Okay, I love to go fast. No doubt. But I was wondering if there is such a thing as a "Perfect ratio" on a single speed or multi-speed! :?
Fastest gear ratio?
- Thread starter Vintagebikebuilder
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I don't think that there's any one, universal standard for anything, anywhere, especially anything bike-related. I think that regarding gear ratios, it really comes back to rider preference & ability, terrain, type of bike, type of riding, etc. Throw multi-speed into the mix, and you can cover more bases at once, but even then, there are a lot variables. Typical cruisers were geared around 65 gear-inches or so, and 3-speed cruisers would be about 88 in high gear. Older 10-speed road bikes were usually geared to have a range of about 35 to 100 gear-inch ratio combinations, but a modern road bike with a triple chain ring might range from, oh, the lower 20s up to near 120 gear inches. And, for whatever it's worth, my RRBBO7 entry, with a S-A eight speed hub, has a range of 47 to 153 gear inches. However, I can't yet particularly crank the top gear or two well enough to take advantage of the 40+ mph speeds it could potentially give me.
If you're dealing with a old single speed cruiser, slap a 52T chain ring on and a 14T cog - I think those are about the limits of what would directly fit - and see if you can readily crank it on the roads you normally ride. It's easy to back down to "slower" ratios if it doesn't work out for you. FWIW, that combination (with a typical balloon tire) will net you about 17 mph at a 60 RPM crank speed, and about 23 if you turn an 80 RPM cadence. That's just shy of top gear on an old 10-speed with 27" tires, so I think it would be tough to pedal normally for most people, even on flat ground. But your mileage may vary...
So, no, there's no perfect ratio that suits everybody that just wants to go fast. Ultimately, it comes down to what, where, and how you ride.
If you're dealing with a old single speed cruiser, slap a 52T chain ring on and a 14T cog - I think those are about the limits of what would directly fit - and see if you can readily crank it on the roads you normally ride. It's easy to back down to "slower" ratios if it doesn't work out for you. FWIW, that combination (with a typical balloon tire) will net you about 17 mph at a 60 RPM crank speed, and about 23 if you turn an 80 RPM cadence. That's just shy of top gear on an old 10-speed with 27" tires, so I think it would be tough to pedal normally for most people, even on flat ground. But your mileage may vary...
So, no, there's no perfect ratio that suits everybody that just wants to go fast. Ultimately, it comes down to what, where, and how you ride.
Depends on the terrain, weight of the bike, your age and condition, but in general I'd say somewhere around 65-75 inches.
http://www.bikecalc.com/gear_inches
http://www.bikecalc.com/gear_inches
The answer is entirely dependent on the ratio of strength to weight of the rider (and bike), and flatness of the terrain; AND distance of the course. I find 52/18 the best compromise for me at this time.
dougfisk said:
For me also, I use the 52/21 and 52/18 combinations most on my old road bike. Often, I don't bother ever shifting off of the 18T cog, even from stops. I tend to use my multi-speed road bike as a single speed, enough so that I've contemplated converting it.
Ya gotta be able to sprint off the line half way decent in the real world traffic conditions unless all ya do is chug along on flatland light traffic or bike lanes. To be geared for the world means you are limited on your high end (Ive tried, but I cant work a sgl. spd. criuser hard enough to match my Trek 7200's 18 speed). My 3spd isnt a bad user friendly set up, and a 5 spd would be the cat's meow, I think. I would gear it for the highest speed on the top that I could handle and let the others fall where they may.
