toying with singlespeeding the HT for fitness
i did it yonks ago on my old 26er but i cant remember what i ended up using as a ratio i think i had 18t at the back and either 32 or 34 on the front.
whats a sensible start ratio for 27.5 wheels. either 30t or 32t front. I`ve a cassette i can butcher to start with.
cheers,
mark
It is easier if you use gear inches via a gear calculator. chainring teeth / cog teeth * tyre diameter. Then everyone is talking the same language.
Typical gearing is 52 inches for single speed which would have been 32 / 16 on a 26 inch so just need to work out which ring /cog combination will get that on given 27.5 tyre diameter
I always had 26 running 32/18 and 29er with 32/20 so either are worth a try or 32/19 🙂
My rule of thumb is:
2:1 on a 26", add a tooth at the back for 27.5", add another one for 29".
32:17 would give a 52.2" gear on 2.35" 650b, that's a good starting point.
My 26er was 32*18, my 29er is 30*19 which is the same ratio.
I’m on 32:19 on 27.5+ (3” tyres). But I’m more of a spinner than a mosher. Somewhere with bigger hills would see me swap to 32:20, maybe.
Or pushing.
My 26er was 32*18, my 29er is 30*19 which is the same ratio.
Might be the same gear inches (haven’t checked) but it isn’t the same ratio!
Smug face emoji here
I had 32/18 on 26, for riding the hills of calderdale, now have 30/18 on my 27.5 and 30/19 on my 29er.
A rough guide was add one tooth to the sprocket or reduce two teeth from the chainring for each wheel size you go up.... Roughly!
32/17 here on a 26er around North Leeds.
Of course, it depends what it's like where you ride ...
It depends on how strong/fit you are and where you ride.
I tried 32:16 (26") but it was just a bit too much on the Lake District, dropped to an 18t rear and it was much more enjoyable. Then when I moved on to a 29er that came with 32:18, which again was manageable but a 19t rear suited me better.
A friend ran 32:16 (26"), and said it was fine. Partway through the puffer he swapped to a 18t and hasn't bothered swapping back.
My 26" Duster, I've run 32:16, 34:16 & 15 but now 33:16 which works well on our flattish terrain but mostly because it gives a full arc of adjustment through the EBB.
