42/13 ratio for fixed gear
08-11-08 | 07:04 PM
#27
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,341
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From: Orange Park, FL
Bikes: Ever changing..as of 2-24-09: 2003 Giant TCR Team Once, Sampson titanium, 1992 Paramount Series 3, 2003 Cervelo P3, 70s Raleigh Record fixed gear, 70s Fuji SL-12 commuter, mid 90s Klein MTB. Plus two or three frames lurking, plus 5 wife/kids rides
I'm running 54/16 (91") on mine and love it. Yes, it's flat here in FL.
08-11-08 | 10:32 PM
#31
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Joined: Jun 2006
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42 x 14, good gear for so far. 42 x 16 was too much spin for the group rides I do. I can still mash up some east bay hills, and tuck in the pace line.
But as other said, I push a much larger gear onmy fixed than on my roadie bike. my cadence on my roadie I keep 95-100rpm. On my fixed, I like 75 -80rpm.
But as other said, I push a much larger gear onmy fixed than on my roadie bike. my cadence on my roadie I keep 95-100rpm. On my fixed, I like 75 -80rpm.
08-11-08 | 11:57 PM
#32
Bicycle Repair Man !!!
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 27,266
Likes: 152
From: YEG
Bikes: See my sig...
42:13 is a freaking steep gearing for any day to day riding unless you live in a place that is perfectly flat and where the wind never blows.
I run a 52:18 on my road bike and folks here think that's pretty steep (77 gi) since we do have hills and the wind never stops blowing.
My fixed folder freaks people out as it runs a 52:14 and although the gearing looks massive, with the 20 inch wheels it only works out to 69 gear inches and there is a 16 tooth cog on the flip side for those really windy days.
I run a 52:18 on my road bike and folks here think that's pretty steep (77 gi) since we do have hills and the wind never stops blowing.
My fixed folder freaks people out as it runs a 52:14 and although the gearing looks massive, with the 20 inch wheels it only works out to 69 gear inches and there is a 16 tooth cog on the flip side for those really windy days.
08-12-08 | 04:53 AM
#33
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Joined: Dec 2007
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At the risk of hijacking a thread - looking at what most of you run, it looks like you run somewhat lower cadence on your fixies than I do on my road bike. I haven't taken the plung on getting a fixie you but am about to... but should i assume a similar gearing to my road bike or should i gear up? For reference, I run 65" on flat ground at 18 MPH - a bit more if traffic is "pulling me along" [39-16 or 39-15])
I am tempted by the Hour or Messenger, so with the 48T ring, I would use a 20T cog - but that seems huge compared to what the rest of you use. Or, I could steal the 39T ring off my road bike to use with the 16T cog...
So what do you guys think? Do I just ride a higher cadence than most of you, or is there a difference going fixed?
I am tempted by the Hour or Messenger, so with the 48T ring, I would use a 20T cog - but that seems huge compared to what the rest of you use. Or, I could steal the 39T ring off my road bike to use with the 16T cog...
So what do you guys think? Do I just ride a higher cadence than most of you, or is there a difference going fixed?
I settled on 46/17 after going on a few more significant rides (10+ miles) with 32/13 and got really sick of spinning like a madman and not going fast for miles at a stretch. It also really made my knees sore, although that might have been the cumulative effect of fast spinning down the hill and mashing a slightly-too-high gear up it. I think if I were to do lots of longer rides on my fixed gear (mostly use the multi-geared bike for that), I would maybe go with 46/18 on one side for general riding and 46/15 on the other, since my track ends seem to be able to take up about a 3 tooth difference. As it is, though, in my day to day riding I don't have time to flip a wheel. 46/17 is a good all-around compromise ratio. The only time I flip the wheel around to the 14t is when I leave the Bike Co-op on the UCSC campus to go home. It's all downhill, and at 86" (with 23mm tires and 165mm cranks) it gets fast.
08-12-08 | 08:33 AM
#34
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Joined: Jul 2008
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From: Tempe AZ
Bikes: Mondonico Road, Novaro Randonee Touring
Thanks all for the advise - clearly there is a lot of difference based on preferences. Deadforkinglast - I suspect you have the right answer. Especially if i ever start doing skip stops (19 vs. 5 patches). As a 50+ year old who rides since his knees are not happy running, pushing a low gear sounds risky.
Now back to our originally scheduled thread...
Now back to our originally scheduled thread...
Not many run a monster gear like a 95. Can't imagine how starting froma stop must suck. If you're riding in an urban environment 95 is simply overkill.