Gear ratios, in inches

[Grldtnr]

Trying to work out my best ratio for single speed/ fixed.
I haven't ridden fixed for some years, I recently bought a Specialized Langster to put on a set of rollers ,to get fit again, occasionally I will want to ride it on the road on dry days & saints days.
I've counted/calculated current gearing 46x13 , which gives about 90" , which probably is a bit high on the road, ,it's fairly flat in my part of Essex.
What would others recommend? When I was fitter without an injured knee, I used to ride mid 70" gears, enough to get up some hills in Kent, but I was younger ,fitter ,stronger then.

[peetee]

Assuming you have a road bike work it out from your most favourable gear on that. After all, it’s anybody’s guess but yours how fit you are now.

[NUKe]

the old wisdom used to be 66 inches. I would probably look to 60 inches or less these days but a while since I rode fixed.

[hamster]

Depends hugely where you live: I run around 50" on my MTB singlespeed, which is fine but 16mph is about tops on the road for any distance. However I can get up just about any hill here in Hampshire. It would be lower if I lived in Derbyshire!

[Mick F]

If it's flat, it's 100 inches or even more.
Relax and take your time.

There's not much flat round here, but there is a flat bit, I sit in 100+ for half a mile or so. If it was further, I'd carry on relaxing.

[Brucey]

Depends hugely where you live: I run around 50" on my MTB singlespeed, which is fine but 16mph is about tops on the road for any distance. However I can get up just about any hill here in Hampshire....

including harvesting lane....?

cheers

[tatanab]

I've counted/calculated current gearing 46x13 , which gives about 90" ,

Which is as big or bigger than I used for time trials and track racing 40 years ago. Even then, I and my club mates favoured something around 65" for general club runs and touring. I still ride 65" (ish) on the rare occasions I take out the fixed. Now I am 68 years old and live in rolling to hilly country. If you have a 46 chainwheel then a 19 sprocket will give you about 65" and an 18 will give about 69".

[rareposter]

The first generation Langster came with a 48:16 (81") as standard and that was SS (although with a flip-flop hub to allow fixed).

Later ones lowered the gearing considerably (42:16 and 42:18 were both used as the default gearing at point of sale over a couple of model years).

46:13 is 95.5" which is incredibly high. For reference, the indoor velodromes restrict training sessions to 88" gears (you're allowed to go higher for racing) but 95" is a gear for scratch / points races!

Back in the days when cycle club winter training meant old blokes on fixies, the received wisdom was about 66" gearing.

Personally I can't stand riding fixed on road but I have a SS Langster which is running 48:17 (76") which I use for commuting. For me, that's a decent gear to get up to speed while still being able to get away from traffic lights and deal with minor hills. I certainly wouldn't want to go any higher. a 16T cog would give you about a 77" gear, high enough that your legs wouldn't be spinning like mad but low enough to not explode your knees every time you need to start or stop!
17T would give a 73". Either would be OK for road riding provided it's reasonably flat.

[hamster]

Depends hugely where you live: I run around 50" on my MTB singlespeed, which is fine but 16mph is about tops on the road for any distance. However I can get up just about any hill here in Hampshire....

including harvesting lane....?

I said 'just about'

Not tried it, my benchmark is the ramp on Hampton Ridge by the old U-Boat Pen. It's usually tricky as it's very shingly after rain. 50°55'34.0"N 1°42'16.1"W

[Cyril Haearn]

I use 49" fixed, at 100 rpm I do 15 mph, that is plenty
The human machine is quite flexible, maybe there is a range of gears one might might get used to
..
The Gazette reviewed fixed-wheel cycles a few issues ago, one had a gear over 80", much too high IMHO

[drossall]

the old wisdom used to be 66 inches.

+1. I upped mine to 81" for a time trial once.

[CliveyT]

My SS is 70-odd inches (honestly can't remember what I have on there at the moment) and that's in S Cambridgeshire. It used to be higher but getting home from work is invariably into a headwind- I don't think my cadence has got into single figures but it sure as hell felt like it at times. I can get up anything around here on that, even if there are a few expletives uttered on the way.

[djnotts]

One of the fixed enthusiasts I knew bitd of C+ Fixed Community group and who recently broke the Ordinary LEJOG record used to train in Derbyshire on 81". But he was very strong!
I dropped as low as 64" before failing health and strength made that too high for even modest hills - but too low for downhill! Regrettable
For off tarmac single free usually c.6" lower than fixed.
Choice depends on circumstances!

[Marcus Aurelius]

I used to keep a SS / fixie for the winter months. The biggest gear I ever ran was 110 inches, I wouldn’t do that now, I’d go 70 inches tops.

[Tigerbiten]

The easy one to remember is .........
If you can spin a 100" gear at 100 rpm then you'll be doing 30 mph.

For that if you know what cadence you want to spin at and you know what speed you want to hit then you can work out what gear you need to do that.
If you spin at 80 rpm and you want to hit 16 mph then you need a 67" gear.

Easy .............