What is your lowest gear and how low is too low. Are new bikes geared too high?

[Fastpedaller]

Easily enough once on the move. Stopping can be a bigger issue.

Derailleur gearing built onto a five speed hub gear.

Easy enough! 229 inches at 90 RPM gives a speed of 61 MPH , and at 30 MPH, I defy anyone to pedal that high a gear at 45 RPM. Is this true?

 

[Fastpedaller]

Indeed but many road riders are not World Tour Pros. Nor do they descend closed road alpine descents as fast as World Tour Pros. Nor do they sprint at 40 mph, like World Tour Pros.

Exactly, most riding over 100 inches don't need it. Even when I descended the Snake Pass to Glossop at about 70 MPH I only had a top gear of mid 90's (I was mostly freewheeling and sitting up to get windbreak when I needed to go slower)

 

[classic33]

Easy enough! 229 inches at 90 RPM gives a speed of 61 MPH , and at 30 MPH, I defy anyone to pedal that high a gear at 45 RPM. Is this true?

Once you get going.
It's true.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

...

I descended the Snake Pass to Glossop at about 70 MPH

That's an incredible speed on that hill. Maybe some calibration needed...

70kph, perhaps.

[Edit: just checked, the KOM on the descent to Glossop is held by Ethan Hayter, 70kph average, max 90kph]

 

[C R]

I have 28:32 in my flat bar bike, which I use for commuting or rough terrain. I rarely need to use the bottom gear.

In my road bike it is 34:34, around here it is fairly flat, so that doesn't see much use either.

 

[Rusty Nails]

My lowest gear is just that little bit higher than I'd like it to be.

Strangely, every bike I've ever had has had the same problem.

 

[Bristolian]

My Allez has a 3x9 setup with 50-39-30 chainrings and 11-32 cassette. I find I can ride mostly without needing the small ring, although there are a couple of hills that would defeat me otherwise. I'm looking to replace the middle ring with a 34T one, which would reduce the lowest gear with middle chainring from 33" to 29", and if that works on my "big" hills then I will convert the bike to 2x.

I did try a 48T big chainring for a few months but it didn't make much difference to my riding, probably due to the poor aerodynamics of my body , so I changed it back again. Also, my average cadence is around 75 so I'm never gonna bother even a mediocre club rider (these days)

 

[Fastpedaller]

...


That's an incredible speed on that hill. Maybe some calibration needed...

70kph, perhaps.

[Edit: just checked, the KOM on the descent to Glossop is held by Ethan Hayter, 70kph average, max 90kph]

The speedo gave out at 67MPH - I had no reason to question its accuracy, having used it for many time trials. In fact I still use it on my 'most regular' bike.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

The speedo gave out at 67MPH - I had no reason to question its accuracy, having used it for many time trials. In fact I still use it on my 'most regular' bike.

It's definitely wrong! No way Snake is steep enough for that speed, you're 10 mph *faster* than the pro who holds the KOM!

 

[lenfield]

Easy enough! 229 inches at 90 RPM gives a speed of 61 MPH , and at 30 MPH, I defy anyone to pedal that high a gear at 45 RPM. Is this true?

Yes.

inches per hour = radius * pi * rpm * 60 mins
229 * 3.142 * 90 * 60 = 3885397.2

mph = inches per hour / inches per mile
3885397.2 / 63,360 = 61.32