John and Garth: thanks; both responses contain food for thought. My
thought, upon pursuing the matter, is that heavier circumferences (ie, rims
and tires) with larger radiuses, maintain momentum better, and this is what
I feel; the differences in friction between a 52/17 and a 46/15, per the
On my Ram, the 70 cruising gear (#5 out of 9) is a 52 X 20, and despite
the relative heft of the Ram, the bike just seems to want to go.
On my '99 Joe gofast 26 fixie custom, the 75 gear is composed of a 46 t
ring and a 15 t cog driving a 24.5 wheel.
The Gofast doesn't exhibit that ineluctible
Are you sure the different feel isn't attributable to the 70 vs 75
difference? Does the Ram have a gear combo you could test that's closer to 75?
Are the geometry, rider position, etc. similar enough that it's a fair test?
Pondering in the abstract, though, I'd expect real world differences to
