Anyone know what would be a good chainring to use for at 15-16t freewheel ? I tend to go on pretty long rides and with a 44t sprocket my knees start to hurt eventually from over-pedaling..if it makes sense to you guys so I'm planning on getting a bigger chainring but not sure what size would solve this problem.

i'm using 46x16. works well for me. just low enough that i can grind up climbs but no over-rev on the flat. a 47 is not bad either.

I ride 50x16 and it's been pretty good. Granted, I'm riding SS. But seems like a good setup. You might want to consider a 50x17 setup too. Thats a really good fit while still being easier to come to a stop on a fixie.

What is over-pedaling? Is that mashing or spinning out?

If it's mashing, go smaller. If it's spinning out, go bigger. It's not rocket science.

yeah i don't really understand what your saying either but i'd bet your knees are more likely to hurt from too big a gear than from one thats too small...

47x16 here...i like it.

50x16 fixed no brakes. its not bad

I run 50*16, but I'm in Indiana with sparse climbs, and a lot of space to stop. I race at the track, and do all my training rides on my track bike now that I crashed my road though. I'd advise 47*16, gives you a great gear for holding around 19 mph on longer rides.

48 tooth ring.

You've got to spin it to win it. 42 x 16 = 69 g.i. for this recovering masher.

so says poster maxknee.

Seriously though if you are having knee problems at 44/16 and you're not averaging 25+ mph your problems are probably from riding to high a gear rather then to low of one. Try getting a 17 or 18t ring on the back and making sure your saddle is positioned properly.

I'm with captain dog poop nuts.

~70" is the way to go.

i also ride dog poop nuts'z style gear inches. 42x16 is just dandy... two fixed centuries in the past 2 weekends and my knees never bothered me once.

spin to win!

Mos' def. I ride 42 x 16 and I intend to try a 40 tooth ring or 18 tooth cog. Your knees also might hurt because of poor pedal stroke. Not sure how you ride, but you should not mash so hard on the down stroke that you are still pushing down while the pedal is at the lower apex. You should have your foot pointed down and pushing backwards at that point. Going to a much lower gear will help you to better your pedal stroke because the high RPMs will make you spin out otherwise. So yeah, a lower gear and smoother stroke is best for the knees.

42x16 has been good to me and my knees.

46x18 is cool. granted i'm not a super veteran. however i've had some knee problems before and this gearing seems to work out well.

Sorry, I didn't mention that I don't ride fixed gear, I just have a freewheel. I've also rode BMX bikes for 5 years and had fallen on my knees many times, so maybe my knees are just getting cashed out. Usually when I ride over 30 miles, I'll start to feel it. The most I felt it was when I did a 90 mile bike charity ride, but it might be possible that my seat isn't dialed in either. Thanks for all of your help.