# 52x18, too much?



## Beantown (Nov 29, 2001)

I have been doing some shakedown rides on my new, self built, IRO Jamie Roy.
I used the 46x18 setup provided in the build kit.
Sadly, I lunched the left crank due to a poorly tightened bolt. 
Happily, this gave me a great excuse to upgrade from the clunky, no-name cranks.

Harris's turned me on to a good deal on a Shimano 600 crankset for short money.
I'll probably get it back together this weekend and give it a go.

I liked the 46x18 in most respects but, felt a little bit over cadenced on the flat.
No doubt I'll have my work cut out for me with this bigger gear but I'm wondering what people are running out there, and for what purpose.

Currently, I plan to use this bike for a local (30 miler) commuter/trainer, in order to build strength and form.

Do you thing I'm making too big a jump?


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## zapp (Apr 21, 2002)

*48x18*



Beantown said:


> Do you thing I'm making too big a jump?


I run 48X18 here in Concord NH, It lets me spin about 18-19 mph on the flats comfortably, and still have enough left to go up the hills. This is a 71 inch gear. 52-18 is about a 77 inch gear and in comparison 46-18 is a 68 inch gear. It should not be to big of a jump for you.


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## CFBlue (Jun 28, 1999)

*calculator*

Here's a calculator:

http://www.midcalracing.com/gears.xls

I'd recommend starting in lower gears, then maybe using taller gears as you get used to standing up hills or pushing harder gears, which will allow you to go faster on the descents. Meanwhile, you'll develop a faster, smoother spin.


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## deldredge (May 28, 2004)

I ride 52x19 around cambridge / boston / lexington with no problem whatsoever. It's a little high at the lights, but it's definitely not a problem at all. My bike is 27", so that gearing gives me about 74.1 gear inches. 52x18 on a 700c bike is 76.2, which is not much higher. I think it's not a bad ratio at all. I would even consider going higher than 52/19 on my bike, and I'm an out of shape, jelly-legged cubicle sitter.


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## czardonic (Jan 11, 2002)

I here a lot of people tout fixed-gear riding as a way to improve/increase cadence. I'm not trying to tell you how to ride your bike, but since you mentioned form. . .

I ride 42:17 on a short commute with a fairly steep hill. I can see wanting a higher gear on long rides, provided there weren't a lot of stop/starts.

How stiff are those IRO frames? That is a possible issue with starts and climbs in such a tall gear.


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## Beantown (Nov 29, 2001)

*fairly stiff...*

With my limited riding experience it would be hard to say exactly but, my road bike is a Bianchi Imola steel frame, which provides a very nice ride.
The IRO is a bit buzzy, but I am still toying with saddles. I also put a carbon fork on to lend a bit of dampening to the front end.
I may find the 52 a grind and need to downsize but who knows?

Thanks for all the input!


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## czardonic (Jan 11, 2002)

Beantown said:


> With my limited riding experience it would be hard to say exactly but, my road bike is a Bianchi Imola steel frame, which provides a very nice ride.
> The IRO is a bit buzzy, but I am still toying with saddles. I also put a carbon fork on to lend a bit of dampening to the front end.
> I may find the 52 a grind and need to downsize but who knows?
> 
> Thanks for all the input!


Its worth a shot.

I ran 53:17 on rollers and it was no problem!


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## 38eighteen (Oct 22, 2003)

*Go for it*

I ride 52:18 on 27" wheels. Not by choice, that's just the bits I could get my hands on.

My regular ride is an "out and back" that has me going down a short (maybe 2km) pretty steep hill at the very start and (obviously) back up it at the end of my ride. I find that hill pretty hard going at that gear when I am exhausted, but it is doable and worth the pain for the extra speed on the flats and comfort downhill.

Brian
FGG #606 (changed gears since that pic...)


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