Originally Posted by
Dion Rides
I have my wheel flip-flopped - (48/)16 on one side, (48/)18 on the other.
I rode 18T a few weeks ago and got dropped left and right. My legs spun like I was in a Hanna-Barbara cartoon.
I switched back to 16T.
that's it exactly.
gearing down forces you to develop a spin faster, but you're going to develop spin anyway regardless of what gear you're in. the only difference is that 100rpm is going to get you less and less as you gear down. You lose something like two-and-a-half miles per hour at 100rpm from 18 to 16 teeth with a 47 tooth ring.
That's doesn't seem like a huge difference, but 24.5mph vs 27mph (120rpm) really is the difference between riding with traffic and getting honked at by it.
There's a reason riders put bigger rings (or smaller cogs) on the more they ride...