# Anyone running less than 70 gear inches?



## Dave Hickey

I installed a new crankset on my 3Rensho..It's an old Dura Ace 7500 model with a 151bcd..Since I don't have any 151 bcd rings, I used the 47t ring that came with the crank.. 

I have a 19t cog in the back for when I was running a 50t ring up front on the original crank...That gave me 70 gear inches

I decided to try the 47t up front and the 19t in back....this gives me 65 gear inches..

It was pure joy.....No struggling into headwinds and I could still maintain a decent speed with a tailwind......

I was going to put on an 17 or 18 cog to bring the gearing closer to 70 inches with the new crank but I think I'm going to leave as is for a while...

I've never been fast so that's not a concern of mine.. I found 65 inches to be ideal on todays ride...

anyone else running less than 70 gear inches?


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## roadfix

Yes, I run 65 inches on my old beater Bianchi Pista that I keep at work, perfect for running errands. Plain, platform pedals, no clips/straps.


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## seeborough

I use a 48/20 on two single speeds. That puts me right around 65. Perfect for running around town at 16 mph and a comfortable cadence. It's easy enough for consistently high winds in the winter and allows me to coast the downhills in the murderous summer heat.


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## Dave Hickey

seeborough said:


> I use a 48/20 on two single speeds. That puts me right around 65. Perfect for running around town at 16 mph and a comfortable cadence. It's easy enough for consistently high winds in the winter and allows me to coast the downhills in the murderous summer heat.



I think I'll keep it that way for winter......I don't ride as fast and the winds are usually pretty bad...


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## Balderick

I was riding my son's bmx- it seems to have a mch smaller gear ;-)


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## Frreed

I have a 39X16 on my SS. It works well enough for me. I ride in our neighborhood and with lots of stop signs and traffic, it makes for a pretty good ratio.


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## midlife_xs's

Steamrollers have 47 x19 which comes out to 66.78 gear inches. Hmm, I wonder why?:wink5:


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## spastook

I run a 39x14 which translates into 75 inches. No real hills around me just rollers. I typically average 19-20 mph on my 30-40 mile loop and shorter gear just doesn't work for me.


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## barry1021

Dave Hickey said:


> I think I'll keep it that way for winter......I don't ride as fast and the winds are usually pretty bad...


I think i am at 48x18, which is a good compromise for me. I am using an old campy 151bcd crank too. Yeah the rings are a little hard to find!

b21


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## jasonwells4

47x19 on my Steamroller. Can't really see any reason to run higher gearing in SF. I have no problem cruising at 20 MPH in good conditions. Plus, I regularly experience wind and hills.

The other thing holding me back is when I have to start from a red light and the street has excessive crowning(a hump in the middle). It can be a little tricky getting the 2nd peddle around to get clipped in.

150 RPM downhill ftw!


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## GScot

Seems like I had a 46 18 on that Panasonic I took to the training ride last year. Thanks to that I can spin like demon. That's like 67 68.


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## rcnute

Yup. For me around 65 is the sweet spot so I can get up the hills we have in Seattle and keep a decent spin on the flats.


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## JaeP

*Smaller gears*

I used to ride the same gears as I do on track (between 86 & 92 gear inches, depending on my fitness) that I ride on my fixed commuter. My fitness is no where near as it was last year so I decided to start fresh with "Off season" gearing of 75 inches. Me likey.


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## 743power

My winter fixed commuter is around 69 gear inches right now. I will probably gear up a little as I have gotten stronger over the past year and I haven't ridden the bike since the spring. I can cruise around 19-20mph on my 10 mile commute and not show up to work sweaty.


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## BianchiJoe

My 26" SS cruiser has a shockingly low gear inch count: 61.2 ! I'm in a quandary at the moment, since I'm riding it next Sunday in the Livestrong Challenge. Part of me says "go with what you know," while another part of me says to increase the gear so I don't get totally dropped on the flats. It's a hilly course though, and I don't want to blow up on the climbs. For general goofing around, it's a sweet gear; I just don't know about it for the long haul. Decision, decisions....


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## Dave Hickey

Even if you average 14mph, there will be plenty of others riding at that speed


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## JCavilia

My winter/rain/errand commuter has a 39x16, about 66 inches with the 27"x 1 1/4 tire I run. The bike is a little heavier, with a rack and fenders, and I often have carry 8-10 pounds of stuff in panniers. On my stripped-down road fixie, I run a 39x14, with 700-23 tires, about 73 inches.

Both seem about right for their uses. I don't ride very hilly routes on either, but I do more hills on the lighter bike. It seems paradoxical, but I want the higher gear for that use, to allow faster speeds more comfortably on the downhills. If I only rode that bike on dead flat routes, I'd probably have a little lower gear.


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## FlynG

I've always run 65". 
It's easier to start up in town and there are enough rollers around here to make the climbs a bit nicer and a front brake makes the decents tolerable too.

Flyn G


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## BianchiJoe

Dave Hickey said:


> Even if you average 14mph, there will be plenty of others riding at that speed


Yeah, that's what I'm counting on! If I can keep my RPMs up at 85 or so, I can cruise along at 15 mph, which is a decent enough clip. I've always subscribed to the adage that you should gear for the climbs, not the flats. I figure It'll take me 5 hours to do the 65 miles, so I don't want to beat myself up too badly by straining against a tall gear, especially if it's windy. I think I'll just leave things as they stand (which also means that I don't need to go buy a new chainring or freewheel).


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## JCavilia

*Never mind . . .*



BianchiJoe said:


> Yeah, that's what I'm counting on! If I can keep my RPMs up at 85 or so, I can cruise along at 15 mph, which is a decent enough clip. I've always subscribed to the adage that you should gear for the climbs, not the flats. I figure It'll take me 5 hours to do the 65 miles, so I don't want to beat myself up too badly by straining against a tall gear, especially if it's windy. I think I'll just leave things as they stand (which also means that I don't need to go buy a new chainring or freewheel).


I was about to say I'd go nuts with that low a gear on a hilly ride, then I re-read your first post and noticed "SS". Life is so much easier when you can coast ;-)


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## roadfix

Yeah, you can get away with significantly lower gear inches when running SS. You can spin like a madman if you have to and quickly recover by coasting.


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## blakcloud

Three single speed bikes all running lower than 70. 

Winter bike 60 inches
Commuter bike 62 inches
Weekend bike 64 inches.

I am never that much in a hurry, so this works out well for me.


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## tihsepa

My only SS is my Surly X-Check. I run a low gear of 39X18 which rules off road on the road I will throw a 42 up front.


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## Dad Man Walking

42x17 for a 67 inches. I converted my old road bike and moved the inner 42t ring to the outer position on the Campy SR cranks (mid-80's SR). Seems just right for me...low enough that I can hog it up the short hills that infest the terrain around here, high enough that I can motor along at 17 - 21 mph on the flats with a good spin.


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## Fredke

Dave Hickey said:


> I've never been fast so that's not a concern of mine.. I found 65 inches to be ideal on todays ride...
> 
> anyone else running less than 70 gear inches?


I've been running 44x18, which gives me just a hair under 65, for three years. It's the perfect ratio for the riding I do. It's big enough that I can keep up with the pedals on downhills but is small enough to climb, and if the climb is short enough, I can handle up to 12% or so.


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## serious

jasonwells4: *47x19 on my Steamroller. Can't really see any reason to run higher gearing in SF. I have no problem cruising at 20 MPH in good conditions.*

Cruising at 102 RPM? 

I started at 46:17 and I find it too low even though my area is very hilly (I often climb over 2000 feet in 35-40 mile rides). I am going for 46:16 single and 46:15 on the fixed side. Sure I will sweat the climbs, but I am in decent shape and race on a singlespeed mountain bike.


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## jmlapoint

My usual FG is 42x18 = 63 GI
I tried to bump up to 44x18 = 66 GI, but really didn't like it and started to get some IT Band Pain around my hip. Went back to 42x18 and everything feels great.
I'm not very fast, but no pain and a smile.


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## Dave Hickey

It's interesting reading all these replies.......maybe 70 inches isn't ideal after all?


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## meat

I tried a 34 X20 fixed on the mountain bike for a while but it did not fit my riding style and the terrain. My commuter is just under 70 inches which works fine for the nearly dead flat commute.


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## herve_g

44x16 = 73 GI (it's my commuter)

It's ok for cruising & I can take hills too, but sometimes I just take them very slowly


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## roadfix

Every year as I age the gear inches I run seem to decrease by an average of an inch a year.


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## Glynis27

I ran 32/14 (about 59GI ?) on my 26x1.5" SS for a year and was pretty happy. This year I have run 36/14 (about 67GI ?) and I really like it. Can cruise at 16-18mph all day and hit 27mph all out. Very comfortable gear for me. Might try 38/14 or 40/14 next year.

I like this gear for its use as an "around town" bike. If I were using it for fast group rides, I would need something a bit taller.


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## singlespeedbuss

Bianchi BUSS 32x16//Converted Bianchi sport sx road SS 46x16


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## roadfix

For SS mountain bikes, running close to 2:1 is pretty much standard. Obviously, that ratio for the most part would not be ideal for road bikes.


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## FatTireFred

roadfix said:


> For SS mountain bikes, running close to 2:1 is pretty much standard. Obviously, that ratio for the most part would not be ideal for road bikes.




for 26" ss mtn bikes... 29ers often go <2:1, like 700c roadies... although I don't think many roadies use ratio, rather GI


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## singlespeedbuss

You ride that 2:1 ratio a few dozen times on the road and your aerobic fitness goes way up but is brutal on the calves. can ride comfortable 16mph and spin out to just under 25mph for short sprints, feel the burn!


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## David Loving

I tried 42-17 (about a 65) today on the single speed - windy, etc. - and liked it.


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## treehugger

I run a 42:18 mostly (63 GI / bad knees) and a 42:16 on the other side. The 18 might be replaced by a 17 soon. Just moved to SF, want to see how the 18 works for me first.


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## jmlapoint

I've been riding 42 x18 for years and I love it.
Mostly flat riding on a 16 pound FG with front brake.
I'm old, love to spin along, and so far knees and hands and back are fine.
Doubt gear will decrease my achy butt tho....lol!


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## m_s

42 x 16 which is 69 gear inches. That's on a freehub. I don't imagine I'd want any lower than that on fixed, but I'm kind of a masher. Though for a mostly flat area one has a lot of options, I suppose. Given a speed at which you usually ride, gearing simply determines your cadence.


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