[Closed] Going to try SS for the first time. What ratios as an intro .

Be a man: 52-12

Also new to SS and on my second ride to date and I'm not that fit. Depends on the terrain you want to ride it on. I'm using 32/18 which is fine for my local spot, though you spin out on the road. I made it round whites level with that ratio but had a hard time. Most people go with 32/16

I suppose it depends on where you ride. I ride 32x16. Most of my single speeding is on Cannock Chase so not overly hilly and not too steep.

A smaller gear would be painfully slow on the road to the Chase and on the flatter sections.

32 / 17 should be good for most purposes a little low but not hell and earth

32 / 16 and you cannot go wrong

I run 32:18 usually and have done 32:20 for 24 hour racing which is really low but good after X number of hours. From your ratios I'd go 32:17 better to spin out a little on the downhil/flat bits but have an easier time on the ups to start with. IMO 32:15 would be too hard to start off with, 32:19 to low.

32:16 as anything else is just WRONG

32:16 is the only acceptable ratio.

73:11 or you're useless as a person.

Or the honest answer is you might actually find 32:19 too low on lots of things. When I first went SS I found myself reaching for the up shifter more than the down shifter, but I am running 33:18. I tend to sit in a fairly low gear when I'm running gears.

32:17 probably a good place to start. It's in the middle of the numbers you're thinking of so it must be right.

im curentley running on 32/16 and can do 90% of bristol unless it spins

32:18 and get used to 16 when you get used to the different style of riding, then onto a 15.

Last time I ran a SS I went for 32:16 around Cannock Chase, but my old legs struggled on some hills, so am going 32:17 on my next build.

Well, seeing as it's Hogmanay...

I've SS-ed for many (many) years, both commuting 700c and offroad 26". As others have said, 32/16 (or any other 2.0 ratio) is perfect. I did TransScotland over 7 days on 32:16 and all was well. On 700c (Pompino, drop bars, CX tyres), I'm currently on 2.5 (40/16) which is great.

However, here comes Strathpuffer. I rode 32:16 last year & the year before and it was far too blimmin hard. Also I fell off and broke my knee when I was dead tired in the snow at 2AM, and I couldn't get traction. So, I have an 18 and a 20 in the shed. Depending on conditions I'll start high and get lower.

All that matters is the ratio, so for 32 up front and assuming a 2000mm tyre outer diameter (on the low side of correct) it's as follows per pedal revolution. Multiply this over just 10 revs and you can see why the difference is so noticable in practice:

32:16 = 2.0 = 4m
32:17 = 1.9 = 3.8m
32:18 = 1.8 = 3.6m
32:19 = 1.7 = 3.4m
32:20 = 1.6 = 3.2m

Cheers, al.

And if you like your balls get ss specific chainring and sprocket,ie deep teeth and no ramps!

Thanks all
Happy New Year

32:16 - I use it for everything and I'm riding my SS far more than my FS these days. It started off a bit evil on hills, but has slowly got easier and I can now climb far better on both bikes as a result.

Tend to use my ss most too, only resort to geared fs when on a guided ride.

I run a 34:18. 32:18 was a little too easy at most places and ran out on nice flowy singletrack. I do tend to freewheel the downs more than most (it's all about the views) and I'm a bit crap going up, so 32:17 would be a good place to start if you have lots of hills.

Ha ha ha!

I forgot to change my 12T after L2B last year, then joined the Sussex MTB guys for a ride on the South Downs this week.

FAIL.

32-16 is the answer!

use the 19, its better to spin at a high cadence for 24 hours than lose the spring in your legs on the first climb.

Dissemble an old rear casette and experiment with the rings- a cheaper way.

'96 GT Zaskar. A2Z converter for rear disk mount and 32:17 Surly chainrings front and rear.
Its an unforgiving but rewarding ride...
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JB .- Snap, Except for the rigid forks. I am hoping its going to be light weight and very responsive.
Hora .- Yep have knocked the pins out from a Ultegra Casette , hence the option of 15 / 17 / 19. There are 2 SS specific rings in the DMR kit, but they are deeper and look like they require a specific chain , and the packaging states will not work with STD 9 speed chains.
At work now, off home in a min to begin work, then maybe a little spin this afto.

I always raise an eyebrow at the people who say stuff like '32:17 is too spinny on the road'. The difference between 32:16 (ratio = 2:1) and 32:17 (1.88) is just under 6%.

I honestly can't see that I spin out that much sooner on the road with either. I spin out on the road at 32:16, 32:17 and 32:18 and I've ridden them all at some stage. If I didn't want to spin out on the road I'd ride something with gears. SS is a compromise and go with what suits the offroad bit, who cares what that means on the road.

To the OP: I'd suggest to go 32:19 to start with. If you overgear and push up too many hills you'll seriously start to question whether it's worth it. If you manage it without sweat you can gear up a bit. And this way you'll be shortening the chain each time to find the right ratio, which is far easier than trying to lengthen a chain.

There is a decent gear ratio guide table thing near the bottom of this page: http://www.charliethebikemonger.com/page44.htm

Actually allows you to see which gears will be more difficult than others and by how much.

Well its built. Took alot longer than expected as i left my crank extractor at work. T'was OK tho as I had a rock to hand. I could not get the 32:19 to work with the tensioner as I wanted . Either I am a complete spaccer ( which I am ) or I set it up wrong. So I fitted the 32:17 without touching the chain length from the overtight 32:19 length. I opted to use the DMR roller tensioner thingy in a pull downwards set up, so it looks like a rear mech, with the chain running underneath.
Weighed on a set of Avons at 23 1/2lb , with speed kings which will be coming off in a min tho.
Might have to wait till tomoro to see if the chain skips etc

that'll be nice and light to lift over all the snow.... 🙂 im not even joking, its rediculous, takes around 2 1/2 hours - 4 hours for a lap at the moment......

i didnt relise how much 2 teeth make such a difference