Actually I think 39t is probably perfect for him....I was thinking it was the big ring from the Varsity! Gear ratios will be perfect on the long rides...spin baby, spin!Thanks OddJob. Yes the chainring is the small ring (39t) from a Varsity. It was also used on a lot of the Schwinn Scramblers. That's what gave me the idea. A bigger ring would probably be better with the 20 inch wheels but it's hard to fit much bigger on this short frame. The Stingrays with gears all had the 52t mag sprockets. Seems to work ok for him. He's still getting used to the gears.