Originally Posted by
79pmooney
REDMASTA, the number of skip patches is a function of the gear ratio, not the ring and cog sizes, For example, 36-12, 39-13, 42-14, and 45-15 all have 3 skid patches. (And all are 81 gear inches.) If you have to have say an 81" gear and you cannot deal with 3 skip patches, you could use a bike with a different size wheel. (Say a 26" wheel with a 44-15.) Or you could use brakes.
Ben
*Edit: Thought I was replying to the person who started the thread, fixed.
The OP said around, not exactly, and mentioned gear inches not ratio. 47-16 and 49-16 will put you around that ratio or gear inches and give you 32 skid patches if you ambi-skid. You can get even closer to your preferred gear inches by changing tire size as well.
I can't tell the difference between 1 or 2 gear inches anyway and I ride brakeless so skid patches are more important for me at least. We all have our own preferences, which is why we ride different chainrings and cogs
.