Have some downtime at work and I wanted to start looking around for freewheel gears for my Kilo TT (the soreness of a FG from the weekend may also fuel my decision too haha).

Basically, this weekend I found myself loving the FG, but on my last leg of the ride I would have really liked to be able to switch over to a SS (I live in Queens, NY by the way), which would have made my life a little easier. So I began to look around the forum and came up with a few ideas that I wanted to see what you guys thought.

So I started to calculate my GI for my Kilo TT as it comes from BDL

69GI = 23 x (48/16) (the equation I pulled from Wikipedia so hopefully its right).

I like this gearing however and find myself only ever using the single speed if I was incredibly tired. So I wanted to stay somewhat close to this and was considered a 17T or even keeping it at a 16T (I really think being able to coast would be a huge improvement for me when I was tired). I calculated a 17T to be a 64.9 GI. Somewhat close still.

Again with me living in NYC (not too many hills - just the bridges would be the "hilliest") do you think a 16T would be the right choice or would a 17T be a better fit? I was reading guys having 18Ts with a 48T chain ring, but I think that is way too low for my surroundings/riding.

Thanks guys.

48 x 16 and 17 w/23c tires:

78.8 & 74.2 gear inches.

I say go 18t and learn how to spin.

I like mashing, and I'm also too lazy to change many parts. I run 48x16 myself.

70.1gi for 48x18, 8.7gi smaller than 48x16. Freewheels are cheap, give it a try.

i run 52/16 for every day commutes in the city. i say go for 16

Just curious, have you ever tried running a lower gear? Do you have many hills/stops?

i initially had a 12 speed, and found i was on that ratio 90% of the time naturally. thus when converting kept the same ratio (single speed). philly doesnt really have hills, just gradual incline/declines. and i am strictly city riding, so i don't stop all that often, only when traffic/pedestrians come in the way. i can always just choose roads off broad st. that are less occupied.

A single speed won't help the fact you are tired at the end of a ride. It will actually take more energy to accelerate, coast while decelerating, then accelerate again. Not saying you shouldn't try it, just saying it won't solve a problem of worn out legs.

You should get the 17t though if you are going to be using it primarily at the end of rides.

cogs are cheap enough where you can get several to find the experience that woks for you. i periodically switch between 15 16 and 17 just to get a different feel.

Stryper brings up a good point; if you only want to swap to SS when you're incredibly tired at the end of the ride... you're still going to be incredibly tired. Spinning is easy anyway.

Also I went from riding 48/16 for a year to 48/17 (both fixed) and barely feel a difference... but some people say even a small change like that is huge, so idk.

Appreciate the insight and that makes complete sense. After reading the posts, I may pick up a few different gears and experiment, but I have been reading a 17t may be the way to go so that might be my first purchase. Thanks.


To be completely honest, I did not know what "spinning" when ianjk mentioned it above. After reading Sheldon's explaination of it, I understand what it is and think I need to learn how to do it.

I commuted into work this morning (12 miles each way) and found myself at certain times where I would like to coast (coming over the Queensboro Bridge for example). I am going to ride in tomorrow also and look for a freewheel gear this weekend on my trip to Oceancity. After reading how cheap they are, I will try a 16, 17, and 18 probably to see what I like the best.

A new saddle is in order also, this one that came with my Kilo is..not..comfortable

48x17. Anything bigger than that is just going to make you tired too fast.

You should be comfortable riding 100rpm for long distances. With 48x17 that is 22mph (as I recall). Can you ride a steady 22mph for an hour? If not, you would be better with smaller gearing still...

philadelphia: a fixed paradise.

baltimore: not, but less boring terrain, at least.

100 rpms "easily" requires a pretty low gearing. i ride 48x 17 and can't ride 22mph comfortably for an hour, but the gearing fits me. if i go to a lower gearing, say 48x19 i think i would poop myself out trying to commute across town and still be going slower than i would like. How many people here can ride 20 mph for a steady hour?