In an effort to increase my average speed over a 24 mile relatively level route, I exchanged my 44 tooth chainring for a 46 with a 16 tooth rear cog. It didn't seem to help so am considering going back to the 44. Understanding that spinning faster is the real answer, I'd like to know your experience as regards gear inches over a similar route.

What's your average speed?

You're actually pretty close to my preferred street ratio: 49x18 (71.5gi)

With a 46 by 16 I'm at 75.8gi. My average speed hovers between 15 and 16mph.

You should be shooting for a cadence of well over 90 rpm to get optimum efficiency. Going back to a 44t chainring will put you somewhat closer to this for speeds that you are going. You might even consider getting a bigger cog.

I misread, I thought you were on a 44t front.

You're not strong enough for that gear. If you can't comfortably maintain 90rpm (about 20mph for that gear), you need to switch to an easier gear.

So maybe a 44-16 or 46-17 or even a 44-17. What do you think?

Hard to say, I don't know how strong you are.

If you can spin it at 90rpm+ comfortably, then go with that gear.

There are a lot of different factors here. You might be perfectly strong enough to push 44x16 but not actually have the endurance to keep going for that long. In this case the solution might be to gradually lengthen your rides. If the 15 or 16 mph average you gave includes stoplights and whatnot, this might also be affecting whether you are comfortable. Since you already have a 44t chainring I would go down to it and see how it feels and then buy some bigger cogs and see how they feel. Cogs are relatively cheap and easy to change.

That's what I intend to do since I already have a 44t chainring. I'd be happy with a 17 or 18mph for now. My ride consists of one short stop midway for a breather and a drink, no stoplights.

Use this calculator:
https://home.earthlink.net/~mike.sherman/shift.html

Insert 16, 17, 18 or whatever and 44, 46 and 48 in the chainrings and your're set. You'll get gear inches all together so you can compare them. If you go down to the "Speed Over RPM Range" you get a nice visual idea of the relationships of the different ring/cog combos---check the sort box and it will lay them over each other for you.

Gaining greater average speed is, with your gear choices, probably unrealistic, Frankfast. The difference between 44 and 46 teeth is about 3 or four gear inches. That's not much of a difference.

For example, if you keep a steady 90rpm with 46/16, you're going about 21mph.

If you ride 44/16, at a steady 90rpm, you're riding about 20mph.

For that matter, that one mile difference in average speed means you have to keep 90rpm up for 24 miles. And your rest time has to be exactly the same. And if you can't keep up 90rpm the entire distance, if you slow down to 80 or 70, the difference in speed between chainrings will only lessen.

And we're assuming you don't take a warm-up, that you are starting off at 90rpm. In reality, that won't happen, further narrowing the distance between average times with your different chainrings.

How about turning the cranks at 100 rpms? The increase in speed is about the same, 22mph with a 44 chainring, vs. 23 miles per hour with a 46 chainring, excluding, again, time for warming up. You'd need multiple runs with similar weather conditions, even to be able to see that narrow difference in average speeds.

So you don't get to increase your speed, average or otherwise, just because you are using a taller gear. You'd have to have a much larger chainring than 46, and you'd have to be strong enough to push it for 24 miles at a high rpm, and you'd have to spin yourself out of energy with your 44 chainring over the same distance, to notice much of a difference in speed.

Well I guess I'm not looking to get to 20 or 21mph right now but something better than 15 and 16mph. And wouldn't it be easier trying to maintain a cadence with a smaller chainring thus raising your average speed over the same route? My goal is only to raise my average about 2mph - for now.

Great help. Thanks

I dig this calculator for fixed-only, but i do like the contrast of the "different teeth in the cluster and their equivalent speeds" in the multigear roadie one already posted
https://software.bareknucklebrigade.c...it.applet.html

"And wouldn't it be easier trying to maintain a cadence with a smaller chainring thus raising your average speed over the same route?"

No. It's harder to maintain the same cadence with a smaller chainring. The higher the gear (e.g. a 70 inch gear compared to a 75 inch gear), the harder it is to turn the cranks.

There is no way around the reality that you have to work harder to go faster, and I think you might mistakenly think you can go faster with a different chainring, without putting in the extra work. At the relatively slow speeds you're riding - that is, the relatively small amount of work you're putting out - the difference in average speeds with either chainring will be very small.

However, 15-16mph is, for most humans, a very decent speed to average in a single gear over 24 miles. You can, in fact, go faster by getting stronger, just continuing to ride your 24 mile route and pushing a littler harder. Over time, with either chainring, your average speed will begin to rise.

And you don't have to push that much harder in either chainring. If you're riding about 15-16 miles in both of them, all you need is to average about 10 more rpm over the course of your ride. You don't even have to hit 90rpm to do that, and you'll gain your extra 2 miles per hour.

spin your legs faster

Easy for you to say.

This is just wrong.

No. It's harder to maintain the same cadence with a smaller chainring. The higher the gear (e.g. a 70 inch gear compared to a 75 inch gear), the harder it is to turn the cranks.







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I would think that it's easier to maintain cadence with a smaller chainring. Are you referring to gear inches? If so, isn't it easier to turn the crank with 70gi gearing than it would be with 75gi gearing?
Coming from motorcycles, I never got the 'taller' and 'lower' thing straight. When you put a smaller rear sprocket (cog) on a motorcycle, you were lowering the gearing. It seems to be the opposite on a bicycle. Same is true if you put a larger main sprocket (chainring) on a motorcycle.
Anyway, I know spinning is the key. And if I'm more 'comfortable' spinning with a smaller chainring or larger cog I think it might result in a small increase in average speed.

wanna know the way to get faster quicker?

go find some hills and do hill repeats, do some core exercises, go run. do something different that gets your heart rate sky high or engages your muscles differently than your typical cycling does.

what i mean is, if all your riding is this flat 24 miler over and over your legs are just going to get used to that effort and your fitness will plateau pretty quick. you gotta get outside your boundaries and push your limits in other ways...

Incorrect.

It's around a 4.35% difference. Which is noticeable when riding on the road.

A 1-tooth difference between cogs is around 6%. Also noticeable when riding on the road.

Best way to get faster? Do intervals, ride a lot, lose weight, and don't listen to icyclist 'cuz that bro doesn't know what he's talking about.

Also, get a road bike.

I do, did all of that. lost 40 lbs and in the gym everyday. My SS/FG is a means to an end. I ride it for training. The serious stuff is on my 11 speed. Unfortunately, here where I work, there's only one route available but it's scenic and I enjoy it especially when there's roadies to draft. My road bike is back home in the hills where it belongs.

I don't really know what your question is then. What are you training for? Riding a 76" fixed gear at 15-16mph on flat roads is generally not something that would be qualified as "good" training.

Maybe read this thread?
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...olding-me-back

Maybe if you had 67 year old legs you would understand.

Quick question it's probably off topic, but how do you guys know that while you're biking that you're averaging 90rpms? I cant even comprehend how I could keep track of my legs spinning and pay attention to the road lol