Big ring fever?

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MacB

Lover of things that come in 3's
GrasB said:
You're talking 700x32c tyres right, I ask because 700x23c gives me a 118" gear at 53:12.

oh yeah, since moving to 32 I've got my gear calc set on that, sorry....please treat my figures as approximate:biggrin:
 

MacB

Lover of things that come in 3's
shippers said:
Should I understand this?
I've read it 3 or 4 times and it's only just starting to make sense. Feel a bit dense now.

On a happier note, 36 miles tonight! Mainly on the largest ring of my triple, but I do switch quite a lot to keep the pedals spinning happily. The chap I'm out with has a double and keeps pretty much to the big ring most of the time.

It's just using gear inches, a theoretical distance travelled per revolution of the cranks, to compare gears. The bigger the No the tougher the pedals are to turn and the faster you'll go and vice versa.

I only really use it for comparison purposes and to get an idea of what gearing I like.
 

GrasB

Veteran
Location
Nr Cambridge
MacB said:
It's just using gear inches, a theoretical distance travelled per revolution of the cranks, to compare gears.
Not quite, it's the equivalent diameter of the drive wheel. If you're riding with a 100" gear on a penny farthing a you'd have 100" diameter front wheel!
 

MacB

Lover of things that come in 3's
GrasB said:
Not quite, it's the equivalent diameter of the drive wheel. If you're riding with a 100" gear on a penny farthing a you'd have 100" diameter front wheel!

you know, I did know that, I should have used metres development for distance.
 
Chrisc said:
Is there such a thing as big ring fever? On my new road bike today, three rides which is a bit much really but the excitement was too much, I found I was trying to stay in the big ring most of the way if poss and have brought on my old knee trouble. Likely a case of too much too soon again or a bike fit thing, not having it properly dialled in yet.
Either way I now have to take it easy for a bit and ease the knee back into action. Oh to be young and invincible again! ;)

Yep, that's why I don't have big ring fever anymore. Gave it up somewhere around 30; years that is, not mph ;)

Mines a triple 46-38-26 and I still don't use the big ring very often.
 

BentMikey

Rider of Seolferwulf
Location
South London
I don't care very much what ring I'm, be it on the fixed wheel or the Fujin, which has a triple. Have done up to 38mph on 48x19, though my power is well down at that rpm.
 

GrasB

Veteran
Location
Nr Cambridge
from my experience, it's one of these things it's something you don't notice until you get it right & then you find out it's much easier. personally I find that if I go from 170 to >175mm cranks I can't feel any difference but I hit 172.5mm cranks & it just feels better.
 

jimboalee

New Member
Location
Solihull
Draw up a gear chart.

You will be able to select a series of gears from bottom to top with UNIFORM steps.
Or at least 3" steps in the low range, 4 - 5" steps in the midrange and 6 - 7" steps up top.

If you choose to use the middle ring often, there might be an 8" step where the transition to top ring occurs. Sort them different and there might be a transition point that doesn't give a extraordinary shocking step.

The secret is getting a smooth series of gear increments from bottom to top.
 

jimboalee

New Member
Location
Solihull
jimboalee said:
Draw up a gear chart.

You will be able to select a series of gears from bottom to top with UNIFORM steps.
Or at least 3" steps in the low range, 4 - 5" steps in the midrange and 6 - 7" steps up top.

If you choose to use the middle ring often, there might be an 8" step where the transition to top ring occurs. Sort them different and there might be a transition point that doesn't give a extraordinary shocking step.

The secret is getting a smooth series of gear increments from bottom to top.

If I study the gearing on my new bike, all eight sprockets conjoin with the big ring. The two largest sprockets with the middle ring and the three largest sprockets with the tiny little ring.

42 x 32 is a 34" gear; or 32" on this bike with it's 24" diameter tyres :smile:

Incidentally, if I ignore the 42 x 11 top gear, the next 5 gears below it are a lot like the youth's sports bike I had when I was twelve.
Now I'm a muscley adult, the six smallest sprockets with the big ring should be all I need.
 

jimboalee

New Member
Location
Solihull
jimboalee said:
If I study the gearing on my new bike, all eight sprockets conjoin with the big ring. The two largest sprockets with the middle ring and the three largest sprockets with the tiny little ring.

42 x 32 is a 34" gear; or 32" on this bike with it's 24" diameter tyres :angry:

Incidentally, if I ignore the 42 x 11 top gear, the next 5 gears below it are a lot like the youth's sports bike I had when I was twelve.
Now I'm a muscley adult, the six smallest sprockets with the big ring should be all I need.

I have been out to the bike shed to see if this is feasible. NO!
The rear mech is way strained with the chain running 42 x 28.

The alternative ( recommended ) gives a little lumpier curve of gear progression, but I will just have to live with it.

42 x 11, 13, 15, 18, 21 and 24.
34 x 21, 24, 28 and 32.
24 x 24, 28 and 32.
 
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