Originally Posted by
RevBike
So I've been riding fixed gear for about a year now (46 x 16) and its alright, except where I live is REALLY flat -- so I could use a little more power. Would 48 x 16 give me much of a difference? Or should I upgrade to some racing cranks and go 50 or 52?
I don't skid stop (I know I know ... wuss) so I'm not worried about that -- but should I go down to a 15 or up to 17 for other reasons?
Gearing is REALLY personal. I live in a very lumpy area, don't mind spinning like a psycho hamster, have thighs like tree stumps and don't mind sitting on a cadence of 110-120 on the flat. So I use 66gi. Thing is, until a couple of years ago, I was happy using 70gi. Maybe I'm just getting old but whatever the reason, that's what I like ... most of the time. All YOU can do, is buy a few cogs and experiment. Do it with rear cogs at first because it's cheaper. Once you work out where you want to be, and are due a new chainring for whatever reason, use a gear calculator to set up your new system with the same gearing, then experiment some more. The chances are, you'll never get it right and will probably sit up in your coffin crying "I reckon if I try a 17 tooth cog".