Good gearing for CX single speed?
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: South Shore of Long Island
Posts: 2,478
Bikes: 2010 Carrera Volans, 2015 C-Dale Trail 2sl, 2017 Raleigh Rush Hour, 2017 Blue Proseccio, 1992 Giant Perigee, 80s Gitane Rallye Tandem
Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 952 Post(s)
Liked 818 Times
in
603 Posts
Good gearing for CX single speed?
Currently thinking I could try pushing a 36/17 but I'm not certain what's common.
I'm a cat 5, and usually not close to the fastest, but I like to show up and have some fun, but I've also set a goal of doing the nationals singlespeed CX race on Dec 10 since it isn't that far away and I have to drive the kids there that day for junior racing. I figure as long as I'm there I might as well race and see what happens. I checked previous years and there were other slow riders so I doubt I'll the only one.
I'm a cat 5, and usually not close to the fastest, but I like to show up and have some fun, but I've also set a goal of doing the nationals singlespeed CX race on Dec 10 since it isn't that far away and I have to drive the kids there that day for junior racing. I figure as long as I'm there I might as well race and see what happens. I checked previous years and there were other slow riders so I doubt I'll the only one.
#2
Newbie racer
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 3,383
Bikes: Propel, red is faster
Mentioned: 34 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1568 Post(s)
Liked 1,545 Times
in
960 Posts
IF you own a geared bike also, pre-ride the course with that and try a few different combos. Then own a couple cogs/rings and do the math for your single speed and swap it out before the race. Just do the math to get the closest ratio to what you fancied during the pre-ride on the geared bike.
#3
Newbie
Join Date: Aug 2020
Location: nyc
Posts: 8
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
For single track heavy or muddy courses, I like a 2:1 ratio, or something close to it. Current SSCX set up is 40:17 and its a great all rounder. Easy to put down some power during straight sections, punchy uphills, and flowy or technical trails.