I'll be having a singlespeed ride for winter, suggestions for a good gear ratio please. Never had/used one before.
It's not going to used anywhere very hilly.
Bike Forum
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SS gearing
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Posted 2 years ago #
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start with 2:1 i run 36 18 ,, as it looks more hardcore than runnning ickle front rings ,, and stops the kids at skool thinking I ride trials
Posted 2 years ago # -
32:16 is the default. 32:18 is good for really twisty tight trails but soul-destroying to spin along the flat.
Posted 2 years ago # -
ride your normal bike and see which gear you use the most. then transfer that over to your SS.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I agree that a 2:1 ratio is good if it's not too hilly. I used to run a 1.8: 1 (32:18) but I did ride it everywhere including cwmcarn and other pretty steep places - but agree with um, well, mr agreeable that it'd be a bit frustrating on the flat.
I also agree with ade that 36:18 would be good, as you won't wear the rings as quickly as a 32 16 set up (although I do think smaller rings look nicer!)
Posted 2 years ago # -
i started off with 32:16, but couldn't get up anything you would call a 'slope'.
am now running 32:18 which is a good deal easier, and i can't hear my knee ligaments screaming with tension.
it's a bit too much for me when it gets really tight and twisty, but it's not quite enough for the smoother faster stuff inbetween, so it's probably about right for me.
i'm told it's called 'yorkshire gearing'...
i've found that wider handlebars really help with pedalling up steep stuff. You'll be standing up to pedal and you've got to pull up just as hard as you're pedalling down. After my first week 'singlespeeding' my legs/knees felt fine but my arms/shoulders were ruined.
odd.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Why would you want to ride a bike with no gears on it? Seems a daft idea to me.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Run 32:18 as I tend to spin rather than grind, it's good thru the mud but do find it embarrasing when I get overtaken by old ladies on the flat
If you're running 2:1 is it better to run 34:17 rather than 32:16 ? Something to do about the wear on the rings being more even - theory being that on an even / even the inner and outer parts of the chain are always on the same respective teeth and so half the teeth wear while the others don't. But even / odd this doesn't happen.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I'm running 32:17 on my 26" wheeled bike and the equivalent to 32:15 (34:18) on my 29er.
The 29er is ok on all but the steeper off-road stuff, but I prefer the slightly lower gear on 32:17 off-road. Once you get used to spinning, you can spin along at 20ish kmh all day long when it's reasonably flat (proof here) even with the low gearing.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Amazing just how often this question comes up....
Posted 2 years ago # -
Why would you want to ride a bike with no gears on it? Seems a daft idea to me.
Maybe to offset the weight of a spare top tube
Posted 2 years ago # -
Maybe to offset the weight of a spare top tube
Mmmmmmaybe............
Posted 2 years ago # -
34:17 can do virtually anything on mendip
Posted 2 years ago # -
32:16 I can climb most things on the Quantocks, if my legs a fresh!
Posted 2 years ago # -
Thanks for the advice everyone. The reason is that I'd rather not ruin an X.0 drivetrain, and I can get a bike worthy of being converted at a very good price.
On-one a good place to get the conversion kits?
Ciao.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Have run 34:16 (hertfordshire/Thetford speed monster), 32:16 and currently living quite happily on 34:18 on Woodbury Common and round devon. Finding the extra torque more useful than the higher gearing here.
Posted 2 years ago # -
44:16
on my race BMX...
Posted 2 years ago # -
36/19 for me, that extra tooth helps an old man climb the devon hills....
there are those who say that gear inches are more important as a measure than numbers of teeth: Saint Sheldon (49inches)
Posted 2 years ago # -
32x18 for me oop norf int lakes like.
Posted 2 years ago # -
32x17 for me
Posted 2 years ago # -
Same as T 1969, also in the lakes......
Posted 2 years ago # -
33*18, cos that's what came on my bike. I don't think it's hugely important what gear you have on an SS, you'll be in the wrong gear most of the time anyway, but you get used to just digging in and grinding/hamster wheeling...
Oh, and not meaning to be a pedant, but this has no gears backpack bike
A singlespeed has ONE gear. Both cost less to maintain through winter.
Posted 2 years ago # -
32:15 here because I am a throbbing mountain of flesh
Then again it is almost flat here, I've only tried it once and I did walk a bit
(oh, and if we're doing pedantry - a single cog can be described as a gear can't it? So a SS is really a dual geared bike ?!?!)
Posted 2 years ago # -
32:16 It's the law! (26" wheels)
Unless it's proper hilly, then 32:18....or 32:18 on the 29er
Unless it's proper hilly, then 32:20. So any one of 4 really!In fact I have seen these gizmos that allow one to change gear according to gradient without having to visit ones' workshop
Posted 2 years ago # -
32:16 gets me around my commute with 2 steepish hills. I've also quite happily ridden it around the surrey hills with no problems.
Posted 2 years ago #
Topic Closed
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