What’s your all-around urban gearing? In gear-inches, please!
#1
Member
Thread Starter
What’s your all-around urban gearing? In gear-inches, please!
Just curious: what gear-inch number(s) do urban single-speed riders settle in for?
Gear-inches = rear wheel diameter x front chainring ÷ rear cog
Please specify if your number is for fixed or freewheel. Thanks!
Gear-inches = rear wheel diameter x front chainring ÷ rear cog
Please specify if your number is for fixed or freewheel. Thanks!
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: PHL
Posts: 9,898
Bikes: Litespeed Catalyst, IRO Rob Roy, All City Big Block
Mentioned: 19 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1313 Post(s)
Liked 292 Times
in
146 Posts
Mid-70s is usually my happy place. Currently running 48x17 fixed on 700c with 28mm tires.
Likes For seau grateau:
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 3,390
Mentioned: 18 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 881 Post(s)
Liked 355 Times
in
252 Posts
Slowpoke here, 65 gear inches, freewheel with coaster brake. With this gearing there are a couple hills in my locale that I can barely climb, so it's enough. Most of the time, it's just right for lazy cruising.
Likes For Gresp15C:
#4
n00b
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 1,078
Bikes: Surly Karate Monkey, Twin Six Standard Rando
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 282 Post(s)
Liked 258 Times
in
156 Posts
700c x 35mm tires, 38x16 gear with a freewheel. I believe that's low 60s. I mix in a lot of singletrack and go looking for hills to climb though. If I was riding flatter terrain with smooth tires and fixed, I'd want something taller. I picked this one around what works for me on 50+ mile gravel races.
32x20 on my 29er with 2.4" tires. that's 50 GI, which is just a bit on the tall side for mtb gearing.
32x20 on my 29er with 2.4" tires. that's 50 GI, which is just a bit on the tall side for mtb gearing.
Last edited by mack_turtle; 09-04-20 at 09:17 AM.
Likes For mack_turtle:
#5
Senior Member
I'm on 16x48 (78.7 gi) freewheel, I live and ride around a mostly flat area and I'm still able to handle what slopes are here. I like being able to mash up to city speed limit to match cars when I need. I'm still stuck running 700c x 23.
Last edited by GhostSS; 09-04-20 at 12:49 AM.
Likes For GhostSS:
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 837
Bikes: Surly Cross Check, Kona Rove ST
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 171 Post(s)
Liked 132 Times
in
100 Posts
Pretty low here - 42x19 on 700c 40s, freewheel - puts me around 61-62 gi I think. But I live at the base of the mountains. 25% grade right out my front door. And I ride lots of dirt on it too, so it's not all urban riding. I'm sometimes envious of folks who live where it's not so steep!
Likes For pbass:
Likes For Gresp15C:
#8
A Roadie Forever
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 9,104
Bikes: (2) ti TiCycles, 2007 w/ triple and 2011 fixed, 1979 Peter Mooney, ~1983 Trek 420 now fixed and ~1973 Raleigh Carlton Competition gravel grinder
Mentioned: 102 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2577 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1,028 Times
in
710 Posts
Fix gear, 44-17 = 70"
Likes For 79pmooney:
Likes For pbass:
Likes For ofajen:
#11
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 837
Bikes: Surly Cross Check, Kona Rove ST
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 171 Post(s)
Liked 132 Times
in
100 Posts
I have a P bass with flats and a Q-filter! Awesome! And a Ripper, which is a whole different kind of awesome.  28526;
Otto
Otto

Last edited by pbass; 09-05-20 at 08:50 PM.
Likes For Gresp15C:
#13
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2020
Posts: 240
Bikes: Sycip, Black Mountain Cycles, Kona, Fairdale, WeThePeople
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 85 Post(s)
Liked 200 Times
in
102 Posts
SS CX (700c) = 62.3 gear inches (39 X 17)
BMX Cruiser (26") = 62.7 gear inches (38 X 16)
BMX Cruiser (29") = 62.3 gear inches (28 X 13)
Spin it to win it!
BMX Cruiser (26") = 62.7 gear inches (38 X 16)
BMX Cruiser (29") = 62.3 gear inches (28 X 13)
Spin it to win it!
Likes For Rolla:
Likes For mack_turtle:
#15
Senior Member
70 gear inches when road riding by myself.
80 gear inches to keep up with 20mph group road rides.
50 gear inches for singletrack..
80 gear inches to keep up with 20mph group road rides.
50 gear inches for singletrack..
Likes For c_m_shooter:
#16
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Greenwood SC USA
Posts: 1,362
Bikes: 2002 Mercian Vincitore, 1982 Mercian Colorado, 1976 Puch Royal X, 1974 Allegro No. 76, 1973 Raleigh Competition, 1973 Raleigh GS, 1971 Gitane Tour de France and others
Mentioned: 43 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 455 Post(s)
Liked 411 Times
in
235 Posts
Not so much urban, but -
70-in for pavement, achieved either 42x16 (Mercian) or 45x17 (Gitane) on 28 mm tires or 44x17 on 35 mm tires on the Raleigh Competition. 70-in gears have worked really well for me for more than 20 years now, primarily riding the rolling terrain of the "Lakelands Area" of South Carolina. Yes, I do spend some time standing and grunting up the sometimes shockingly steep little climbs around here, and sometimes I don't feel human after spinning to the bottom, but generally it works well.
60-in for gravel via 42x19 on 35 mm on the Raleigh is my current setup. Surly Dingle helps, and it's nice to ride fixed and be able to change gears without completely removing and flipping the rear wheel.
63-in for gravel via 42x18 on 28 mm on the Mercian is what I did for years before the Dingle-speed was built. I got reasonably adept at flipping the rear wheel, but now I'm old. Still, if I was on the Mercian and presented with the opportunity, I'm ready.
Planned but not yet implemented - 52-in singletrack, 60-in ss pavement via 20/22 Dos Eno freewheel and 42/44T rings on the Raleigh. If I can just make myself come up off my wallet ...
70-in for pavement, achieved either 42x16 (Mercian) or 45x17 (Gitane) on 28 mm tires or 44x17 on 35 mm tires on the Raleigh Competition. 70-in gears have worked really well for me for more than 20 years now, primarily riding the rolling terrain of the "Lakelands Area" of South Carolina. Yes, I do spend some time standing and grunting up the sometimes shockingly steep little climbs around here, and sometimes I don't feel human after spinning to the bottom, but generally it works well.
60-in for gravel via 42x19 on 35 mm on the Raleigh is my current setup. Surly Dingle helps, and it's nice to ride fixed and be able to change gears without completely removing and flipping the rear wheel.
63-in for gravel via 42x18 on 28 mm on the Mercian is what I did for years before the Dingle-speed was built. I got reasonably adept at flipping the rear wheel, but now I'm old. Still, if I was on the Mercian and presented with the opportunity, I'm ready.
Planned but not yet implemented - 52-in singletrack, 60-in ss pavement via 20/22 Dos Eno freewheel and 42/44T rings on the Raleigh. If I can just make myself come up off my wallet ...
Likes For rustystrings61:
#17
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Oregon
Posts: 11
Bikes: 3.5
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 13 Times
in
2 Posts
My work bike is 75.27 gear inches. I feel like I have the best of both worlds; I don't spin out cruising with traffic, but can muscle up hills. It also gives me a lot of skid patches, though I try to skid judiciously.
Likes For indigowarpz:
#18
Disco Infiltrator
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Folsom CA
Posts: 11,422
Bikes: Stormchaser, Paramount, Timberjack, Expert TG, Samba tandem
Mentioned: 66 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2178 Post(s)
Liked 790 Times
in
536 Posts
My “gravel” bike, which is definitely a road bike but with treaded tires, came with a 38 front and 17&18 rear. So far I’ve had it in the 59” gear and I’m able to go nearly anywhere, which tells me it’s too easy. I’ve got a bum ticker though so I don’t expect to get very high.
__________________
Genesis 49:16-17
Genesis 49:16-17
Likes For Darth Lefty:
#19
I'm the anecdote.
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: S.E. Texas
Posts: 1,822
Bikes: '12 Schwinn, '13 Norco
Mentioned: 9 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1107 Post(s)
Liked 1,160 Times
in
788 Posts
With all the starting and stopping I seem to do because of vehicle traffic, stop signs, and traffic lights . . . 66 gear inches works well for me in middle age.
*single speed freewheel
*single speed freewheel
Likes For FiftySix:
#20
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Greenwood SC USA
Posts: 1,362
Bikes: 2002 Mercian Vincitore, 1982 Mercian Colorado, 1976 Puch Royal X, 1974 Allegro No. 76, 1973 Raleigh Competition, 1973 Raleigh GS, 1971 Gitane Tour de France and others
Mentioned: 43 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 455 Post(s)
Liked 411 Times
in
235 Posts
Oddly enough, H.H. England’s Cycling Manual (1st ed. 1917, 23rd ed. 1954) recommended a 65-in gear for gentlemen and a 60-in gear for ladies. I am assuming he was writing about single-speed as opposed to what he would have called fixed-wheel.
F.J. Camm’s Every Cyclist’s Handbook repeatedly references a 65-in gear as if it were the norm.
Last edited by rustystrings61; 11-10-20 at 11:54 AM.
Likes For rustystrings61:
#21
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Kampong Cham, Cambodia but I have quite a few in Lancaster, PA
Posts: 2,457
Bikes: Bikes in USA; 73 Raleigh Supercourse dingle speed, 74 Raleigh Grand Prix SS, 78 Raleigh Supercourse, 83 Centurion Pro-Tour, 82 Raleigh RRA.
Mentioned: 54 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 624 Post(s)
Liked 275 Times
in
181 Posts
52x20
this big BMX 700cx47mm
73.3 GI
this big BMX 700cx47mm
73.3 GI

Likes For bwilli88:
#22
Fxxxxr
WABI Special 46x17 > 72.3 .................................................... but im thinking maybe 48 x 17 because i have a 48 ring

__________________
... and so it goes
... and so it goes
Likes For jack pot:
Likes For ThermionicScott:
#24
Senior Member
48x18, 70 gear inches for me. I switch to 52x118 when I am riding in NJ, where it is flat.

Under a RR Bridge in PA w/70 gear inches

Under a RR Bridge in PA w/70 gear inches
Likes For bmwjoe:
#25
Fxxxxr
^^^^ why am i told that 48 X 17 is OK but 48 x 18 is not
something about integers ?

__________________
... and so it goes
... and so it goes