Gear ratio question
 

I'm currently riding a 1980 Schwinn Continental at 46/17 for my commute. The commute has only one decent hill, and I have to stand to ride (slowly) up that. Still, I've considered going to 46/18 or 46/19 to make longer or hillier rides easier. Can someone give me an idea how much of a difference going up 1 or 2 teeth will make? I imagine it's difficult to quantify, so general impressions are fine. Thanks.
--Tom

Its hard to say how it will feel. There will be a noticeable difference

you may want to use this

http://software.bareknucklebrigade.com/rabbit.applet.html

look at the section for speed at different rpm's

i rode 46/16 last year and switched to 46/18 since moving to a more hilly area.

it is slightly noticable. i might switch to 46/17 as im pedaling faster than id like going down hills.

Best thing to do is invest in a set of cogs so you'll have them on hand to try out and see which one is most suitable. You'll eventually have use for those extra cogs.

......or borrow a multi-geared bike.........

I find moving up or down one tooth to be very noticeable. The funny thing is... I use to run 42/16 because I have to climb some hills to get home... I would still have to get off and walk up at some points. When I switched to 48/17 for some flat land riding I found that I could power over just about anything... I haven't gotten off to walk since. IMO it is just a matter of finding your perfect ratio. Whenever I think about tweaking my ratio I'll try a friends bike or store bike that has that ratio on it, or barrow the parts. Right now I'm trying out 49/16 and I don't think I like it... tomorrow I'm gonna switch it to 49/17 and see how that rides

or he can get a segway. richard.

1 tooth change in the rear made a big difference for me


I went from 48/16 to 48/17 and it's night and day to me. I find myself happy on flats and pedaling a little faster then I'd like downhills. I think one of my problems is that I'm not used to the RPM's per speeds yet since I just swapped this morning.


I can skid while over the saddle now too and I'm 210lbs lol

I recommend investing, including monetary.

I think changing 1 tooth on the cog is pretty dramatic. You'll really notice it and will enjoy it going up hills. You won't enjoy how slow you'll be riding everywhere else, but thats the tradeoff. I use a 48 x 15 ratio and I use leg strength and technique to get me up the hills.

Yes, the larger the chainring, the more noticeable that one tooth cog difference will be.

Glad to see this post. I'm switching up my old crankset, currently 52/14. Needless to say its a beast to ride even in Chicago where there are sum total of three slight inclines within a 10 mile radius of my house. Thankfully I have a flip flop hub.

Most people are talking about hilly terrain. Ideas for perfectly flat territory? That fixed-gear calculator is great and helps me find equivalent ratios, but I need some help understanding what's appropriate for my flat midwestern city streets.

Should I go 48/17 like kogkrusher or keep the 14T cog and go 42/14? A difference between a 2.8 and 3.0 gear ration.

Thanks

:thumb:

It all depends on if you are riding fixed or freewheel. If you are riding fixed it is all about odd numbers (less wear on your back tire). If you are running SS freewheel it is all about comfort ( a higher tooth chainring means less pedaling on flat ground).

The smaller the chainring, the more noticeable that one tooth cog difference will be. These are ratios.