Interestingly, I also started out fixed with about a 63" high gear (40x17/19 dingle with 170 cranks and 700x32) and also quickly ramped up to 70" by increasing chainrings to 42t, then 44t. I'm in central NJ and 63" feels great in my local park (expansive network of flattish trails right outside my neighborhood) but once I get out on the roads and venture further away from my usual leisure routes and on more rolling terrain it feels way too low with too much spinning for my taste.
Starting with 63" was more a result of just having the 40t 170 crank and wanting a dingle to start. 17-19 was the smallest Surly dingle cog available and a perfect match to the available WI Eno 17-19 freewheel. I've messed around with this gearing quite a bit the past couple years and more recently divided the fixed cog and freewheel between two different wheelsets and replaced the 170 crank with a 172.5 39t I scored in a trade and running this with the WI Eno 17/19 for approx. 61-62" high which has felt fine while freewheel only on my recent rides. When I convert back to fixed (Still deciding which of 3 frames will get exclusive winter duty this year) I'll go with the Surly 17/19 cog paired with the original 170t double crank and 44/46 chainrings for approx. 63" low and "72-73" high to get the best of both worlds. If I had a Quickbeam with the long, angled rear ends I'd consolidate back to one wheelset with the matching 17/19 fixed/free flip flop but use an "Inverse Double Dingle" set up I previously tested by installing the larger of 2 chainrings on the INSIDE and the smaller chainring on the OUTSIDE of the double crank since the fixed cog sits further inboard of the hub vs the thicker WI freewheel so their chainline is actually off between the two sides and this would allow higher fixed gearing and lower freewheel gearing with the same cogs in back but cleaner chainline in each with the preferred chainring size. I came up with this after learning about the chainline difference between the surly cog and ENO freewheel the first time I tried a 40/42 x 17/19 dingle drivetrain. Brian Cole Lawrenceville, NJ On Monday, December 11, 2017 at 11:25:16 PM UTC-5, ted wrote: > Ian, unsolicited advice (I'm not a Patrick) but ... > > Gearing, particularly fixed gear gearing, is very particular to the rider. > How strong are you, what cadences are you comfortable with, etc. > The best way to get a handle on where to start is to pay attention to what > gears you use on your multi-speed bike, and try putting it in one gear and > leave it there for a while. Also accept the idea that in time you will > likely end up with a collection of rings and cogs, which can be a good > thing and not really all that expensive as bike fetishes go. > > On Monday, December 11, 2017 at 12:38:20 PM UTC-8, Ian A wrote: >> >> Patrick, >> >> Slight thread drift: >> >> Was the ramp up in gear inches from 67 to 71 and 76 due to an increase in >> strength/familiarity with riding fixed? Or was it the result of trial and >> error. >> >> I'm planning a fixie build, once the Christmas season passes and finances >> settle, and I'm wondering about my best gearing options off the bat. I live >> in a relatively flat city, that has a few noticeable acute climbs (river >> valley topography). >> >> Also, it looks like there are more options in the 3/32 chain width >> standard for cogs. Can I get away with using 8 speed chain rings, or is >> that asking for derailment issues? >> >> Thanks for any insights >> IanA >> >> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
