More Teeth?

shm_uk

A very simple question:

Should I replace my 46T outer chainring with 48T?

I thankyou.

wgwarburton

shm_uk wrote:

A very simple question:
Should I replace my 46T outer chainring with 48T?....

Umm... only if you want some very slightly higher gears?

Cheers,
W.

Blue Meanie

And your chain is long enough...

jeremyrundle

why :shock: :?

Blue Meanie

Err, bigger rings use more chain and will raise the gain of the gearing by 48/46?

jeremyrundle

surely though by so little as not to make a difference

saladdays

It really does make a difference if you want to go faster. You might need to adjust your front mech and chain.

I changed my cassette from 12-25 to 12-26. Made just the difference I needed for a tough hill near home.

Buckled_Rims

46T? Sounds like it's either a CX bike, a SS/fixie or an internal geared bike. Oh I do love guessing

snailracer

jeremyrundle wrote:

surely though by so little as not to make a difference

This should increase top speed by 4%, which doesn't sound like much, but that corresponds to a power increase of about 12%, which most riders would say is worthwhile.

In other words, going from 46 to 48 teeth allows the rider to put out 12% more power before spinning out.

jeremyrundle

All that for another two teeth, wish I were young enough to use it, but to be honest, who could honestly say they will use it and know they are.

desweller

Well, 46 is pretty small for the big ring on a flat road commute I'd say. If you're not running with heavy loads then I'd tentatively suggest Yes, change to 48T, but it's a bit hard to know without a bit more information.

What is it you're hoping to achieve?