Just rode my new '09 Madison for the first time

1st order of business is to change the gearing. It is currently 48:18 and feels like I'm peddling my ass off and going slow

my previous bike was 47:14 and i was pretty happy with that. Soooo, I'm thinking i just need to get a 14 tooth rear free wheel, but wanted to ask here first. This is my first time thinking about this, so please pardon my ignorance

or would it be better to go bigger on the front?

thanks

The smallest freewheel is only a 15t. You could try a 51/15, it gives you about the same gear inches.

thanks vixtor

51/15?! You're a monster. 90 gear inches for regular use makes me die a little on the inside.

man up and spin

or go fixed and keep spinning

i thought wanting to go faster was more manly. spinning seems like a complete waste of energy that could otherwise be used to get to work faster. or am i more clueless than originally thought?

real men don't worry about wasting energy, they just ride

Spinning is more manly by far. Because when the other guy is out of breath your cardiovascular system is in so much better shape that you can knock him off of his bike and beat him up. Thats what really makes you a man. Remember that, beat people up and you're a man.

Nawww, not really. 90 GI is a bit intense though.

you're obviously only riding downhill.

my first bike ended up at 48 / 16 and i'm pretty darn happy =)

no downhill, no uphill, just flat. it's like a racetrack with stoplights, pedestrians, busses, cars and potholes thrown in for excitement.

52-16 on most of my FGs
Some people like to spin, some don't.
I don't. Get a taller gear and try it.
BF does not have the answer to what you will be happy with.

Enjoy

I ride 48x18 on flat terrain and I'm fine

I have a 48/16 and a 52/16 (thinking about going 15).. I don't know why these people think you cant go uphill on that!! I live in a hilly area and its not a huge issue. Man up!

I use to ride a 48/16, now am on a 43/16.

I can't imagine 90+gi in my area, that would be crazy.

I can spin up to 20mph and holding it with 64 gear inches. It took time but I got there. I can go faster, but thats when the spinning starts to get a little taxing but it's do able. I don't know your terrain, but here there are plenty of flats and rolling hills and climbs. My gear is also great in traffic because it's easy to get the bike up to speed. Traffic is my main reason for going so low, if there was none then I'd probably do 70 gear inches for street.

I'm not saying you need to go low like me and spin like 100+ all the time. Maybe you can try something in the middle, like 48x17. I think you current gear is an indication that you should work towards relying on your legs for speed and not your gear ratio, but that's just my opinion.

OK, i'm trying to figure this out. too much math involved, I found this chart and I think I'm following you now . https://www.aboc.com.au/tips-and-hint...ike-gear-chart

ex: 47/14 = 90.6 GI and 48/18 = 72.0 GI

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