View Full Version : Subtle changes in Gear Inches
Smiley
01-27-2010, 05:21 PM
What would you consider a small yet notiable change, 2 or 3 or 4 GI's as I have dropped 3.5 GI and have not tried to see if this will be nirvana yet.
I pay no attention to gear inches. It's percentages that count. A good pecentage is 8%. That's what you get with 1-tooth changes between the small cogs like 11-12-13, but the gear inch change is 9 to 11. That same percentage at the low end, between the 23 and 25, is only 3-4 gear inches.
Both gear inch changes, although much different in value, will produce the same (percentage) change in speed, torque or cadence.
Edit: I didn't realize this was a fixed gear discussion.
bironi
01-27-2010, 05:38 PM
Unless we're drinking the same kool aid, me and my buddies feel the small gear inch changes we've made. That said, I'm riding a heavier winter fixed with heavier wheels, and my gear inches are ~6" lower. The heavier bike still takes more energy. Listen to your body, it usually tells the truth. :beer:
What would you consider a small yet notiable change, 2 or 3 or 4 GI's as I have dropped 3.5 GI and have not tried to see if this will be nirvana yet.
In the range of most single-speed or fixed bikes, a 3.5 gear-inch difference is just less than the difference between 17-T and 18-T cogs. You should be able to notice that if tested back-to-back. On different days I'm not so sure -- your legs and riding conditions may have greater variability. On “average” and over time I’d expect you will feel a difference.
znfdl
01-28-2010, 06:59 AM
Smiley:
Personally, I match the gear inches to the terrain of the ride, as I am comfortable riding anyting from a 42x15 to a 42x18. My preference is a 42x17 for hilly rides and a 42x16 for flatter rides.
sjbraun
01-28-2010, 07:16 AM
I changed form a 42x16 to 42x15 last year. It took me a few weeks to get comfortable with the change. No question that the difference was noticeable.
Tobias
01-28-2010, 09:24 AM
What would you consider a small yet notiable change, 2 or 3 or 4 GI's as I have dropped 3.5 GI and have not tried to see if this will be nirvana yet.
In the range of 70 to 80:
2 = no
3 = maybe
4 = yes
mostly guessing based on experience. ;)
fiamme red
01-28-2010, 10:12 AM
I changed from a 49x18 to a 48x18, and couldn't tell any difference.
On the other hand, I have no doubt that I could tell a difference if I switched to a 17t or 19t cog.
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