Author Topic: Beginner questions  (Read 10706 times)

Re: Beginner questions
« Reply #25 on: 14 September, 2016, 11:46:32 am »
SO 46-16 is a decent shout for general road riding?

Re: Beginner questions
« Reply #26 on: 14 September, 2016, 11:52:35 am »
depends on where you ride, how fast, how hilly and how stop/start. plus your riding style.

I'd regard that as far too high - time triallers used to use a 72" as a standard and 46x16 is 77"

When I rode fixed as my sole machine I rode on 64" on the advice of old club riders, but then I lived in a hilly area.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

Re: Beginner questions
« Reply #27 on: 14 September, 2016, 12:13:58 pm »
As above - learning to ride fixed back in 1969 we would use 48x18 which is 72" on 27" wheels.  Once we could pedal we would gear down to 48x20 which is 65".  For time trialling on tubs (i.e. 700C) I would use 48x16 which is only marginally bigger than that which you are considering for general use.  I still prefer 48x20 (now on 700C) for general use but I have always lived in moderately hilly areas.  I know the modern trend seems to be to ride higher gears, but as far as I can tell that is for hipsters in flat cities, not people who actually go somewhere.

Re: Beginner questions
« Reply #28 on: 14 September, 2016, 12:40:35 pm »
Got 48-16 on now which is fine for (a fairly hilly) city and a bit further tbh. Thinking 75 would be fine for longer days in the saddle (up to 200).

Surprised by TT comments as everyone I know who has tested on fixed goes for something in the region of 86-91

Re: Beginner questions
« Reply #29 on: 14 September, 2016, 01:01:41 pm »
72" was specified for 'medium gear' events. 

I've nearly always ridden 67.5" (43x17), though I sometimes go down to 43x18 these days. I manage to keep up.

Re: Beginner questions
« Reply #30 on: 14 September, 2016, 01:04:14 pm »
I rode 48-16 summer and 48-17 in winter.

In East Anglia. That's the important thing.

Chris N

Re: Beginner questions
« Reply #31 on: 14 September, 2016, 01:21:58 pm »
46/16 would be too high for me too - I prefer 43/17 (or 18 in winter).  But if you're happy riding it then crack on.

Re: Beginner questions
« Reply #32 on: 22 September, 2016, 08:08:51 pm »
46x19 is fine for 60ish mile rides in slightly bumpy Midlands.  I'm commuting on 46x17 ATM, hilly but on that gear 10 min tops.  Not sure how far I'd get on it audaxing.
simplicity, truth, equality, peace

Re: Beginner questions
« Reply #33 on: 24 September, 2016, 11:48:19 am »
FWIW I have now finished my first proper year with the Flyer, so thank you to those who have contributed to this thread.  I rode 46/16 most of the time, which is 77" and managed to get round The Lincoln (400km) audax and the Mersey Rds 24 using that gear, plus a load of short TTs, a discipline I had never tried before.  I've just about managed to adjust the brakes enough to get the 15T cog on the back but it's a bit close for comfort and I'll probably move to having two chains of different length, so I can still use the 18T freewheel for pootling around on holiday etc.

Re: Beginner questions
« Reply #34 on: 22 November, 2016, 09:28:21 pm »
First positive result...

I've replaced the old chain with the bushed one - two changes. I've replaced the chainring with an unused one. That's another change The 20t cog at the rear has been renewed as well, but I would be very surprised if that affected the "pushing off the chainring" test of excess slack.

I can't push the chain off the chainring (with fingers) with the new components & a carefully chosen chain tension/slack. I've checked the old chainring and it's thickness is only around 200 micrometres less than new.

I'll wait and see whether the R.O.T. works for this setup.

Re: Beginner questions
« Reply #35 on: 03 December, 2016, 09:56:45 pm »
Correction to previous post... The chain is not bushed. It's a KMC Z-610RB, which is 3/32" and only intended for "single-speed" use (possibly for competition BMXs). LBS advises that it doesn't work with derailleurs. It's much stiffer laterally than any other 3/32" chain I've encountered in the last 6 decades. Presumably the clearance between the outer & inner sideplates has been reduced to minimise de-railling problems.

By a strange coincidence, LBS has a few old (unused) Reynolds 3/32" bushed chains, which are flexible & clearly intended for use with the traditional 2x5 derailleur gearing of the 1950s, 1960s & 1970s.

On reflection I'll leave the "push the chain off" R.O.T. in the category of "urban myth until proven otherwise by careful experiment". Ymmv.

Re: Beginner questions
« Reply #36 on: 03 December, 2016, 10:12:43 pm »
I'm assuming you can treat the freewheel side just like another cog - remove it (have not got the tool though) and put a cog/lockring on.

You can put a cog on, but you probably won't be able to fit a lockring if it's a flip flop hub.
A fixed hub has two threads - a right-hand thread for the sprocket, and a slightly smaller left-hand thread for the lock-ring. On the freewheel side, you'll just have the single right-hand thread. This is the reason that you cannot fit the lock-ring.

I think I have read that you can use a spare lock-ring from a traditional ball-and-cup bottom bracket, as they have the same right-hand thread as do sprockets? Is that right? It's not quite as satisfactory because the sprocket and ring can slip together - but, there again, some riders don't bother with a lock-ring anyway.