Originally Posted by
stryper
At 47 x 16 gi on flat ground with no wind I can sprint 31mph for about a half mile according to my cycling computer. That's 135rpm. Going downhill I've hit 34mph, which is 147rpm.
I don't think a lower gear would help me spin faster, I don't think I have the ability to spin faster. If I didn't have so much stop and go in traffic I would run a higher gear, but acceleration at that high a gear takes too much energy.
My friend used to run 83 gear inches and he is a monster who rides competitively and I had no trouble hanging off his back wheel with 76 gear inches, wasted him on hills, and could out accelerate him and when the ride got long I was always fresher and should note he was half my age.
After he dropped his gearing into the high 70's I had to work a lot harder to keep up with him once he picked up his rpm but could still out climb him because I have a weight advantage there.
We used to have a weekly group ride that had a no fg rule unless you were able to keep pace with the geared riders and we'd often waste these folks after they questioned our ability to run a single gear over a 40 mile hammerfest.
Good times they were...
