How to pick the right bicycle gear ratios in 2 easy steps

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In this video I’m going to explain how to pick the right bicycle gear ratios.

With the help of a bicycle gear ratio chart we can understand learn what gear ratio is the one we like best and choose our bicycle gear ratios accordingly.

There are a number of reasons why you would want to change your bicycle gear ratio.

Incorrect cadence

Older bicycles have far less gears than the 11 or even 12-speed bicycles of today. An 8-speed bicycle was considered a luxury in the 90s.

It also meant that not riding the gear you would like was commonplace as the jumps between gears could be too great to fit the cadence you would like. A specific gear would either feel too light or too heavy.

Chain alignment

The drivetrain of a bicycle is set up in such a way that the gear thought of to be most frequently used is the one that makes the chain point straight backwards towards the sprocket.

For a 7-speed running a triple crankset it would mean you’d run the middle chainring and the fourth sprocket most of the time for the bike’s intended use.

Running either a smaller or bigger gear would change this alignment making it more askew. Although this is intended behavior since gears are meant to be used, permanently using less optimal gearing results in increased wear of the drivetrain.

Since I live in the Netherlands, which is mostly flat, and I use mountain bike gearing for road use predominantly, I find myself using the upper ratio of the sprocket. Besides a skewed chain, it also leads to use the tiniest sprockets, applying the same amount of wear on a smaller amount of teeth. This also leads to increased wear.

And for my 9-speed Cannondale Killer V, there’s a noticeable difference between gear 7-9 versus gears 1-5, which are basically never used.

The bicycle gear ratios

Bicycle gear ratios guide us in determining what drivetrain setup is best suited for our riding style. It enables us to:

Minimize drivetrain wear
Minimize running out of gears for a single chainring and needing to shift the front derailleur
Improving efficient pedalling by achieving optimal cadence

I've also written about blog post with more information. If you want to read this article go to https://www.restoration.bike/bike-fit...

Visit my website for more bike restoration tutorials: https://www.restoration.bike/

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