London Fixed-gear and Single-speed SJS Cycles

supposed to be better as you are spreading the wear around and not focusing on one spot...

im riding 44-16 which i find ok around town.. but i do have to do a few hills on my way home tho...

I did Highgate Hill last night on the polo bike.

39/21 and a couple of pints makes for a very funny descent.

Very, very, very spinny.

Same again next week.

I run 48:16 and ride a silly steep, long hill on my commute when I take my fixie, does the job fine.

I'm a 49:16 man myself, and does fine for the streets around Dublin's Expensive Dublin (not many hills on my commute, but it handle's em fine)

Technically better. But you can always remove your wheel, run it forward a bit then put it back on, so you'll now skid on a different part of your tyre.

i found an easy calculator on the web
http://software.bareknucklebrigade.c...it.applet.html

wot up

I ride a 48/18 ratio at the mo, but its too easy so need some advice from the more knowledgeable ones out there!!

shall I go 52/18 or 48/16 to make things harder???

Go up a tooth at a time on the rear - so try 48/17 next. FWIW, it's a lot cheaper to get a new rear cog than a new chainring.

Cheers brother!

I'm a single speed bod though so think I'll go down to 16, just need to find a cheapie!!

I ride a 42:18 and It's useless!

I've nearly finished building my 1st fixed and I'm going with 46:15. I'm used to a 10 speed compact shimano set up. Is this ration going to be OK for someone who's never been on a fg?

Probably gonna be a little high, probably best going for a 16t or 17t sprocket

Good question but one of those how long is a piece of string kind of questions. It will depend on how strong a rider you are, what type of terrain you're riding, distance and mostly personal preference.

It's a good place to start but as Andyp mentioned above, you can always go up a tooth on the rear cog if it doesn't feel comfortable. Personally I'm on 44/19 at the minute and I love the spinnyness in traffic and at lights but not so good on the long straights. I have also run 44/18 and 44/17 at times. Again it's about finding the right gear for you. Take your time, get used to it. Enjoy. Repeat.

This is a very useful calculator aplet: http://software.bareknucklebrigade.com/
It factors in crank length and rolling diameter.

I work on metres gain: For general riding I aim at 6m, which on my Langster = 16/46 with 700 x 23mm tyres and 172.5mm cranks.

I started off much lower and have built up to what appears to be, for me, a nice comfortable gearing.

Toodle pip

47:17, love it. rode 47:15 on the way back from the track the other week, made me wonder how the hell i ran 50:15 on the street or a few weeks.

may run 46:18 on my next build. spinners are winners.

Anyone use 46/17(71.1 GI)? I fancy a change on the Concept, 48/19's(66.4 GI) too spinny

I'm on 44:17, it's great for me, with 165 cranks, for a 12 mile each way commute

am going to try 42;17 though, see if I can notice the difference!

I'm on 53/19 which works out as 73.3 GI and it's killing me with the wind this week. Might put on a 20t rear sprocket or some outriggers and a sail. Road sailing ftw.

For the sake of starting a new thread would 48/17 be a good gear 72 inch and 17 skid patches i think
seems OK?
How is it on the hills?

Yeah that should be fine, generally 70 is good for London, you can get up all the hills and the descents aren't too spinny.

Cheers
I dont live in london
I'm in cornwall its a bit hilly down here
i think il manage though im never in a hurry

Personally I'd rather struggle up hills then spin out on the way down, but thats just me. I'd say 72" sounds good for cornwall. Its not so much hills, but stop/start city cycling that warrants a lower gear (IMHO).

I ride 48:16 and its rubbish in town, as I cant pull away from lights quickly or accelerate out of trouble. On open country roads, with rolling hills, its fanatastic though.

potetskrel?

47:18 ftw

Cheers for that
so maybe drop a tooth to 16?

then something spinny for a polo gear?

I'd give 48:17 a try first. But to be honest its down to your preferred cadence.
I'm converting the bike to 41:23 for a mountian climb I'm doing in a few months, should be interesting.

This thread has got me thinking about changing by ratio. I used 42:16 for nearly my whole time on fixed, since 2004 but changed to 44:16 toward the end of last year. I did enjoy my original ratio which I found pretty good for all occassions even long distances such as London to Brighton. But thought I'd like a bit more top speed and perhaps a faster cruising speed.

But over the past few months my experience has been just general hard work especially going from a standing start and in a headwind. My overall average speed is not much higher if at all. So I'm thinking of dropping down a notch. I've gone from a 71 gear up to a 74 so perhaps 73 would be just right. So my question is this: 43:16 or 46:17? I don't skid by the way.

With the first option I'd just have to get a new chainring. But with the second I'd have to get both. Any thoughts??

I know there's not too much in it, but an important decision factor - Can your drop-outs handle 46:17 with the original chain?

My perfect ratio.

fabulous application
thanks for the link

Yeah, i think it's mine too. Ambidexrious skidders get around 32 skid spots, and it's perfect for London. Not too spinny, but not too hard on the knees.

Actually, just had a look. It's 36 patches ambidextrious, and 18 if your a 1 footed skidder. So for me, that's more skid patches than i have spokes!

ha cheers guys, i just came on here to ask about whether 47/18 was a good ratio,
trawled through the first page looking for anyone who had talked about it and i find it right at the end.
nice one, think I'll give it a try.
do you reckon it'll be alright in a really flat area (cambridge)
cheers.

Yes.

concise, like it.

I've got 47x18 on the Condor right now.
Any ratio I've ever used becomes certified as a "Fucking Awesome Ratio Mate!" ratio and becomes safe to use anywhere in the world.

47:18 is the best fucking ratio ever!

EVER!

+1 I love it.

No, 46:17 is the best ratio ever... and now shut up..

Actually I'm using 48:17 atm because of a shit worn out chainring I had to replace... shit.

It's ok.. I used to run 46x17 too. :P

I love 47x16 or 78.6gi only found one hill I couldn't climb

16 skid spots, plus it's an odd ratio, longer chain ring and cog life :D

lucky for some

Thats true but
everywheres about three times the distance
my college is 13 miles of big lolling hills from my house
Nice

I'm quite new to fixed and am riding 48x15 which is starting to have an adverse impact on my knees. I'm undecided whether to move to 48x17 or 44x15 to ease the pressure. Can anyone advise which would be better and also where would be good to pick up either a 17tooth sprocket (plus lockring - I'll use the unoccupied flop side of my flip flop)or a 44tooth chainring this weekend. I don't want to spend too much on either but would like something half decent.

Cheers,
Ben

I have a 17t Miche sprocket you can have for £8

Its probably easier (and cheaper) to just change the back rather than the front

sounds good ummar. where are you based? and do you have a lock ring tool that I could borrow?

Thanks,
Ben

Sorted now...I got hold of a 17tooth Miche yesterday from Cyclopolis in Balham. The guy in there fitted it for me (and sheared my lockring a bit which pissed me off) but it's a much snappier ride now.

i hope the threads are ok on the lockring????

What crank length are you using on that 47:18?

Yes and it's my first time fixed. I find the peddling fine but I think at 78GI it's a bit too hard to stop quickly without brakes. If I change to 70GI is it going to make slowing and stopping easier?

Also is there any real difference between 48/18 and 42/16 aside from 0.4GI?