Bicycle Mechanics - 11 Tooth Rear Cog, where to find?

I want a little more top end on my Cruiser. I've already put on a 52 tooth front chain ring up front. There is a 14 tooth rear cog on my Shimano Mega Range 7 speed. I was told that 11 tooth cogs used to be available for them but I haven't had any luck finding them. The LBS's all told me that they've been discontinued :( Any one know where I could get one, heck I'd even settle for a used one at this point. I keep running out of gearing on the flats.

Do you have a cassette or a freewheel?

IF it's a freewheel, you're out of luck.

http://sheldonbrown.com/free-k7.html

Sounds like you have the old freewheel style of gear cluster on the back wheel; if so, your LBS is right -- no 11T. Your alternative is not cheap -- new rear wheel, new 8-speed shifter for the rear, and that 8-speed cassette. Chances are the rear derailleur will work with the 8-sp shifter.

Sounds like you have the old freewheel style of gear cluster on the back wheel; if so, your LBS is right -- no 11T. Your alternative is not cheap -- new rear wheel, new 8-speed shifter for the rear, and that 8-speed cassette. Chances are the rear derailleur will work with the 8-sp shifter.

He would not have to go more than 7 speeds!

If you're running out of gearing with 52/14, that means you must be doing 35 MPH+ on the flats.

My hat's off to you...

It's a freewheel. There is a bike junkyard of sorts that I could perhaps hunt one down. Guy has 1000s of bikes. Do I need one off of a 7 speed or are all free wheels pretty much the same diameter regardless of speeds?

If you're running out of gearing with 52/14, that means you must be going 35 MPH+ on the flats.

My hat's off to you...

Ha! Maybe running out of gearing was the wrong term :D I like a slow cadence when I pedal with a high cruising speed. Always been that way for me. Some folks love to spin, I'm not one of them. I have an old three speed AMF Hercules, the gearing is awesome on that. I'm going for a similar top end on my cruiser if I can.

It's a freewheel. There is a bike junkyard of sorts that I could perhaps hunt one down. Guy has 1000s of bikes. Do I need one off of a 7 speed or are all free wheels pretty much the same diameter regardless of speeds?


New freewheels in general are hard to find. IRD makes a few that are probably compatible with your setup: http://www.interlocracing.com/freewheels_steel.html

Jeff, checked it out, no 11 tooth :( Lowest is a 13 which I can already get from my LBS. I'm not sure the tiny bit of extra speed would be worth it. I suppose I could go all out and put on my massive 65 tooth front sprocket. That might raise the cruising speed a wee bit. I have a 52t chain ring on top of it in the picture.

It's my understanding that Freewheels aren't made with less than 13T.

You would have to go to a Free Hub & Cassette.

It's my understanding that Freewheels aren't made with less than 13T.

You would have to go to a Free Hub & Cassette.

The LBS claimed that they used to sell tons of 11 tooth cogs. I'm no expert on the subject so they could have been jerking my chain.

My old Suntour Winners were 7 speed 12-21

Heh. I was building my Redline R540 hybrid the last couple of weeks. While at my bike coop, I needed to get a 8speed cassette. Found a cassette with 6 speeds in it (13t-30t) and then found 2 more cogs in the parts bin for the cassette. One was a 12t and the other was an 11t. My big cog on the front is 52t. No wonder when I pedal going downhill I'm barely spinning. I'm sure as hell not going 35mph but I am spinning really slowly and I like that.

A bike junkyard should have enough wheels where you can find an older 7speed freehub wheel that you can get a cassette for. You could then scrounge up the 11t cog like I did and add it to the cassette.

Ha! Maybe running out of gearing was the wrong term :D I like a slow cadence when I pedal with a high cruising speed. Always been that way for me. Some folks love to spin, I'm not one of them. I have an old three speed AMF Hercules, the gearing is awesome on that. I'm going for a similar top end on my cruiser if I can.

I'd be surprised if an old three-speed topped out at ~100 GI, like your cruiser -- I think the English ones were more like 75-80 GI. Maybe the Hercules just feels like it's in a really high gear? ;)

I'd be surprised if an old three-speed topped out at ~100 GI, like your cruiser -- I think the English ones were more like 75-80 GI. Maybe the Hercules just feels like it's in a really high gear? ;)

It's a Strumey Archer AW. According to Sheldon Brown's website it's 133 GI on the highest ratio. I suppose I could take my speedo off the cruiser and put it on the Hercules to find out for sure.

It's a Strumey Archer AW. According to Sheldon Brown's website it's 133 GI on the highest ratio. I suppose I could take my speedo off the cruiser and put it on the Hercules to find out for sure.


Incorrect. The top gear of a 3-speed hub is 133% of 2nd gear, which is direct drive. To find the "gear inches", find the number of teeth on the chainring, divide by the number of teeth on the rear sprocket, then multiply the result by the diameter of the wheel. It should be something like (46/17) x 26 = 70 gear inches. 1.33 times that is 93 gear inches.

That's still pretty good for a three-speed on flat ground. If you're mashing that at 80 rpm, you're doing 22 mph. Not bad.

http://www.dnp.com.tw/pro2.asp?ID=1&tmpEdtion=English

bottom right

http://ebikessf.com/node/154

Incorrect. The top gear of a 3-speed hub is 133% of 2nd gear, which is direct drive. To find the "gear inches", find the number of teeth on the chainring, divide by the number of teeth on the rear sprocket, then multiply the result by the diameter of the wheel. It should be something like (46/17) x 26 = 70 gear inches. 1.33 times that is 93 gear inches.

That's still pretty good for a three-speed on flat ground. If you're mashing that at 80 rpm, you're doing 22 mph. Not bad.

What can I say, I'm a bit of a noob at this stuff :) I have a future project planned for that hub. I'm going to use my mega 65 tooth sprocket with it on an old cruiser bike and hopefully have a high speed machine. It's mostly flat around here. If I can't hack it I got some old 700c rims I'll throw on with a 6 speed free-wheel.

Dedhed, thanks for the links. I wish I could just get the individual cog. I was told they just thread on. I'd hate to spend 25 bucks when all I'm after is one little cog. I'm sure I'll figure something out.

The 11-x Shimano megarange freewheels are really hard to find as they came out when most were transitioning to cassette hubs where getting an 11-x is pretty easy and they had a short production run.

Suntour offered 12 tooth cogs for their freewheels (I have some of these coming for some custom freewheels I am building) but for the most part the freewheels you will find on the shelf will be 14-x and if you look harder you may find some higher end 13-x freewheels.

With old SA three speeds there are some limits on what chain ring and cog combinations you can run as some gearing combinations at the high and low end will put too much stress on the hub and could cause failure as it can only handle so much torque. Typical set up is to have a bike running a gearing of 49/65/87 with a little +/- depending on wheel and tyre choices. Many opt to change the driver and add a few teeth to get a better climbing gear and turn the 3rd gear into their cruising gear.

To get my vintage 3 speed road bike to run 133 gear inches up top I would have to mate the 48 tooth ring with a 13 tooth driver and first gear would be 75 gear inches and 2nd would be 100 gear inches. The highest gearing I have run on an SA three speed was 102 gear inches and only did that for some speed tests to see just how fast I could run the hub and any input past 60 kmh in sprints caused it to skip.

Solution here it to find a cassette wheel and then that elusive 11 tooth cog will not be so elusive and you won't have to deal with freewheels that are of lesser quality.

Might check these folks out, not sure if they are miss-labeling cassettes as freewheels, or if it IS an 8 speed freewheel, they have 11 toothed cogs...DNPs, I have NEVER dealt with them.
http://www.comcycle-usa.com/Ebike-and-Scooter-Parts-31279/7128557-DNP-Epoch-8-Speed/ProductInfo.aspx

Might check these folks out, not sure if they are miss-labeling cassettes as freewheels, or if it IS an 8 speed freewheel, they have 11 toothed cogs...DNPs, I have NEVER dealt with them.
http://www.comcycle-usa.com/Ebike-and-Scooter-Parts-31279/7128557-DNP-Epoch-8-Speed/ProductInfo.aspx

That does look like a freewheel and I counted 11 teeth. However, going to 8-speed freewheel isn't wise, given the extra length between the drive-side bearings and dropout. Too bad they don't have one in 7-speed.

Also, looks like a special tool is needed to reach the splines on these freewheels: http://www.comcycle-usa.com/catalog.aspx?srchSearchCriteria=dnp&srchSearchDescriptions=1

I like a slow cadence when I pedal with a high cruising speed.

Well, you will get your wish for low cadence with a 52/11. Roughly 70 rpm at 25mph, and you are very unlikely to get higher than that speed on the flat at that low rpm. People dont just like to spin, it's simply more efficient, both from the human and bicycle standpoint.


I'm going to use my mega 65 tooth sprocket with it on an old cruiser bike and hopefully have a high speed machine.

I'm sure you will do what you wish, except that your wish to have a high speed machine will go wanting. You can't go fast just by slapping on a high gear ratio, whether you spin or not, and you are extremely unlikely to ever get in shape to go fast on low revs and grinding gear ratios.

http://aebike.com/page.cfm?action=details&PageID=30&SKU=FW4616

You can find them from several sources, often associated with e-bikes. All made by DNP. Some sellers say they work with the shimano freewheel tool, others say you might need a special tool. Lots of reports of them not being all that high quality stamped so some people finding misaligned teeth or teeth warping or breaking. Other people say they've had no problems. I looked into this for a while a year or two ago before just deciding to build a 130 mm x 26" wheel for my old 6 speed mtb that I've converted to a drop bar commuter so I could throw a 12-32 8 speed cassette on there. Well, I decided to do that, but got busy and the rim, hub, spokes and stand are all sitting lonely in my garage while I still ride on with my 6 speed 14-28 freewheel. If you do a little search here, you might find the results of the previous discussions.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/758928-Where-to-find-HG50-11-34-7-speed-freewheel?highlight=11+freewheel

11t cogs are easy to find. Flag down a roadie on the bike path and you'll likely get a shiny, completely unused one off their cassette.

For fun, I like to ride micro drivetrains really hard and without proper chain lubrication for hundreds of miles. Then when the 11t starts skipping it's really fun to ride around like an idiot. You have to make sure your ass crack is hanging out though.

Why? Do You want a 1 pedal revolution per fortnight sort of top gear ratio?

Even at 80 rpm, you should be able to do about 40 km/h pleasantly with your current gearing. If you can hold 40 km/h on a bike with cruiser geometry for an extended period, you are either superhuman or...

NO. It can't be!

Bring this chap a larger gear; for it must be he of the red bicycle; and that which was stolen and hidden in the basement of the Alamo has been found!

Wheel sucking behind a fat guy on a motor bike you may be able to use monster gears,
but the limiting factor is air resistance,, then the Aerodynamics
like Bonneville salt flats speed weeks matters a lot.
Cue the Recumbent Velomobile ,..

It's my understanding that Freewheels aren't made with less than 13T.

You would have to go to a Free Hub & Cassette.

Your understanding is incorrect: http://www.ebay.com/itm/7-Speed-Freewheel-11-30T-11-32T-11-34T-LONG-YIH-DNP-Enlarge-7-Speed-Fre-/180821899553?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2a19d33921 Sheeez! This comes up repeatedly and all it takes is a 20 second google search to find 7 speed 11t freewheels. There are other sources, this was simply the first hit. I had two, but gave one away.

Don in Austin

Do you have a cassette or a freewheel?

IF it's a freewheel, you're out of luck.

http://sheldonbrown.com/free-k7.html

Nonsense! http://www.ebay.com/itm/7-Speed-Freewheel-11-30T-11-32T-11-34T-LONG-YIH-DNP-Enlarge-7-Speed-Fre-/180821899553?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2a19d33921 And that is not the only source.

I personally have owned two, gave one away.

Don in Austin

Sounds like you have the old freewheel style of gear cluster on the back wheel; if so, your LBS is right -- no 11T. Your alternative is not cheap -- new rear wheel, new 8-speed shifter for the rear, and that 8-speed cassette. Chances are the rear derailleur will work with the 8-sp shifter.

Your LBS is ignorant and apparently has no internet or nobody capable of a 20 second google search: http://www.ebay.com/itm/7-Speed-Freewheel-11-30T-11-32T-11-34T-LONG-YIH-DNP-Enlarge-7-Speed-Fre-/180821899553?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2a19d33921

Don in Austin

Jeff, checked it out, no 11 tooth :( Lowest is a 13 which I can already get from my LBS. I'm not sure the tiny bit of extra speed would be worth it. I suppose I could go all out and put on my massive 65 tooth front sprocket. That might raise the cruising speed a wee bit. I have a 52t chain ring on top of it in the picture.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/7-Speed-Freewheel-11-30T-11-32T-11-34T-LONG-YIH-DNP-Enlarge-7-Speed-Fre-/180821899553?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2a19d33921

If it's speed you want you will need to turn a faster crank rpm. An 11 will not add speed, it will reduce cadence.

52/11 makes no sense on a cruiser unless the sole purpose is to kill your knees.

If it's speed you want you will need to turn a faster crank rpm. An 11 will not add speed, it will reduce cadence.

Well I'd like a little more speed with a little less cadence. I'm not looking at bombing down the road at 25-30 mph (although I did hit 30 mph today on my ride on a slight decline). My average though on snow covered muddy gravel roads was about 10.5 mph today on a 12 mile ride.

I'd only like to replace one cog, the 14 tooth with an 11. I don't want to change out the whole works. So far no one has come up with a source for being able to get just one cog. Oh well I guess I'll just start on that super cruiser build I've been wanting to build using the monster sprocket. Going to pick up an old cruiser frame this weekend. Probably slam some of my old 700c rims I got laying around on it and call it good. Then I'll be ready to blow past all those uncomfortable road bikes with upright beach cruiser style :p

I think the problem is that you can't install one of those 11T cogs on a regular freewheel -- you need the one in Don in Austin's link because the smallest ones attach differently.

I think the problem is that you can't install one of those 11T cogs on a regular freewheel -- you need the one in Don in Austin's link because the smallest ones attach differently.

Thank you, I guess that answers my question.

Even at 80 rpm

Stop right there, 80 rpm sheesh. You say it like that's some sort of leisurely pace :D Most of the time my cadence is half that or even less. When I'm just out for a slow cruise I'll go 5-6 mph in 7th gear. I'm guessing my rpm is less than 20 per minute on some of those trips.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/7-Speed-Freewheel-11-30T-11-32T-11-34T-LONG-YIH-DNP-Enlarge-7-Speed-Fre-/180821899553?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2a19d33921

Even if a LBS had internet access, why would they be interested in dealing with Ebay?
I would hope they have much better things to do!

Even if a LBS had internet access, why would they be interested in dealing with Ebay?
I would hope they have much better things to do! Like telling people something that is not true?

Well I'd like a little more speed with a little less cadence. My average though on snow covered muddy gravel roads was about 10.5 mph today on a 12 mile ride.





You will categorically not go faster with lower cadence. If you mean the same speed with less cadence not even that is necessarily true.

At low speed and low cadence any variation in wind or slope will affect you greatly due to the lower leverage of a high gear and the widely spaced push-push on the cranks. Your bike's track will go in a weaving pattern rather than a straight line because both you and the bike will tend to lean to one side and then the other.
The bike tires, wheels, and frame will flex more from side to side, wasting energy.
The chain and cogs will wear more quickly.
Your muscles are much less efficient at very low cadence, and you will never get in any better shape if that is important to you, because you will get precious little in cardio or muscular benefit.
In a 52/11 gear on a 26 inch wheel, you would have to pedal at 30 rpm to be at 11 mph average...and I find it very hard to believe that you turn one crank in a revolution every three seconds, which is what 20 rpm is.

Let me be clear - I recognize your right to do what you please, but you cannot decide to avert the laws of physics and physiology.

Even if a LBS had internet access, why would they be interested in dealing with Ebay?
I would hope they have much better things to do!

What's wrong with Ebay ? If a customer wants a product that is not available through normal distributors, the shop could buy it through Ebay and then install it for the customer.

You will categorically not go faster with lower cadence. If you mean the same speed with less cadence not even that is necessarily true.

At low speed and low cadence any variation in wind or slope will affect you greatly due to the lower leverage of a high gear and the widely spaced push-push on the cranks. Your bike's track will go in a weaving pattern rather than a straight line because both you and the bike will tend to lean to one side and then the other.
The bike tires, wheels, and frame will flex more from side to side, wasting energy.
The chain and cogs will wear more quickly.
Your muscles are much less efficient at very low cadence, and you will never get in any better shape if that is important to you, because you will get precious little in cardio or muscular benefit.
In a 52/11 gear on a 26 inch wheel, you would have to pedal at 30 rpm to be at 11 mph average...and I find it very hard to believe that you turn one crank in a revolution every three seconds, which is what 20 rpm is.

Let me be clear - I recognize your right to do what you please, but you cannot decide to avert the laws of physics and physiology.

Correct. Going from a 14 to 11 is a 21% increase.
If someone wants to putter around town in a rediculously big gear, going slower than before, then "go for it" :rolleyes:

You will categorically not go faster with lower cadence. If you mean the same speed with less cadence not even that is necessarily true.

At low speed and low cadence any variation in wind or slope will affect you greatly due to the lower leverage of a high gear and the widely spaced push-push on the cranks. Your bike's track will go in a weaving pattern rather than a straight line because both you and the bike will tend to lean to one side and then the other.
The bike tires, wheels, and frame will flex more from side to side, wasting energy.
The chain and cogs will wear more quickly.
Your muscles are much less efficient at very low cadence, and you will never get in any better shape if that is important to you, because you will get precious little in cardio or muscular benefit.


Let me be clear - I recognize your right to do what you please, but you cannot decide you can avert the laws of physics and physiology.

This time of year I probably won't gain much, I live out in the country. Roads aren't salted so there is a ton of slush all over the ground as well as the roads being muddy since they are gravel. I'm slightly out of shape since I haven't biked regularly in quite a while. That being said when I was in good shape and biked every day my friend left me his Raleigh which had 29 inch balloon tires. At the time I was averaging about 18 mph on the beach cruiser on good roads (no dirt or snow). I went much faster on his bike, which had higher gearing. Not sure how fast (no speedo), but it was fast enough to hear the wind rushing past my ears all the time. The arrival times at my favorite destinations were cut down by a few minutes as well. Same cadence with higher speed. I don't see how physics would somehow make what I'm doing impossible. Higher cog=slower cadence at same speed. I also know that while my heart won't benefit from a low cadence my legs will get stronger with a higher gear. You can build muscle without cardio. I know because my job is lifting 100 pound objects off the ground and throwing them into a straight truck. It's all in the muscle and I have gotten stronger as time as went on.

Hey, do what you want, but I think that 7 speed cassette from DNP that runs 11-28, 32, or 34 that several people have posted is going to be your easiest and cheapest approach to get what you want.

Won’t the jump from the new 11 to the 15 or 16t next to it be a little tough to shift and rather abrupt change in ratio. If you want a masher I say go with the 65 you have shown or something bigger try and leave an inch or so for ground clearance is all.

I rode last fall with an old guy neighbor and he started out and stayed in his 116 gear inch top gear. I bet his cadence never got above 30 the whole ride. The guy is about mid to late 60’s and I asked him don’t you ever spin up those lower gears and he said no way all that roundie roundie tires you out to fast. There are people that like to push hard at low RPM’s.

After that I started once in a while on the flats with no wind or a tail wind going up to the 52-13 that is my top and riding at about 20 to 30 RPM it’s really not all that hard if you are not trying to spin up those gears. Just from a leg workout perspective doing this has a similar benefit to me as walking off lactic acid build up. I have been using my tallest gear also on long down hills at a slow cadence when it’s cool out just to keep legs warm and I feel a little more in control than when coasting.

Go for a massive chain ring man and post some pics when you get it mounted.

That being said when I was in good shape and biked every day my friend left me his Raleigh which had 29 inch balloon tires. At the time I was averaging about 18 mph on the beach cruiser on good roads (no dirt or snow).

You might want to enter some bike races, then, because I do not know anyone whoi can average 18mph on a beach cruiser for a good distance without a hefty tailwind.


I went much faster on his bike, which had higher gearing. Not sure how fast (no speedo), but it was fast enough to hear the wind rushing past my ears all the time. The arrival times at my favorite destinations were cut down by a few minutes as well. Same cadence with higher speed. .

You did not go faster on his bike because of a higher gear. You were able to push a higher gear at the same cadence because of a more efficient position and a more efficient bike.


Same cadence with higher speed. I don't see how physics would somehow make what I'm doing impossible. Higher cog=slower cadence at same speed.

Yes, a higher gear (smaller cog) means lower cadence at the same speed. But it does NOT mean you can just do that because you want to. If you are in a higher gear you have less leverage or torque (physics). Yet at the same time you are on two wheels and pushing on the cranks, which are off-center to the wheel line. That means you have to push down harder, parts will flex and the bike will lean to each side in turn. When parts flex, they produce heat, and movement other than the direction you are going (physics and geometry). Because of bicyle geometry when you lean to one side it turns, producing a weaving track, which means the bike is traveling farther than the distance between two points. Because you have to exert more force, your muscles are nearer to their capacity, and it will be harder to adjust to changes in terrain or wind.


also know that while my heart won't benefit from a low cadence my legs will get stronger with a higher gear. You can build muscle without cardio. I know because my job is lifting 100 pound objects off the ground and throwing them into a straight truck.

Your legs are not likely to get significantly stronger on a bicycle at low cadence, because you can only push against your own weight. That's particularly true on an upright bike like a beach cruiser, where your ability to pull with your arms against the leg effort is much more limited than on a road bike. Even then the movement of the bike back and forth limits how hard you can push.

Won’t the jump from the new 11 to the 15 or 16t next to it be a little tough to shift and rather abrupt change in ratio. If you want a masher I say go with the 65 you have shown or something bigger try and leave an inch or so for ground clearance is all.

I rode last fall with an old guy neighbor and he started out and stayed in his 116 gear inch top gear. I bet his cadence never got above 30 the whole ride. The guy is about mid to late 60’s and I asked him don’t you ever spin up those lower gears and he said no way all that roundie roundie tires you out to fast. There are people that like to push hard at low RPM’s.

After that I started once in a while on the flats with no wind or a tail wind going up to the 52-13 that is my top and riding at about 20 to 30 RPM it’s really not all that hard if you are not trying to spin up those gears. Just from a leg workout perspective doing this has a similar benefit to me as walking off lactic acid build up. I have been using my tallest gear also on long down hills at a slow cadence when it’s cool out just to keep legs warm and I feel a little more in control than when coasting.

Go for a massive chain ring man and post some pics when you get it mounted.

The difference here is that once you have developed the blood supply and cardio fitness you can push high gears and derive more benefit. It's not the same if you always do low cadence/high gears. I would argue that very, very few people are better at low cadence.

The difference here is that once you have developed the blood supply and cardio fitness you can push high gears and derive more benefit. It's not the same if you always do low cadence/high gears. I would argue that very, very few people are better at low cadence.

I totally agree with you it maybe is 1 in 1000 or 1 in a million people that have for whatever reason leg strength that would allow for a better usage of energy or even the possibility of doing low cadence high torque riding and being able to sustain it for any time. I would suggest that the majority of riders out there come to bike riding with leg strength and muscle mass brought about by something other than bike riding. Life conditions us to some degree. The older guy I mentioned in my post that is a masher by nature spent his life as a plumber maybe 50 some years of carrying heavy things up and down ladders was his training. I know another young guy that grew up on a farm and his sport was wrestling, he wrestled heavy weight for four years at a high collegiate level and after graduation at weight of about 280 with a super low BMI set out to do an unsupported Transamerica in under 6 weeks with his previous longest ride less than 50 miles in a day. His riding partner also a wrestler but at a much lighter weight and a accomplished distance cyclist tried to impart the concept of spinning into him but his natural abilities had him running at a much slower RPM than the partner. As the trip evolved he had an old ankle resurface (maybe from mashing) and instead of stopping he suggested seeing as how it was in some flat lands and not too loose days he ride one legged while resting the other. 300 miles later the ankle was rested and able to push on. I was amazed after seeing him both before and after the trip how much his body changed into more of what you would consider a bicyclist build. And he was measuring speed and cadence the whole time and at the end he was considerably closer to a spinner than a masher when he began.

One more observation many newcomers to cycling seem to have and this may or may not apply to the OP. The majority of leg strength most have is what they got walking around in life supporting whatever weight their bodies are at. People that are larger most times don’t have great developed cardio systems necessarily but many times they do have great leg strength. It would be natural for them to yield in the direction of slower cadence higher torque and as they develop as cyclists start making adjustments in the direction of spinning. I was reading over in the Clyde forum where many new riders are getting fitted up with all kinds of bikes and having all kinds of gearing issues. And someone posted about liking a touring setup as a road bike as they were hauling around about the weight of a loaded tour bike with just them on it. Being a bigger guy myself getting back into riding I remember thinking this is almost as easy as it was as a kid on the flats and with gears and strong legs I’m sure it was but then came the hills and thinking this is a 1000 times harder than as a kid.

I like to ride distance and quickly found out I won’t be winning any races but I can control both cadence and torque with using the gearing and that’s where I ride. Many wouldn’t call 60 or 70 RPM spinning but that’s a happy spot for me and then select the gear that lets me do that indefinitely. Then to break it up once in a while spin it up as far as I can go in a different gear or drop down and mash a bit. For me the change of pace is a good thing but trying to keep the majority of the time riding in the comfort zone. My gearing I think many would consider tall and too spaced out but it’s what works for me. Everyone IMO needs to try and figure out what works best for them.

Build a new wheel, SRAM dual drive .. cassette stuff Is 11t, now, 9 speed,
then you shift the IG hub into high and its 1.3 X higher