I had my old commuter bike stolen on friday so i’m in the market for a cheap and reliable runabout.
To this end i’m leaning towards going SS, and some of the bikes i’ve looked at have ratios of 44/16 and 42/16 with 700c x 23 wheels/tyres.

How will this translate to riding on the road? I’m worried that they may be a little on the tall side for my hilly(ish) commute.

Around Leeds, 42/16 is considered very small. Most of the guys I know run between 46/17 and 49/17. I’m on 49/18 and it’s more than low enough. Gets tough up 10-15%ers mind.

Cheers, I’m a regular cycle commuter ( have to be, i don’t drive) but all my other bikes are geared.
I want a SS for ease of use and reliability – plus it will get me fitter.
It will be used for my 3 mile commute and for general running around. Do you reckon a 44/16 on those wheels would be suitable for a SS virgin then?

Impossible to give advise without knowing you. I twiddle along on 42/16 on a 700C wheel with 32mm tyres (71 inches) but I’ve never been a gear masher. Rear sprockets are only a few quid, and easy enough to change if you need to alter the ratio.

Thats a good point actually – forgot i could change the rear cog for next to nothing! 😀

I’m more of a sit and spin than gear mashing type of rider (two full sussers does that for you) but i think i’ll give it a go..

Now, which bike 🙂

What are the choices?

I’m looking for something cheap first off, it will be a general runabout so not looking for anything flash – plus i don’t have that much cash!

Either a Charge Plug from Pauls Cycles for £300 or a Mango Bikes model for the same money.

Currently leaning towards the Mango because i’m only 5’2″ and the Plug comes in at 55cm in the extra small!

Anything else you recommend?

tthew – Member

Impossible to give advise

Correct.
You could give him some advice instead though. 🙂

Mongoose Maurice?

Second hand Genesis Day One?

edit – thanks sbob. I see what I did there. 😆

This is the one i’m leaning towards :-

http://www.mangobikes.co.uk/shop/dennis/

67-74 gear inches depending on terrain, spinner or masher.

Sorry, can you translate that for me? 😳

use an online gear inch calculator. ratios are for off-road, gear inches are for road/track.

Mine is 52×22.

It’s fine for my 16 mile commute, infact it’s pretty fast when up to speed, but any headwind can make it a bit of a grind.

I foolishly ran it 52×16 to begin with and it nearly destroyed me!

2.7:1

48/18 on 700x28s

its all about balance between cruising speed on the flat versus steepest climb you need to do
you currently have the choice between spin or mash, with SS you will likely have to do both.

52×22. 62 inches
52×16 85.5 inches
48×18 70 inches

its easy to see how hard/easy they are in comparison to each other.

whats the harder gear between 52:19 and 43:16 ?
neither they are both around 70inches 🙂

Looks like 44/16 should be OK then, if i’m too much of a wimp i can always go up to an 18 on the back.

Going to be an interesting experiment, all brought on by having my old hack bike stolen on friday 🙁

I rode fixed for 10 years from 95 onwards. I found 66″ a good compromise for tooling round town ie 30 miles a day. Not good going down Combe Bottom or up from Peaslake to Holmbury Hill, or following geared riders on the fast run back down into Cobham.

Its only going to be a general town runabout/commuter bike. Won’t be doing great distances on it, thats what my geared bikes are for!

My 0ld Carrera hybrid was knackered any way, gears shot to hell, wheels buckled etc. It was going to cost me more to fix it than it was worth so perhaps the thief did me a favour.

42×16 or 48×18 is a good place to start. they give al but the same ratio

71 vs 72″

48×19/18/17 are all lovely. 48t chainrings give the best array of gear options, I find.

Yep, 48T chainring is a good place to start.
I use a 17T freewheel on my Langster although I’ve run it with a 16T before. 16T gets just a fraction hurty on hills or headwind drags, 17T I find pretty much perfect.

I think everything else has been covered but I’d also consider how many traffic lights you’ll encounter. I have one set that is uphill and pulling away with flat pedals and a 78″ (48:16 26″) is slow.

I found 78″ was ok for a relatively flat commute and spds but dropped to 68″ when I went to flats. My latest road bike for commuting is 45:17 and 700cc. Fine for the club run and commuting.

Rear sprockets are readily available in 16-20t cheaply (I know you can get others but they get more expensive) so I’d pick a front ring that will let you choose the rear sprocket from this range.

43:19 is perfect for Sheffield hills for me.

I’ve dropped the cash on the Mango bike.

Has the 44/16 set up so i’ll see how i get on with it for a week or two before any possible ratio changes.
Its only 3 miles to work and includes cycle paths, 40mph dual carriageways and regular 30mph town roads, with 3 sets of lights.

Went for the Mango as it should fit me better than the Charge, and that Mongoose is gopping to be honest! 😆

Doubt i’ll run it as a fixie though..

Mongoose is gopping

True. The earlier versions were a little more subtle. Though to avoid gopping you’ll need to be swapping the tyres on the Mango!