Originally Posted by
GAtkins
All else being equal, are lower gear ratios easier to climb versus higher gear ratios?
Suppose I have two bikes set up as follows:
Bike 1
Cog/Cassette 30/27
Gear ratio = 1.1111
Roll out = 94.25 inches
Cadence = 60
Speed = 5.35 mph
Bike 2
Cog/Cassette 34/34
Gear ratio = 1.0000
Roll out = 84.82 inches
Cadence = 60
Speed = 4.82 mph
Which setup will be easier to climb with? I think it would be Bike 2, but I want to make sure I'm evaluating this correctly.
Thanks much for the help.
Glenn
Yes, you are right. Bike 2 is easier to climb on...but not by much. The difference in your gears is pretty small as shown by the speed.
Gear ratios, development, gear inches, etc are all the same. Gear ratios are just the simplest to calculate because you aren’t multiplying by anything. The way to make whatever you use to make sense is to realize that the smaller the number, the easier the gear. . You can also see that the smaller the gear ratio, the more times the crank goes around in relation to the wheel. For example, with your 1.0 ratio, the crank goes once around and the wheel goes once around. With the other one, the wheel goes around more times than the crank does.