Originally Posted by cranky
So I finished this bike, but unfortunately the gearing just isn't right for the hilly terrain I live in(or I'm a wimp) and so it sits unused in my garage. The horrors!
I've got 48/17 with 165mm crank arms. I wanted 18 but they were out of stock and I thought I read somewhere it's good to mix odd and even. <shrug> Still, it's way too much for me.
Any suggestions? Would it be better to increase the rear cog or decrease the front sprocket? Both? Or maybe I should guestimate with ratio with another bike and I'm wasting everyone's time...
Do whichever is cheaper, in my opinion. You can reliably get a high-quality cog for $20-25. Chainrings in irregular sizes are hard to come by sometimes, Sheldon Brown's shop has a very large selection of chainrings in different sizes and BCDs.