Enforced single speed sees the light.

lukasran
lukasran Posts: 53
edited April 2010 in Commuting chat
Hey guys, i commute from didsbury to leigh about 16 miles quite flat and recently my rear gear cable has given up leaving me in the small cog. I thought it would be a nightmare but have found it a lovely way to travel. so much so i want to buy a real one, has any other converts regretted this move?
Also since my chain now runs diagonally from small front to small back the bottom bracket has started to rub and sounds like a human beat box, a handy aural spedometer.

Is a single speed ratio equivilant to a 39x12?

Comments

  • rjsterry
    rjsterry Posts: 29,416
    Not far off, but a bit on the mashy side. I believe 48 or 50 x16 is quite common.
    1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
    Pinnacle Monzonite

    Part of the anti-growth coalition
  • lardboy
    lardboy Posts: 343
    80.0 gear inches. That'll be lovely for a relatively straight run. If you've got lots of traffic lights and stop/starts, you might want a little smaller.

    You might want to get that new bike a bit sharpish though. Small/small is going to be eating your chain, and your BB by the sound of it.
    Bike/Train commuter: Brompton S2L - "Machete"
    12mile each way commuter: '11 Boardman CX with guards and rack
    For fun: '11 Wilier La Triestina
    SS: '07 Kona Smoke with yellow bits
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    Single speed appeals, but with the hills on my commute I'm running all nine of my 1x9 ratios from 48x32 to 48x11, anything short enough for the uphills will be useless down!

    Simon
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • stevie_90210
    stevie_90210 Posts: 94
    The Beginner wrote:
    Single speed appeals, but with the hills on my commute I'm running all nine of my 1x9 ratios from 48x32 to 48x11, anything short enough for the uphills will be useless down!

    Simon

    +1

    My commute has uphills that see cars struggling, which turn into downhills that allow me to reach over 50mph. Top recorded speed = 51.5mph.
    My commute:
    commute.jpg

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