riotboy

what gear ratio do you use? im building a bike up for a friend but i have no idea whats good for that area. he would be a beginner to fixed gear (please dont hate on him hes a really nice guy). i live in CA so i dont know about the conditions out there in the area (we lived in Florida together). help/suggestions would be appreciated.

DieselDan

Savannah, GA is FLAT. Very FLAT. The only hills have names like "Eugene Talmedge Bridge".

metallo pesante

Savannah is a flat city. Big hills here are a piece of cake to people from boston or atlanta. People here ride anything from a 38x12 to 49x13, it just all depends on what you feel comfortable with. I ride a 47x15 and it suits me fine. whos you friend?

BuddyMike

That Carson? I just left savannah after being there for a few years. Its flat. I rocked 48/17. Thats comfortable, but you can go higher in the chainring and lower in the rear cog if you want to. No granny gears are needed.

tylergarrison

i'm rolling around savannah at 40x15 and i love it. although, i am going with 44x16 on my new build. low gearing helps for those quick starts at a light when trying to beat a line of cars coming at you and you trying to get away from the car of thugs giving you **** in the car behind you/next to you. then again, so does a ulock to their window, but i kinda like not being shot at.

BuddyMike

I never have problems with quick starts on a high gear. Low gears have a faster pick-up from a stop, but one you start going its sucks because your spinning faster but not going as fast as you'd like.

Your chances of getting shot there are slim to none. Wait, no. Your chances of getting shot there are slim to likely.

Serendipper 

It never ceases to amaze me that more people from Savannah post here than from Atlanta.

DieselDan

Less to do in Savannah. That and downtown Savannah is just plain dangerous.

BuddyMike

Its only a handful of people from savannah. The only poster from Sav on here I've never met is Tyler, but I've seen him once. There a a decent amount of stuff to do in Savannah, but waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to small than what I'm used to. Georgia, got to love blue laws.

Nouia

Georgia crew represent. I rock 48/17 up in Athens, which is in the foothills. I'd be pretty comfortable with that gearing in Savannah.

Serendipper 

We talked about riding from Atlanta to Athens tonight at the Sopo Co-Op. I need to visit again, Athens is way too much fun.

Nouia

Athens kicks @ss but only for like 2 miles in any direction from downtown. It's literally an island of coolness in the ocean of hillbilly insanity and suburban sprawl that is most of GA. But yeah, Athens is tight. Total bike town.

riotboy

sounds like its the same as my town. i will probably be giving him a 42/16 then.
im throwin down some scrilla to build him a bike. but he wont have it till june or so.
his name is Jackson. i met him when we both lived in Tampba Bay,FL and i have
since moved home to CA and he moved to Savannah. hes getting married at the
end of march so i will be out that way. (if you know anyone that would let me
borrow a beater for the weekend that would be rad).

billbass

Hey! I'm Bill the newbie. I grew up in Savannah in the 60's. I rode every street, and alley in the old section all the way out to Hunter Field when it was safe!!! I even had a bike paper route off Waters Ave. a couple of blocks no. of Victory Dr. I used to ride my bike down River St. when it was just old abandoned warehouses. Wow, how things have changed! Used to ride in the squares, and parks!! I don't know if you can do that now, or not. There is one other hill though.It crossed the Thunderbolt River. Wow, I sound like an "old duffer"!!! Oh yeah, I (almost) am!!!

ThunderChunky

savannah drove me insane without a good record store.

xxsoultonesxx

I'm starting my atlantic coast tour in Savannah the third week in June. Anybody wanna let us crash at their place for a night or two? It's just going to be two of us, and we're flying in from Seattle, getting geared up and ready in Savannah, then heading out for 29 days of straight riding to NYC. Maybe even have some people tag along? I'll be riding my Surly LHT.

mannequinforce

https://savfixed.9.forumer.com/index.php?showforum=2

might be a good place to ask.
sav fixed gear forum.

erikb

i lived in Savannah for 4 years and biked almost every day, I would say you could easily get away with close to 90 gear inches.

Considering the biggest "hill" is that slight incline going south (or was it north, haven't been back in a few years) on Abercorn...

Noestaencasa

You should do a pub crawl on Tybee via fixies...

DW

helloamerican

savfixed.999.org for a quick address, i run 45 16 and it's perfect. 34 skid patches.

deathhare

ditto...45/16 in Savannah
savfixed.999.org

vinhuard

Hi!
I may move to Savannah this summer... I'm from Montreal (Canada). Is it great for road bike ? Enough place to ride ? Is it safe ?

thanks!

DieselDan

No
No
Defiantly no, as Savannah routinely makes the FBI's top 25 list.

helloamerican

savannah is a great bike town.
if you're used to bigger city/urban riding it'll be easy.... its not necessarily safe but what is, just keep your wits.