What gears do you commute in?

ROK ON

Related to another thread here. Especially for the SS/fixed contingent.
What gear combinations do ye all commute in?

I am going to get a SS at some stage, but need to consider gear combos first. I like to push hard and go fast on the way in, as it is usually quiet, but on my commute home I prefer to take it easy and spin.

DirkVoodoo

44/16. Nice on the flats and the way home which is mostly a steady gradient from town out towards Stillorgan -> Cabinteely direction.

Not nice for downhills, I end up freewheeling a lot when I get bored of trying super high cadences. Also means slower people with those fancy gears tend to get the jump on you.

Big plus for me isn't just the extra work in going uphill, I have (besides replacement of tyres/pads) had next to no maintenance on my singlespeed. Clean chain, dry chain, oil chain and the occasional total bike wash. It's great! I used to be scrubbing grime off my tiagra drivetrain when I commuted on a Giant SCR. I would never go back to gears for commuting.

Caroline_ie

46-17 or sometimes 46-16

Thomas_S_Hunterson

52-18

Chips Lovell

48-18, but I'm only doing around 4km at a very lazy pace.

Gavin

48-16, on 26" wheels

nak

48-19 fixed, 30k round trip, mostly flat, but usually with a nasty headwind on the way out.

TinyExplosions

49-16 fixed for me

niceonetom

48x17 most of the time but I do go to 48x15 sometimes for a change. I avoid 48x16 because it wrecks tyres. I need to build strength, not leg speed, I think you're the other way ROK so you should probably go for a lighter gear than you think. That also reduces the risk of finding yourself walking up a hill.

You should go fixed. You should. being forced to keep up with the pedals on the downslope/tailwind teaches you how to spin, and it makes sure you don't slack off (like dirk). And it's fun. Honestly.

But...
If you absolutely insist on going freewheel you might want to check out what freewheels are available - it's a narrower range than fixed cogs - but you have the option of putting two different gear choices on the wheel (one each side of a flip-flop hub), and as long as they're not radically different (say two teeth difference) you can change ratio just by flipping the wheel.

rottenhat

48 x 19, I think, possibly 48 x 18. If I have a tailwind am feeling strong I can spin up the few minor inclines on the way, but I do find myself spinning out on the drop down from Mount Merrion. Would still prefer to have the latter problem than the reverse so I doubt I'll change to a smaller cog at any point.

billy.fish

48x18 over the winter

48x16 during the summer

do 2x 10km runs 5 days a week to work and back, and usually another 30km in and about the place over the weekend.

lukester

46x17. It's a sweet spot for me, can get up hills and truck along on the flat.

FWIW, I don't see the point of getting a SS and running it with a freewheel. You miss out on the benefits of the flywheel effect of riding fixed, and also the fun of it. It's compelling in a way that is hard to explain, which is why some people warble about Zen.

It's not Zen, Zen is Zen. Zen is also no-Zen. Zen is the sound of one trouser leg flapping in the wind. Zen is Dogen track-standing under a cherry blossom.

ROK ON

Thanks for replies folks. I guess I'm looking at 48 on front and maybe 15-17 at the back.

I would not be sure about going fixed tbh. A strech of my commute is at rushhour along the south quays. I presently cycle pretty slowly from Tara Street to the Capel St Bridge usually barely applying pressure to pedals and freewheeling. I would not be that enamoured at having to keep the pedals moving (even very softly). I prefer how I commute along this strech - its what I have been doing for last 5 or so years and it works for me.

I take Toms point in another thread re cadence.
My morning commute is through the park (slightly downhill) with very little distraction. I tend to pick a fast gear and push hard (52/12-14) to maintain high top speed until I exit the park. Then I spin up quays.

On the way home I just tend to take it easy due to traffic (so on my geared bike push an easier gear - 52/(From 14-19).

lukester

ROK ON wrote: »

I would not be that enamoured at having to keep the pedals moving (even very softly). I prefer how I commute along this strech - its what I have been doing for last 5 or so years and it works for me.

That's the thing though, you don't have to keep the pedals moving, you just let your legs relax and the pedals push your legs around. So it's like freewheeling, Zen freewheeling :pac:

Vélo

I never changed the gearing on my fixie when I got it. It's 42-16. I find it ok but it seems to be alot easier than what others are using.

blorg

42-15 on my Tricross
46-14 on my Bowery but only because I was using it for a time trial and to keep up with fast guys on geared spins

+1 what Tom said on cadence, you need to get an easy gear and learn how to spin. I started with 46-17 on the Bowery and it increased my comfortable cadence range massively which really transferred well to the geared bike. I used find it difficult to sustain above 80 RPM while I can now spin 100 RPM endlessly. On the other end I can also power over stuff out of the saddle which I used find very tiring.

A traditional piece of advice for racing cyclists is to stay in the small ring all winter- the idea behind this is similar, it is to develop your cadence and pedalling technique.

I would also suggest going fixed, it is more fun and there will be more benefit from it.

If you have a 48 front chainring I would go 17 or 18 on the back, certainly no smaller. If you MUST go freewheel I have two spare ones, I think a 16 and an 18.

NeilMcEoigheann

48x16 on my new Felt single speed.

DirkVoodoo

Velo: I wouldn't worry about measuring gear inches against others, it all depends on your route. There are a few routes I take home with short stretches of road that get up to 12-19% for very small stretches, but 44-16 is more than enough for this. If I was running around the city all day, I might go a gear higher.

As for the singlespeed issue. I like running one gear, I don't like the idea of fixed. Tried it once, didn't like it. I should measure my speed on some of the downhill parts of my run sometime, but I think 44-16 is too low as my legs go like mad when I do try and pedal for additional power.

Also, don't have to worry about pedal strike, things getting tangled in drivetrain (this has happened with jeans), fingers lobbed off when maintaining, I can cruise, won't ruin my tyres from skidding around town trying to impress people.

Singlespeed all the way!

ROK ON

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Also, don't have to worry about pedal strike, things getting tangled in drivetrain (this has happened with jeans), fingers lobbed off when maintaining, I can cruise, won't ruin my tyres from skidding around town trying to impress people.

Singlespeed all the way!

My thinking also. I would say that the jean thing is a pretty important point considering that I tend to wear normal cut or boot cut jeans as opposed to skinny jeans:D.

lukester

It's a non-issue, roll up your jean leg, tuck your jeans into your sock, or if you're a maverick, get some nice trouser clips.

I've yet to injure a digit or snag anything in my chain on the fixed gear.

WithCheesePlease

Ehhhhhh, what do all of these number mean??!!

Sorry, I'm relatively (re)new to the whole cycling / commuting scene and would judge my gears by top / biggest one at the front and middle or close to the bottom at the back...

DirkVoodoo

"Number of teeth on front ring" - (dash, not minus!) "Number of teeth on rear cog".

Generally "More"-"Less" = Harder gear, so 44-15 is harder to push than 44-16, which in turn is harder than 42-18.

You can compare between different combinations of front and rear by calculating the gear inches:

(Front teeth)/(Rear teeth)*Wheel diameter in inches (27 for a road bike).

blorg

First bigger number is the chainring at the front and the second smaller number is the sprocket at the back. The question was addressed to fixed/singlespeed riders and as such there is only one gear combination.

To get "gear inches" which is the usual standard for comparison you divide chainring by sprocket and multiply by 27. Hence 46-17 = 73"

EDIT: What Dirk said