SS gearing thoughts

[Funrover]

So I love my SS, but I want another one. Currently I have an FS SS I use for tech and rougher trails that is geared to 32/18. Now I want to build a nice path/easy dirt run cruiser. I have the frame and all. It will be a rigid cromo ride. I am thinking of going either 38/16 or 40/16 I am located in Denver, CO area. Any thoughts would be great

 

[tacollie]

For a path cruiser 40/16. I run 42/16 and it is still a little slow. On my mtb I ran 32/16 if that helps. The path cruiser is a 29er and the mtb was a 26er.

 

[squatch]

I had a 81 kos kruzer and I ran a 40x18 This is when I lived in flagstaff.I rode that bike everywhere! Town to trails. on my 26 s.s. I went with a 32x18. Ned Overend told me how he goes so fast. pedal harder! this really works.

 

[alexrex20]

if this bike is just a cruiser, gear the hell out of it because there's nothing wrong with standing up and hammering if there are any climbs. it's a lot more fun than spinning out on all the straightaways. on my trail bike (hardtail) i run 32x15. ideally, i would run it a bit shorter but i don't want to switch ring gears, and a 15t cog is as small as i can go with my setup.

i don't know if i'd want to ride a 40x16 on the trails, but i also don't know what kind of terrain you plan on riding it. if it really is going to be on the "easy" stuff, i'd recommend trying the 40x16 first, then switch to 38x16 if it's too difficult, but that's not the mentality behind why we ride SS in the first place.

we don't ride SS to be easy! (though admittedly, me on a SS seems a bit easier than many of my friends on a geared full-suspension MTB!)

 

[ntsqd]

Why not ride a geared bike around where you expect to ride long enough to figure out which of it's cog/ring combos works the best, then set up the SS with that combo.

On my 26" HT trail SS I run either 35/17 (rare-ish TA ring) or a 36BioPace/17 which works darned near as good as a 34/17 on the climbs, but rides taller than the 35 on the flats. I've been freaking people out with that BioPace ring since 1997 when I put it on the SS as a joke for one ride (Chicoites: Cruiser Classic) and found that it really worked well for me.

 

[1x1_Speed_Craig]

I've been freaking people out with that BioPace ring since 1997 when I put it on the SS as a joke for one ride (Chicoites: Cruiser Classic) and found that it really worked well for me.

Sheldon Brown (rest his soul) would be proud. :victory:

I'm no help. I ride SS & fixed exclusively, but Michigan terrain is much different from Colorado.

Steelman Fixxie/SS 'cross bike: 42:15 road, 42:16 or lower offroad (SS), depending on where. I have a SS MTB for that, though, so I don't ride the Steelman on the trails much.

Craig

 

[1speed]

I ride SS mountain and Fixed road exclusively. However since I live in FLAT FL my gearing may seem a little steep to others.

34X16 when I was riding 26" SS
34X18 on the 29er SS
51X16 fixed, paved roads with 700x23's
51X19 fixed, dirt roads with 700x32 cyclocross tires

 

[Cackalak Han]

I've got a fixed bike that I ride through some singletracks. It's geared at 48x18 (same as 42x16), and it works pretty well. My 29er SS is at 33x20 or 22, depending on the trail.