SF is my home away from home...and **** you never come out while I am there. And the East Bay is to hot for me. I better see you the weekend after next. The only person I have ever ridden hills with was Judah. Everyone else avoids them or just goes down them.

I'm better going uphill than I am going downhill.

If I'm not working, there's a chance you'll see me, I just work too ****in much.

So...what your sayin is we will get to the top together but then when it is time to come down it will be sionara.

Yeah, bring a book so you have something to read at the bottom.

will do.

its a pitty isn't it atleast in Sacramento and LA no one cares as long as you ride
we have had people show up to our races here in sacto from both crowds and they don't get along at all but I will say I like the mor core crowd cause they have no problem playing bike polo with us

Holla!!

48x16 right now, gonna get a 17t cog soon. My first ratio (a little over a month ago, hah) was 42x16, no good on the downhills or the flats.

I think you mean "SO good on the downhills or the flats".

thanks for the posts guys :)

48:20 (64.8)

The critical element is your ability to STOP.

48 19 is better. 48 20 only gives you 5 skid spots, and that really makes a difference around here... i rode that for several months when i was recovering from a bad crash

How do you guys manage those crazy hills on the uphill journey with anything 48x16 or over? Legs of steel and super hard mashing or what? Or do you walk your bike up (shame on you). I roll 49x19 in Portland and it seems to be a good uphill and downhill gear though I'd like something higher for downhill (but it's great uphill), but it's all a matter of knowing your technique / limits when you reach higher RPM's, and small skip stops on the really long hills help too. There is a few really big hills here that I think could rival SF, too.

Ok, gonna keep my 47 front. Got 16, 17, and 18 toof cogs. SHould be cool.

well, like kyle said, a lot of us go around. if im going from point a to point b, i take short cuts or sideways routes to get there. you learn shortcuts, valleys... i only climb the big hills when im riding for the sake of riding.

that and legs of steel. id love to ride around somewhere flat for a while, it sounds fun.

im playing... im not the strongest rider in the world and never pretend to be. fixed is a really fun way to get around this town though, control is more important than power. its a technical thing... its fun.

^ ^ ^ yeah, i guess i should have figured that, in portland i can avoid hills pretty fine if need be while going somewhere. but sf definitely seems like the hills are more abundant and larger, so i guess that slipped my mind.

despite the **** talking, the wiggle is not flat, its still a climb, but its a much easier climb than the alternate routes :)

ok, SF DOES have hill but the hills usually have higher rents. i cant think of too many sf people who actually live on a hill. maybe its just my route, but i rarely have to go over any major hills. the only hill that has anything to do with anywhere i would want to be is haight/hayes. after that it's nob hill, van ness, and all the other spendy spots. sf isnt a city of rolling hill after rolling hill. there are some ratios that work, the key is to have something thats in the middle, good for sprinting, flats, hills and stopping. if you are young and not really raking in the dough, chances are you will live on something relatively flat.

yea i gotta climb all the way up polk every day. its not bad.

People care enough about this **** to do more than argue about it online and actually not get along in person? Amazing.

who the hell thinks that top speed on 42:16 is only 14 mph? spin faster, baby. 120 rpm or so!

i get up to 22-25 mph on that set up. lotsa big hills here (taipei), and the SS is my training bike, so it builds high cadence and hill climbing ability all in the one trip. plenty of gear for sprint starts at traffic lights, and not much chance to actually cruise along at any speed for any distance, so any higher is really not needed.

YMMV

Used to have a 52:20. Totally rediculous, took forever to get moving. 48:17 now, but it's still kinda rough going up hills. Is pitts topography at all similer? We've got some decent hills.

I thought it was clear i was joking. Sorry.

You realize that 48x17 is actually a higher gear, right?

47x18 sounds perfect for sf

i ride 49x18 and it's pretty good, but am gonna switch to a 19 cog for easier uphills