Kylet5285

Hi all,

after purchasing a new sram omnium gxp crank 170mm 48tooth and pairing it with a 17th tooth cog. I have been thinking more and more about my road fixed gear bike gear ratios. as i wait for the parts to be delivered I am riding a 47t chainring 17t cog. I ride approx 50miles a day (70 on sat) in and around Cleveland some hills but nothing crazy mostly climbs in and out of the cuyahoga and rocky river valleys as well as climbs into cleveland heights ect. I ride for fun and commuting, but I am very focused on fitness riding and most of my miles are put in while on exercise rides through the metroparks trail system.


My question for all of you is what your opinion on building muscle strength so I will still be able to climb the hills i ride now with a more intense chainring to cog tooth ratio. Is it possible to work towards much stronger legs by slowly increasing the gear ratio. IE move from 48t-17t to 48t-16 to 15t and possibly even 48t- 14 to 13t? or do you feel such high ratios (48-13t or even 50-13t) would only be appropriate on flat terrain or in the track setting. It would be great to really push my leg strength, and I was wondering if any of you have experiences or thoughts you could share. thanks

Kyle

Dannihilator

That answer lies within your self. I'd start with something along the lines of 48x16. Since you have some climbing, I'd say a lower gear ratio would be better because the damage that will be done to one's knees grinding a high gear ratio up a hill will eventually obliterate any muscle build up in your legs. If you live in a flat area and didn't do any climbing or were primarily riding track, a bigger gear ratio would be better. But since you are climbing keep the gear ratio at a sensible level and just change your cadence.

AEO

If you want to build strength, it's not all about grinding away tall gear ratios.

look up interval training

here's a starter: https://www.cptips.com/intervl.htm

rustybrown

Squat thrusts.

cc700

i did squat thrusts and it helped my out of saddle power bursts up hills, but i can't sustain it for more than ten seconds.

attacking more hills with interval-type training regimens is what gave me real, sustainable power. and i only do a little bit of that during my regular riding, i'm not really training... but the more i do interval type efforts the better i get at climbing.

and the worse my pants fit/more they annoy me.

the answer to the question of gear ratios is really simply how fast you're going and what cadence your maximum watt output is... which is not going to be 85 gi+ up any kind of an incline unless you're some freak of nature. if you're a regularly athletic cyclist the most you would want to push up a hill would be 80 and that would be after intensive training. i think 48 16 is pushing it for healthy, sustainable moderate climbs. anything over a 3.5 grade is just impossibly difficult at more than 75 gi and you will probably be way faster at something more like 48 18.

i have a 48 ring and i can get up most hills with it... in seattle... but i'm not fast and i don't get any faster when i do that. i switched to a 44 and that's much better, the speed is more attainable and i can actually make progress..

CharneK

I would agree with most the above. Its not going to be about riding a high gear unless you have very low grades. Like .7%. Interval training is the best way to increase you speed sustainability, both on a bike and as a runner. I have not done any interval stuff on a bike, but after two weeks with 2 out of 4 days of running being interval training, I knocked off nearly 20 seconds a mile from my runs. Thats a huge improvement. You're body is probably more than capable riding faster and stronger than you currently do, what interval training does is informs your body that you will be using more effort for longer times and that it better get used to it. The ability to climb a hill efficiently is less about pure strength, and more about your ability to keep the ideal cadence for the ratio you're running.

For the hills in my area, which I would guess are anywhere from .3% to maybe 4% grades depending on my route that day, I like running 44/17. Makes it so that climbing hills isn't a pain, but when I want it to be I can make it more challenging without burning out by the time I reach the top. Also spinning helps your pedal stroke and subsequently your efficiency.

Kylet5285

great! this has been helpful and the interval training ideas are perfect. I have used interval workout in the past for running, now to apply them to cycling. also i will cruise around with the 48t x 17 and if i feel adventurous try 48t 16. lthough at that point i am going to only have 1 skid patch, not that I skid much, but boooo! Thanks everyone.

dookie

grew up in cleve. hts. if you can get out of the valley in a 48x16, you're doing well.

Curious LeTour

I'm in Austin. I can handle the hills around here with 42/17, but I couldn't go much higher. Maybe with longer cranks I could, but they are 165mm right now.

mihlbach

As a general rule, I use the largest gear ratio that I can and still maintain a decent cadence on the steepest hills on my ride. I find that I am fastest overall when riding 49x16 than, so thats what I ride. Lower ratios slow me down on the downhills and flats. I've tried higher ratios but anything above 49x16 and my cadence ends up being slower than I'd like most of the time, and I have a harder time keeping my momentum up the steeper hiils or in headwinds. Higher ratios are great for sprinting though.

It never hurts to experiment. If I were you, I'd try 48x16. You may at first feel like its straining your legs, but keep hammering and give it some time. You may find that it makes you faster. At that point, if you still feel like you can go higher, try a 15t and so on. At some point you will discover that you've gone too high and need to back off a bit.

I change the gear ratios on all my bikes a small amount throughout the year. In the winter I'm less interested in speed, so gear lower and work on my spin. Then in the summer, put the bigger ratios on and focus more on going fast and using my strength.

clink83

Spin Spin Spin. Repeat as needed.

P&SGO!

I like 48:16 for all but the nuttiest of hills - it will however not improve your spin or speed greatly after a certain point if you are just slugging up them (as I often do). Switching for purpose is easy enough. I read similar advice to above while lurking and it has proven true.