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Hi, just after a bit of advice.... I have an Orange P7 single speed & my current gearing is 34-16 & it's just a little bit tough when riding single track.... Swinley nearly kills me! If I go bigger on the rear to an 18 I find I spin out too easily... By dropping to a 32 on the front will that take it to a mid point? & before any one say get gears thanks but I like SS!
standard issue SS ratio is 2:1 for 26" being 52 gear inches.
I run the same (52") on my 29er.
Gets me around the Malverns without too much arse prolapsing.
34:16=2.125:1
34:18=1.89:1
32:16=2:1 so it will be somewhere in the middle.
Thought there was something about running an odd number of teeth on either chain ring or sprocket, and an even number on the other to even out chain wear? Would 34:17 not be an option?
I find 4.1m about right.
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/why-does-no-one-use-gear-inches-or-metres-development
4ft 4in is pretty much perfect, as long as you can maintain the prerequisite facial expression...
Jokes aside, 32:16 is pretty much accepted as the norm. You can fiddle about with it for extra niche points if you like, but bear in mind that changes on the back will have a much greater impact than changes up front.
Increase your facial hair by a factor of 4 and a tailwind will always follow you.
32-16 sounds like the plan.... Don't quite understand the inches thing. Thanks for your help....
So next question..... I have a race face single speed front ring, what would be a good replacement?
[url= http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_g.html#gearinch ]Gear Inches, as described by God (RIP)[/url]
What you need my boy, is some wobble. 😉
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"A tiny bit lower than Obree"
(okay 32-18 I'm slow)
32-16 sounds like the plan
I'm probably being dense here, but why not 34:17, which will give you the same gearing and cost less (assuming a new sprocket is cheaper than a new chainring).
Also, i[url= http://surlybikes.com/info_hole/spew/spew_single-speed_drivetrains ]f the Surly blog is to be believed[/url], your drivetrain might last longer.
To be fair I probably need to change the lot.... Had the bike 6 years & nothing has been changed drive train wise.... I know I probably should have....
Have a surly tensioner which has helped with the stretch of the chain but it hasn't missed a beat yet & gets pushed quite hard.... Knee popping uphill sections.... Hope pro 2 hubs probably help.
Don't quite understand the inches thing.
You don't need to.
All you need to remember is that "[i]changes on the back will have a much greater impact than changes up front.[/i]", decide how great an impact you want, then make the change at the appropriate end.
That's all there is to it.
As above^^^^^^. 32-16 is considered the normal starting point. To be different I run 33-17. It has helped with chain wear.
Not sure who said "single speeding, pick whichever gear you like, it will always be the wrong one".
Also, if the Surly blog is to be believed, your drivetrain might last longer.
Some interesting articles on there. Thanks for the link.
I used to ride around the 'old' swinley 'with added fun'*TM on 32/18 - a bit spinny but helped out in the steeper bits and boggy sections......
Went to the 'new' swinley 'less fun, less mud, hard shiny motorway' *TM and I might drop back to 32/16 as it is not too testing and what ever happens you now know how many K's you have to ride.
Sh*T - this is not about gears - I am just down about the Swinley development. Sorry.
*TM
The key combination you're looking for is alt+0153
™
😛
Sorry for the slight hijack but I've been running 32:18 whilst getting used to this SS malarky but think the time might be right to up that a bit. From what's been posted am I right in thinking that 34:18 would be less of a jump than 32:16?
From what's been posted am I right in thinking that 34:18 would be less of a jump than 32:16?
32:18 = 1.78:1
34:18 = 1.89:1
32:16 = 2:1
So, yes. Apologies for posting in ratios and not gear inches but I've not done the maths for that yet.
That's good enough for me - thanks.
[url= http://cycleseven.org/bicycle-gear-inch-calculator ]http://cycleseven.org/bicycle-gear-inch-calculator[/url]
32:18 = 46.2"
34:18 = 49.1"
32:16 = 52"
As someone mentioned earlier, 36:18 also equals 52", and will create less wear on components.
I seem to remember reading on Sheldon Brown™ that the "inches" measurement corresponds to the theoretical diameter of a Penny Farthing drive wheel....
Oh FFS, swap a few about, have a ride, swap them again and ride what feels comfy.
But most importantly get some wobble.
I run 32-16 in the summer and 32-17 in the winter to make it a bit easier getting through the mud. Only just a noticeable difference.
Anyway, if you're bothered about getting off and pushing sometimes, you're not getting singlespeeding.
To the OP - you don't need to change anything until the chain starts skipping over teeth, at which point some will break off. There will still be enough left to get you home. Just buy a 17 tooth sprocket for £2.99 and get out and ride.
Just a quick update.... Was actully running a 34-15... Changed to a 16 & works well... Not too much spinning out. Thought I would try my luck & not change the whole drive train as it hasn't been replaced in a long time (5+) years at not a single slip. Thank you for your help. Not sure what is meant by I need a some wobble but hey...
Not sure who said "single speeding, pick whichever gear you like, it will always be the wrong one".
Never hear that before, It's true though.
( pretty new to singlespeeding, but I Have a suspicion it will become the larger part of my riding in the future)
Wobble: http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/tazzys-wobbly-rings-anything-current-anyone-keen
They're elliptical rings to help with the "dead spot" and allow you to run a harder gear.
Singlespeed was described to me as three speed..... Sit, stand & push
MTFU
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No good off road tho...,..
sheepdip71 - Member
No good off road tho...,..
Waddya mean? You'd never have to bunnyhop another log... 🙂
Back to the original question - if your climbs are short then 32:16 or higher is good because you can use the speed gained on one descent to get you up the next climb.
However if you have long steep climbs be looking at 32:18-22. You can gain more speed on a long descent on an SS by freewheeling with your belly on the saddle than spinning like mad.
104:13 😀
I've got 34-20 (on a 29er, so close to 34-18 on a 26er) and ride Swinley and the surrounding areas a fair bit. It's about as low as I can go, but it's better IMO to learn to pedal at 100+ rpm and carry speed as that puts the load on the cardiovascular system rather than muscular systems.
I was actualy 5min/lap quicker at Swinley on the lower gears and feel fresh afterwards too.