Shimano Nexus front to rear chain wheel combos that work for

abe lugo · Aug 3, 2011

I wan running a clover Schwinn front chain wheel(maybe a 48T) with a nexus 3 speed 16T rear. The combo didn't works so well.
What combos have worked for you?
Also I'm wanting to run a Phantom 52T front, what combo have you used for this to get the best performance out of your Nexus 3sp?

gowjobs · Aug 3, 2011

IIRC, 2nd gear is a 1:1 ratio. I would gear the bike for a good around-town ratio in 2nd, shift down for climbs, and shift to 3rd for long/flat riding.

With a 48T or 52T, I'd suggest a 20T or 22T in the rear. For off-road single-speed riding with 26" wheels, the rule of thumb is to run a front sprocket with twice as many teeth as the rear (44T/22T, 36T/18T, etc.). For street, it's up to you. I live in a town with a fair amount of hills, and I run a 44T/20T on my cruiser. Low gearing, but if I get rubber-band knee, I just coast for a bit.

abe lugo · Aug 3, 2011

Thanks for the info, I'll be ordering a couple of cogs today, I really wanted to run the front phantom chain wheel bbut since this bike will be more for sued I'll see what I can find as far as a front.
I also found this post.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=29007&p=288160&hilit=nexus+speed+nexus+cog#p288160

Philphine · Aug 3, 2011

i asked nearly the same question on the bike forums (the mechanics forum) last week for a 52t front also. it might not be more than a page or two from the first page so it might not be hard to find. the only thing is, they're so techincal talking there even though i got several answers i didn't really understand them. if your brain works better than mine, the answer may be there.

rydr1 · Aug 3, 2011

In my opinion it all depends how you want your bike to ride. I set up my wife's bike so she diesnt have to force herself to pedal in first gear. I left her stock 44T front chainring on her Nadine and installed a 22T rear cog.

That setup would not work for me, I feel first gear too useless for the way I ride so I prefer the 44T front and 20T rear on my 3 speed. It requires a bit more effort than the last one to pedal, but all gears are still usable.

All my personal opinions, but one thing I would recommend is that you try rear cogs starting from 18 to 22 teeth on the chainring that you would like to keep.