my charge plug has become too easy need a higher front chainring or lower rear sprocket please help

[cycling fisherman]

Hi all I haven't posted in a long time but I could do with some valuable information.

I bought my charge plug 0 about a year ago and its just become a little too easy, the 42t front and 16t rear was a bit of a struggle at first coming from a mountain bike but now I am spinning out constantly on the flats and on some low climbs.

Could a member please point me in the right direction regarding sizing of a bigger chainring or lower freewheel sprocket - specifically sizes or direct links I am not sure exactly what to buy and my LBS does not hold any single speed stock.

 

[Soltydog]

I'm guessing it'll be a square taper crankset? if so just search ebay & change to a 46t chainring & see how you get on. You might find the gear too big then & can then change freewheel to suit. FWIW my single speed was initially 48t chainring & 17t freewheel, I wasn't spinning out till 27mph+ but riding up any gradient or into wind was murder. now running 48t x 19t & it's about right for me, spins out now around 23/4mph & can ride into moderate wind & tackle any of the gradients round here

 

[cycling fisherman]

I have done some digging...

charge plug has a standard 5 bolt 130mm bcd chainring

I am going to go with a 46t to begin with and stick with the 16t rear

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Velosolo have a selection of chain rings, 46x16 will give you about 75 gear inches.

http://calculator.fixedforum.it/

 

[JimboJames1972]

I have played with three different gear ratios on my bike. 50:18, 44:16 and 48:17. For the riding around here (mostly flat, a handful of short, sharp climbs) these were about right. I could buzz along at 20ish mph happily on the flats, and just grind it up the hills. So long as I did not attempt too many silly distances (50+ miles) I found these ratios good for me.
As for sourcing bits, my new items I got from Brick Lane Bikes in London. They were not the cheapest, but the guys there definitely knew their stuff and kept an excellent stock of all SS components. Other bits I sourced from Amazon/eBay.
Hope this helps,
James

PS. Changing a couple of teeth on the chainring will and a smaller and more subtle effect on your overall gearing than changing just one tooth on the sprocket. It might be worth a go on a borrowed geared bike to see what ratios suit your preferred cadences best and then choose chainring and sprocket to match?

 

[Citius]

I have done some digging...

charge plug has a standard 5 bolt 130mm bcd chainring

I am going to go with a 46t to begin with and stick with the 16t rear

Changing the rear sprocket will probably be cheaper than changing the front chain ring.

 

[midlife]

Buy dirt cheap used 130 BCD chainrings from the bay until you find a suitable gear range for the ring and then buy a nice one

Shaun

 

[cycling fisherman]

Am i correct in saying the drivetrain on the plug is 1/8th same as bmx ?

if so will I be only be able to fit a 1/8th chain ring or will i be able to buy any 130 and it will fit ?

 

[Dan B]

Am i correct in saying the drivetrain on the plug is 1/8th same as bmx ?

if so will I be only be able to fit a 1/8th chain ring or will i be able to buy any 130 and it will fit ?

Narrower cogs will work with a wider chain (may be a bit noisy) but not vice versa

 

[Sharky]

Is your 16t a freewheel or fixed?

Free wheels tend to be 16, 17 or 18t. Don't think you can get smaller than a 16, but can probably get larger. So if you are already on a 16, the only option is a larger chainwheel. But if you stay with the 16t, then if you want to increase again, you would have to buy another chainwheel.

So might be better to replace both with something like a 48x18, which will be a smidge higher and give you later options to move to a 17 or 16t for yet higher ratios.

Sprockets are cheaper than chainwheels and dicta free wheels can be got for less than £10. As another post referred to, velosolo is a good source of single speed stuff.

If you are riding fixed, you can get cheap sprockets down to 13t, so you could keep your current chainring.

Good luck,
Keith

 

[mickle]

Pedal faster.

 

[JimboJames1972]

Yes, as far as I am aware, 16t is the smallest freewheel you can get. Mine were pretty cheap, £21 for all three if I remember correctly. Obviously, more expensive options are available...

Liao, if memory serves, all three were 1/8 freewheels. I used a 1/8 chain (the half link type but this was purely for aesthetics, not for performance) and both 1/8 and 3/64 inch chai rings. As a previous post suggested, a wider (1/8) chain will run on a narrow (3/64) chainring, but not the other way around.

J

 

[cycling fisherman]

Update.

I bought a 1/8 46t chainring from the bay for £14 delivered.

It arrived and I tried to install it on the existing original half link chain but it was just too short - I could have bought a link but instead opted for the new chain.

I bought a kmc z510 hx 1/8 chain on recommendation.

Just fitted it tonight and I must admit it doesn't look as good as the half link but seems heavy duty enough.

Road test...

Much better, much much better in fact.
Certainly cannot spin it out on the flat yet...

There is a little noise from the chain but I'm guessing its just bedding itself in.

So I'm currently at 46t 16t and to be honest I should had done it 6 months ago.

Flying along nicely now on the flats, going to try some small inclines tomorrow night.

 

[Dan B]

Nice. The half link chain may look better but an "ordinary" chain is almost certainly going to last longer.

 

[Jenkins]

Thanks for the information - do you have a link to the chainring as I've just purchased a Charge Plug 0 for a bit of fun (I couldn't resist as Wiggle had them at £230). The 42 will be too low for me and I suspect a 46 is what I'll need as well.