Singlespeed ratios

[FLV]

Just a quickie... Planning on having a mess about with singlespeed, if for no other reason than I like messing about with bikes.

I know a lot of people do it, especially a lot of very quick people, Ian, Aidan, mark goldie etc. in the middle of carrying / dragging my bike up another field on the htr I pondered weight and considered if I would have been any better off singlespeed or not.!

Obviously I don't want to spend a small fortune on parts so thought I'd get a bit of info on ratios.

I live in a particularly hilly place but ride flatter lands mid week so would like a happy medium of ratio.

29er too so that makes a bit of a different to the choice.

Ta for any info :)

[ChrisF]

I've ridden SS for quite a few years now, all over the UK but mostly in the Peak where I live. 32:18 works well on my 29er, can get up most hills on that (though not all). I'm happy to walk the odd climb if necessary to avoid having too low and spinny a gear. Contrary to what some people say, SS is better in hilly rather than flat areas.
If you haven't ridden SS before and live somewhere hilly, be ready for some adjustment of your mental attitude towards climbing...

[FLV]

I'm a resident of the peak too so am expecting it to be quite different.

Ill be doing it with pretty low investment so am meet to give it a go

Cheers for the info too

[chris n]

32/16 too high for me on a 29er, 32/18 ok if it's flat. Bikepacking and hilly stuff on 32 or 33/20 seems just right but I'm happy to spin away.

[Bearbonesnorm]

I've played about with various ratios over the years and these days tend to use either 32 x 19 or 32 x 20 with 29" wheels. When I took my SS to a part of France that's home to some rather big hills (1000M plus climbs) I ran 2 cogs and swapped as and when required.

There is something to be said for running your gears bigger, eg 38 x 22.

[chris n]

When I took my SS to a part of France that's home to some rather big hills (1000M plus climbs) I ran 2 cogs and swapped as and when required.

I ran a dinglespeed setup on my 29er for a while - 32/20 and 34/18 - but I felt it was too much hassle to swap between them.

There is something to be said for running your gears bigger, eg 38 x 22.

Bigger ring/cog = lower chain tension = less chain wear.

[FLV]

I agree with the bigger ring / cog theory.

Ill be using my bike that currently has a rohloff in it. It already has a 37t front so was thinking 20 or 21 rear would cover it.

I think it will be an interesting experiment, hopefully it goes better than my rigid fork experiment did

[Mart]

If you go with an eliptical ring (like the Q rotors or those by BTEC Goltech) i found I can go up 2 tooth at the front without noticing i.e. the same effort required. For me the most noticable difference was when cranking up hills, the rings helped you get through the dead spot on the pedal stroke

Edit - Im on a 34:18 on a 29er for SS duties. Same ratio on the Alfine hub, which lets me go more spinny in the uphil sections when the bike is loaded up