier or messenger. :p

Help me out here. When you folks have these discussions about your teeth and your speed and your hills and your shoes, do assume everyone is running 700c wheels and 170mm cranks?

And is it really possible to tell someone if a two tooth increase will be a good idea?

Help me out here. When you folks have these discussions about your teeth and your speed and your hills and your shoes, do assume everyone is running 700c wheels and 170mm cranks?

And is it really possible to tell someone if a two tooth increase will be a good idea?

I think it's fair to say that everyone is running 700c, at least in the back for sure. As far as crankarm length, I don't think it matters too much with gearing. I mean, you are going to be spinning the same rpms with 165mm cranks as you are with 175mm cranks, it'll just be easier. Therefore, crankarm length tends to be more of a preference thing. I'd say that it is easier to spin on shorter cranks, and harder with longer cranks. It also depends on leg length though. I'm 5'8"ish, and 175s are just too long for me. I feel a lot faster with 165s, regardless of the gearing.

I think it's fair to say that everyone is running 700c, at least in the back for sure. As far as crankarm length, I don't think it matters too much with gearing. I mean, you are going to be spinning the same rpms with 165mm cranks as you are with 175mm cranks, it'll just be easier. Therefore, crankarm length tends to be more of a preference thing. I'd say that it is easier to spin on shorter cranks, and harder with longer cranks. It also depends on leg length though. I'm 5'8"ish, and 175s are just too long for me. I feel a lot faster with 165s, regardless of the gearing.


I think most people run 165 as they seem to be the standard track crank size.

shorter cranks will open your hip angle, and it should be more comfortable. however, 165s are not the standard.

bro, labeled by universal cycles with "courier". That gives you mad street cred. :thumb:

So true. My tires say "for messenger" on them it is the sickest.

Aaahhh okay. It was kind of silly of me to say something like "standard" lol. My bad!



That being said I'm at the pub drinking 1$ pbr's on tap! O have high hopes of ordering a sram nomnomnom's tonight. I'm debating ordering 167.2 but I think ill stick to 165.

I blame scodzilla. He convinced me with it being his favorite gear. It was his dreadlocks really. Anyman with dreads and 48/17 gear ratio must be trusted!


Also mmm pbr ;)


Also if I blow my kness out I'm making "blame scrodzilla" stickers.

I don't know, it just seems like 46/17 is nice, but it feels imo like I'm doing a lot of work and not going very fast :/ I live in flat areas with the only hills being a bridge here and there...I might try 46/16

you should be happy with that.go to sheldonbrown.com there is a gear calculator to help sort gear combos out.KEEP RIDIN

Okay so the cheapest 48t chainring I found was a eightinch chainring for 20bones. Its 1/8. In theory would I be able to use it (and a 1/8 cog and chain) on my stock iro cranks (they are both same size 130) without chainline woe? Or is this a dumb idea?