i was previously riding on a 44x17 and when replacing the cog i spoke to the mechanic at the shop and told him i wanted to make it harder to pedal and asked what cog to buy the 16 or 18. he instructed me that the 18 would make it more difficult to pedal but allow me to go faster while spinning less. but then someone else told me he had it backwards and dropping to a 16 would have made it harder. please forgive me, for such a simple question but could someone tell me what is right? the lower tooth count being harder to spin or the higher?

Your mechanic is a dope fiend

Yeah man, what your mechanic told you is ass backwards.

Life is crazy.

oh well, putting all city cranks on shortly which would make it 46-18 now as he convinced me the day and i wanted it sorted. i know its about preference but will going to that ratio work well? was also told that with certain ratios there are fewer skid patches and you eat more of certain parts of the tire. and on some ratios there is as little as one skid patch. so again is going to that 46-18 ok and will it also even out the difficulty i was looking for in the beginning?

I don't even understand what you mean because we never talk about gear ratios here.

Read through these for a better understanding of gear ratios.
Gain Ratios--A New Way to Designate Bicycle Gears
https://www.bikeforums.net/singlespee...mer-newbs.html

9 skid patches if same foot always forward, not bad, but 46x18 seems a little low for my taste, I'd rather
46x17.

46/18 is a marginally lower gear (i.e. easier to pedal but you go slower) than your current 44/17 - and it also has fewer skid patches. Why not stick with your current 17t cog - or go to a 16t if you want an even bigger change in gearing?

old cog is a surly and was on some brev rear that a friend gave me but he had ridden on it for at least a year or 2, was still fine but wanted a replacement and reason for the 18 tooth is because the mechanic yesterday convinced me to buy they 18 tooth and cant really return i assume. especially after riding for an hour or 2 on it. and dont trust the current stock cranks on the flite so wanted to upgrade to the all city. but guess when i change the cranks i can grab a 16 tooth cog and sell the 18 somewhere or something. 46x16 will work better or should i just go back to 17? know its preference but whats the skid patch count on either?

Scrod is right, don't talk about it, just be about it, ya dig?

46x17 is perfect. Ride and be happy.

what about the 46x16?

Just get a 16t cog and try it out.

Too high for me but I'm wuss in slightly hilly town. I could handle that gear if in Fla.

just go with a 42x19..

If you want to maximize skid patches (only a big issue if you do a lot of skid-stops), use a prime number tooth count for either the chainring or cog:

BikeCalc.com - Skid Patch Chart Calculator

Just buy a couple cogs and try things out, find out what you like. Cogs are pretty inexpensive.

id say if he had 44x17 and wanted to make it higher, buy a 47t chainring. if thats still too low try a 50t.

Ugh.

Thinking about gear ratios hurts my brain. Too much math--I ride a fixie to simplify things.

That is the best advice in this thread and the only sensible way to sort out your gearing. Just ride the stupid thing. Fit different cogs and ride them. Sooner or later, you find the gearing you like and if your needs or fitness change, you can fit a different one.