Sportive Gearing

[jdtate101]

I ride a heavy steel 46x17 fixed and can get up most climbs, always seemed a good ratio to me as I can sit at 20mph comfortably on the flats. Perhaps build it using a carbon frame and light wheels to make hills easier on longer sportives? Maybe a cheap PlanetX frame would do, the PX track frames won't support brakes, but the Stealth TT frames have brake mounts and horizontal dropouts.

 

[mjr]

Being cheaper I get, being simple I get, losing momentum due to gears, nope not that one.

You have to ease off at least a bit for most derailleurs to shift smoothly and there's a short "chain between cogs" moment of no power being applied. If you're straining yourself because it's a tough climb or because you misjudged traffic, that can make enough of a difference. (I had a nice lean against a handy fence as a result once! Get off, lift back wheel, shift into bottom gear, remount and restart...)

The illogical thing about my Single speed bike is that I can get round my normal circuit on a Sunday morning achieving the same or better average speed that I do on my gears bike!

Why's that illogical? If you picked the right gear for the circuit then you just reduced drivetrain losses, eliminated shifting losses and increased concentration on pedalling rather than thinking "should I change gear?" so much.

At the risk of being thrown out of this section, have you considered trying hub gears?

 

[screenman]

MJRAY. what is your optimum cadence?

 

[mjr]

MJRAY. what is your optimum cadence?

It seems fairly low (I really am more Fred than Froome...) but I've never tested it. There was no wattbike locally last time I discussed cadence (someone suggested that as a way to find out) and damned if I'm making a four-hour trip just for this sort of stuff that makes little practical difference. (by the way, if you put @ in front of my screen name, I'm far more likely to spot your reply)

 

[screenman]

It seems fairly low (I really am more Fred than Froome...) but I've never tested it. There was no wattbike locally last time I discussed cadence (someone suggested that as a way to find out) and damned if I'm making a four-hour trip just for this sort of stuff that makes little practical difference. (by the way, if you put @ in front of my screen name, I'm far more likely to spot your reply)

You really do not need a watt bike to tell you at what speed you are most comfortable pedaling.

 

[mjr]

You really do not need a watt bike to tell you at what speed you are most comfortable pedaling.

Ah, it depends what you mean by optimal though: most comfortable is unlikely to be most powerful.

 

[screenman]

Ah, it depends what you mean by optimal though: most comfortable is unlikely to be most powerful.

Most of us have a happy number, mine used to be 93 it is now 85, having a range of gears helps me stay at that number, without losing momentum.

I do like voices and single speeds, I do not consider them better than gears, just different.

 

[mikeee]

I ride 48 18 and I've managed some fairly steep hills on it. It's not too bad a gear on descents and on the flat. Have debated swapping it around but have never got round to it.

 

[MrGrumpy]

Well...... just about to change mine from a 48 x 16 to a 48 x 18, i`m a gear masher but these last few weeks with the wind has made me rethink and I think for me knees sake its time to change to something a bit easier for the commute. Also hoping that I can get a bit more life out of my chains and sprockets for this minimal maintenance malarky with fixed gears is a misnommer!

 

[broady]

I miss read a crank as what I thought was 48. A 38 arrived through the post, rather than send it back I opted to spend more money and buy a 12 & 13 tooth sproket kit (I've no idea what length this gave), but I did quite like it.
I ended up sticking with the 38x13
Not actually sure what is on my other ss, but I know its ??x16

 

[totallyfixed]

Fixies work. Go for the biggest chain ring and smallest sprocket you can get away with, with the chain you have. Then use your legs. 48/16 is very acceptable.

48x16, ok on the flat but in the hills? I would like to see that.

 

[MrGrumpy]

its doable on hills but you are grinding and honking up them as for the long hills yes forget it, been there and got the t shirt, painful!!

 

[Dave Davenport]

I ride a fixed around the forest a lot and find a 44x16 works well for me, unless I'm trying to stay with a (geared) group and there's a tailwind.

 

[totallyfixed]

its doable on hills but you are grinding and honking up them as for the long hills yes forget it, been there and got the t shirt, painful!!

This of course depends on your definition of hills .
5-6% rolling
Up to 11% moderately hilly, not too difficult
11-14% hilly, hard work
14-18% doable but only just, needs to be a short hill if at the upper end.

This on 50 x 18

 

[ColinJ]

Barking mad, the lot of you fixters!

I'll stick to twiddling up steep stuff in 26/28 or 28/29 if I need to, and freewheeling down the fast descents. I just checked my GPS and the max speed on it since I last reset it was 84 kph ... that would be about 240 rpm in a 50/18 gear - rather you, than me!