What size gear for fixed?
Hi, all --
A rather famous mechanic who's a friend of mine rebuilt my old Miyata touring bike as a fixed gear.
I plan to use this bike for stop'n'go Boston commuting, in which my average speed (according to my bikes' computers) is about 14 MPH, tho' I can get up above 30 on a particular downhill pretty easily.
My pal thinks I'm a Big Strong Bikie Guy, but I'm a lot wimpier than he imagines me to be, and the 76 in. gear that he put on the bike is -way- too big for me.
I've measured my tire's circumference and calcuated that the 42/14 that he put on gives me a 67 cadence at 15 MPH, about an 80 at 18, about 87 at 20, and 102 at 23, and were I to do more open road riding, rather than traffic, this combo might be good. But for the city, I'm thinking of going for a 42/17 that would give me a 67 in. gear, and cadences of 71, 85, 95, and 109 at 15, 18, 20 and 23 MPH, respectively. It would also make starting off from a dead stop a little easier.
What do yiz all suggest? An LBS around the corner from where I work said they'd swap the cogs for $15, which seems fair 'nuf.
Tom Revay
Boston, Massachusetts