Favorite gear
 

What’s your favorite gear?

I like 48x18

Yep, thats a 72" gear. I often ride in 52/19 which is right around the same gear. I gear my bikes so I have a 63"/68"/72" gear progression.

On the high end I like 82/88/94".

Back in the day, Ray "the boot" Booty rode an 84" fixed gear, 48x15, to be the first to break 4 hours in a 100 mile time trial.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...16bc62207f.png

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...85ae4d12c.jpeg

Couldn't resist,

Top Gear.

The Clarkson, Hammond and May version, not the American version.

Probably whatever single speed bike use. They have to figure the best compromise since they only have the one gear.


https://steedbikes.com/blogs/news/be...gle-speed-bike
most common gear ratios are 44:16, 46:16 and 44:18.

The gear that feels right for the current conditions.

53/15 and 42/17.

I live in the hills.
I use them all on my main bike 44-34-24, 12-34.

The gear combination that lets me have a cadence of 80 - 90 at my target power.

I like them all :thumb:

53x11 @ 1200+W. Unfortunately, my body can't do that any more, but it was definitely my favorite 20 years ago.

These days, I'll just go with whatever is right for the terrain on riding in that moment. I don't tend to love my lowest gear, on whichever bike I'm on. It usually means things are steep, and I'm suffering.

Sort of an oddly phrased question. My preferred gear is grade dependent, wind dependent, "how hard do I feel like working" dependent.

But I'll bite. These are the gears I end up in most of the time:

Preferred gear on 0% grade: 50/17

Preferred gear on +6-7% grade: 34/21

The gear I need to be in.

I don't play favourites

53 x 11, because it means I'm going downhill at > 30 mph and I could choose not to pedal at all and still go real fast.

I have no idea, I put it in what feels right. Mostly stay in 50 ring up front (50/34 and 11-34)

I like 17th gear. That's my sweet spot.

I also like the gear that seems to be missing in the middle of the 11 speed 11-34 cassette - you know, the one you'd be spinning at 90-95 instead of either 85 or 105, if it existed?

Rats Larry, ya really want me to admit the gear I am in most of the time. It's embarrassing!

OK...

Non-Indexed Friction Shifters

Crank at 32 Freewheel at 34
or
Crank at 42 Freewheel at 18-21

My little rides are Up and Down. Oddly thats really only three gear combinations... Ha

Which ever gear wears out brake pads fastest and breaks spokes qwickest

My favorite is the one I do not have on the bike when I want it.

36/17 on the cross, 44/16 when converted to street use, 51/15 on the track bike. If the bike has more than one gear I like all of them and have never worn out a single cog on a cassette due to constant shifting.

Bib shorts.

A couple years ago I picked up a Borah Superlight jacket. It has become one of my favorites for in-between temps.

It easily stuffs into a jersey pocket, weighs nothing, but still keeps the cool wind off me.

John

I thought that 48x16 was the most common stock single speed ratio, interestingly this ratio only has 1 skid patch but it’s still the standard