Fixed gear ratios

[jrenaut]

My bike, I believe, is 46/18. I’m thinking I might need something a little different. I’m getting used to a higher cadence, but I’m still very slow at a cadence that is borderline uncomfortable. I don’t want to make a huge change because I do still have to get up a hill to go home from pretty much anywhere (shockingly, Columbia Heights is on a hill).

What ratios do you all use?

Topic

[DismalScientist]

You’ll need to get the lock ring off, perhaps with a hammer and screwdriver or a special tool. Getting the cog off requires a chain whip or sometimes backpedaling hard with the rear wheel in place. Regular pedaling will tighten the cog. You will need the same right tool or lack thereof to retighten the lock ring. Whether you need to remove links depends on how much room you have to work with in your horizontal (?) dropouts.

[jrenaut]

@DismalScientist 97824 wrote:

You’ll need to get the lock ring off, perhaps with a hammer and screwdriver or a special tool. Getting the cog off requires a chain whip or sometimes backpedaling hard with the rear wheel in place. Regular pedaling will tighten the cog. You will need the same right tool or lack thereof to retighten the lock ring. Whether you need to remove links depends on how much room you have to work with in your horizontal (?) dropouts.

I am not getting a hammer anywhere near my bike.

I might try to get to the bike repair session at Annie’s Ace Hardware rather than buying some more tools I won’t use very often.

[DismalScientist]

Well, you could always use an old bottom bracket cup tool. You have one of those, don’t you?

[jrenaut]

No hammers near any part of the bike.

[MattAune]

I run 70 gear inches with a 42/16. It is on the small side, but I don’t have any problem spinning 120+ for long stretches and routinely get up to 170 rpm on the hills in my neighborhood. I find it better than to have to mach at 45 rpm up the same hills.

[vvill]

@jrenaut 97826 wrote:

I am not getting a hammer anywhere near my bike.

I might try to get to the bike repair session at Annie’s Ace Hardware rather than buying some more tools I won’t use very often.

I have a lockring tool you can borrow if you like. It’s not even mine, but it’s a long-term loaner from a friend who doesn’t currently own a fixed gear.

[dcv]

@jrenaut 97837 wrote:

No hammers near any part of the bike.

I have a lockring tool you can borrow, Matt Aune has it

[TwoWheelsDC]

I have the proper tools as well (lockring tool and 1/8 and 3/32 chainwhips).

[DismalScientist]

Chainwhips are specialized between 1/8 and 3/32? Wow…

[jrenaut]

@TwoWheelsDC 97846 wrote:

I have the proper tools as well (lockring tool and 1/8 and 3/32 chainwhips).

Since you’re already helping me pull and re-lube the bottom bracket, maybe I just need to come to your house with some beer.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@DismalScientist 97847 wrote:

Chainwhips are specialized between 1/8 and 3/32? Wow…

It’s not impossible to remove a 1/8 cog with a 3/32 chain whip, but it can be damn near if the cog is on tight enough. Given the relatively low cost, I prefer to have the right tool for the job rather than trying to make the wrong tool work.

[dkel]

@TwoWheelsDC 97851 wrote:

It’s not impossible to remove a 1/8 cog with a 3/32 chain whip, but it can be damn near if the cog is on tight enough. Given the relatively low cost, I prefer to have the right tool for the job rather than trying to make the wrong tool work.

Said the guy who uses a screwdriver and a hammer to remove a locking. :rolleyes:

[DismalScientist]

You’re mixing us up. The trick Jan showed me involved a short piece of chain, a rag, and a vise.

[jrenaut]

So, I think I’d like to go to 16 or 15 in the back. However, I’d really like to keep the 18 on the other side (currently freewheel). That way I could switch when I expect a lot of hills or whatever and have the taller gear for longer flatter rides.

What do I need to do to switch the flip-flop from fixed/free to fixed/fixed? And I think I want to get the tools. They aren’t that expensive. Is there a particular thing people recommend?

[vvill]

@jrenaut 99754 wrote:

So, I think I’d like to go to 16 or 15 in the back. However, I’d really like to keep the 18 on the other side (currently freewheel). That way I could switch when I expect a lot of hills or whatever and have the taller gear for longer flatter rides.

What do I need to do to switch the flip-flop from fixed/free to fixed/fixed? And I think I want to get the tools. They aren’t that expensive. Is there a particular thing people recommend?

Your hub comes as either fixed/free or fixed/fixed. You can’t really put a fixed cog on a freewheel threaded side (you technically can, but there’d be no lockring, so it’s not recommended).

If you want fixed/fixed you have to get a wheel built with a fixed/fixed hub.

One option could be to get a “dixed” (double fixed) gear cog. I think Surly makes them. http://surlybikes.com/parts/drivetrain/dingle_cog
Your chainline will be a little less perfect though, and you have to make sure your chain length is right for both (although that’s true if you had 16 and 18 on either side anyway).

Btw, 48-15 is really quite a tall gear (48-16 is already a bit higher than what most city/urban fixed gear riders would run, I think, although I know Dirt and OneEighth often run 48-16.)

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