pushing big gears
 

I'm considering a single speed. But what do you do when you get to a hill and you're riding a 48/16?
Can anyone share their techniques or training for pushing those big gears up that hill?
Do you sit and grind? Stand and pray? Curse and walk? Are singles only for those blessed
with bullet proof knees and thighs the size of beach balls?

DanO

http://www.celebritywonder.com/mp/20...eville_001.jpg

yep.

That's what I'm running now. I went out riding last week with a friend of mine and there were a lot of hills - going up wasn't too much of a problem, as long as I knew that it was coming and could speed up for it. Having speed when you hit the hill helps a lot. I prefer sitting and grinding as long as possible, but had to stand and curse a couple of times.

Coming down the other side was a lot worse. Actually had to ride on the grass on the way down one hill to slow myself down. It was kind of funny though - I was waiting for my friend at the top of each hill, and he was waiting for me at the bottom....

All three, in stages

love that film. the coolest amination I've seen in few years.

I just don't push big gears. My knees are cranky enough already, these days.

I started off with 80 plus gear inches and over the years have dropped it down into the low 70 range. I have found that your control on braking is better when you run a lower gear inch. The top speed is not that different you just have to spin faster. The only place it makes sense to run 80-90 gear inches is on the track. They don't have hills there, or at least they didn't the last time I rode there. It matters if you are running brakes on the bike. If you aren't then the lower gears will allow you to come to a stop more easily, without any panic situations of being unable to haul that thing down in a short distance. When you climb, you will find it a lot easier than with a larger gear and your knees will thank you.


fixedgearhead

me too. my only complaint was that stupid idiots in the theater kept laughing at things that just weren't funny. but yeah, totally the best animation i've seen in a good long while.

That image from Triplets? How was it?

i run a 48/16 in berkeley right now. there are hills that i just stand and grind up, weaving side to side to keep my momentum. however, i am probably going to have an 18t on the other side of my hub so i can switch it up every now and then. although 48/16 should be fine in denmark since it's all flat. touring on my fixie should be a blast.

filename says "yes." previous posts also say yes.

I simply avoid hills when pushing those gears...

Try running some longer crank arms. You will lose some of your spin but climbing is easier. Going down is easier too because you don't spin as fast. In the summer i run a 48/16 with 175mm crank arms and can survive every hill around my area (west Michigan is rolly not really hilly).

why mess with a crankset when all you have to do is swap chainrings?? chainrings are cheap, too..
randy

Different crank arm length gives you different torque. It is not like different chainring/cog combos.

most of us couldn't tell the difference, though....between swapping cranks and swapping chainrings...

anyways, its soooo much cheaper, faster, easier to swap chainrings or cogs when dealing with gear changes...

I run 48/16 fixed. I stand. Clipless pedals would help, but I don't use them. I have strapless plastic clips. These are less useful but more convienient on a commuter.

Note that descending is harder for me than ascending.

Here are a few of the gimmicks I use:

• Visualize moving your feet in circles, not pedaling up and down. Concentrate on applying power with both feet through the whole circle. This is where clipless pedals help.
  
• Look for a hand position on the bars that allows you to transmit more power to the pedals while standing. Some experimentation will be required here.
  
• RPMs don't matter. On a geared bike you downshift and spin up the hill. If you try to try to use this same approach without the gears, you will be disappointed. Accept the fact that your cadence will slow. Concentrate on just keeping the cranks moving, no matter how slowly. If you just keep them moving you will top the hill.
  
• Don't look at the top of the hill while ascending. Focus on a spot directly in front of the bike.
  
• Your legs can do more work than you think they can. Your quads are some of the largest muscles in your body. They can do huge amounts of work. Just because they are "talking to you" on the way up, doesn't mean you have to stop. You will feel them working, some folks feel a "burn" while they work, but on a short steep hill you will just feel them contract. This is normal, you have two other stages to go through before they fail. The next two stages are sticking, the muscle will contract and refuse to move through the whole range of motion, and then it will spasm and finally it will fail and you will lose control of it completely.

Dan

I need some help/advice. I recently converted my 10 speed into a single speed and I love it but i'm anxious to convert it to a fix. I'm riding a 42/17 right now. I basically just stuck with the gear that I rode the most before I stripped all of the crap off my bike and it's pretty comfortable for me since Chicago is very flat. But I was wondering if anyone who rides flat terrain a lot could give me some advice for a gear ratio that might fit me better. I'm anxious to get a new set up, but I don't know how to decide what ratio to run without spending a lot of money to find out.

Please help with any advice or knowledge. Thanks I appreciate it.

42x17 is 67 gear inches
42x16 is 71 gear inches
Most of the guys who ride track bikes in NYC use somewhere in the range of low 70's gear inches or even high 60's. I have been riding 71 gear inches for a long time and find it will handle any situation that I happen upon other than the straight up and down hills. Cog's that size are not that expensive to experiment with as you would only have to buy 1 cog. First I would suggest the 16 tooth and see if that works. I think you will find that it does the job nicely. If you want to get macho and run a harder gear then get a 15, which will give you 76 gear inches, but start out with a 16 and try it.

fixedgearhead

I run (ran?) 52x18 and while I don't necessarily get the same RPMs as shorter gears, I don't tend to have any trouble powering it. I've always preferred bigger gears, I guess. But then, Chicago is pretty much flat. I probably wouldn't be riding 52x18 if I was still back in the hocking hills in Ohio, though. Not unless I got stronger, anyway. Ultimately just do what feels right.

My Langster single speed (48/16) is much easier to pedal than my mountain bike on its 42/18 gearing, the longer you ride, the stronger your legs, lungs and heart will get, right?

I always like to climb hills off the saddle, you work harder and use more of your body, but when I'm really tired I'll climb sitting and lean forward so my legs do most of the work, then try to relax the rest of my body as much as I can.

One technique that I discovered on a fixie which helped me a lot is that you pull up on the pedal while pushing down with the other leg (you better have spd's). It sort of doubles your power. Also, while spinning you can just keep pulling up and let the pushing muscles rest for a while. I have 42/16 and I am considering going to 15 or 14 for the small hills of boston area. It takes about a month or so to build up the legs and get used to a gear ratio. After that you can increase the ratio, and build the legs more. In theory this process is like weight lifting. Come to think of it, riding a fixie uphill is an anaerobic activity (like weight training). On the other hand, riding a geared bike is an aerobic activity.

a couple more questions -
how do you figure out gear inches? and when the gear inches get higher, is it easier or harder to pedal?

thanks again for any help.

The quick math to compute gear inches is: front chainring over rear cog times 27. It's based on the size of your wheel if you were riding an old time highwheeler.

If you're riding a 42 front and a 16 rear on a nominally 700c rear wheel, you'd have (42/16)*27=70.875.

A higher number will be harder to push; a lower number, easier.

I began with a 42 x 18t (63") and have worked up to a 52 x 16t (88") with a 44 x 16t & 52 x 18t to keep them company. The higher gearing is certainly a challenge on hills, but I found trying to spin up a hill in the 63" more difficult. I like the control that a high gear gives, and the 40 mph at about 150 rpm is nice too. Most of my rides include hills or rollers.