[Closed] singlespeed.what ratio?gear?

As the world rigid SS champion says http://flowmountainbike.com/post-all/video-solo-twenty-four-following-single-speed-rider-brett-bellchambers-at-the-solo-world-24-hour/
Singlespeed means you are in the right gear 10% of the time, that means your in the wrong one for the other 90%.... Does it matter that much 😉

Usual starting point is 32:16 on a 26" or 32:18 on a 29er.

I ride in the lakes and started on 26" with 32:18. It's a decent compromise for the hills round here.

My 29er came with 32:18 which was okay but it's more enjoyable now I've gone to a 19t rear sprocket.

cheers

mike that is the video that made the lets try it moment

Breadcrumb that is a good start

but it will be a 69er ............. one of the root beer treks

Whatever you do dont try 32-13 on your first ride in wales :). 32-16 on a 26er is good for most rides.

32:17

It is cheap to change the rear sprocket so stick a 32 on the front and then buy a cheap 16 and 18t cog for the back to see which you prefer.

33:17 here but mainly because on-one had the 33t sprokets cheaper than the 32 when I was building it.

I've settled on 32:19 on my Unit. Used in the South Wales valleys.

You might want to get your head around 'gear inches'. For example:

32 (chainring) ÷ 16 (sprocket) = 2
2 × 26 (wheelsize) = 52 gear inches

This will give you a numerical figure to work with. There's loads of info on [url= http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_g.html#gearinch ]Sheldon Brown[/url] and the [url= http://surlybikes.com/info_hole/spew/spew_single-speed_gearing_101 ]Surly website[/url] (spend some time looking through Surly pages, there's some great stuff on there.

Mine for reference:

(32÷18)×29=51.56 gear inches.

32:16 for the climbs, 34:17 for the flat bits & 36:18 for the DH gnarrrr. 33:16.5 if you wanna be uber niche.

I used to use 32:16 on my old 26 ss and after a bit of experimenting I've recently changed to 32:19 on the 29er which I find ideal for racing as I can really attack the climbs. My good friend and mechanic told me that having an odd number gear ratio aids chain longevity, too.

32:17 here on a 26" bike, get a wide base cog if you're adapting a cassette hub/freewheel

I ride on 36/16, tried 34/16 but immediately swapped out for 36, way, way too low, don't know how you guys are riding with 32??? 36/16 seems perf

EDIT: This is on a fatbike so I'm not sure if that could be why?

Start with 32-16 (or even 32-15) for a 26" rear wheel, avoid any steep hills to start with and get used to it. The gear shouldn't seem too spinny and weird / slow.. Then go a tad lower and hit the hills, for longer rides. My 2p anyway.

thanks one and all.