Road Bike Gear Numbers

Gear systems on bicycles range from single speed one gear through various hub gear systems to the most popular of all.

Road bike gear numbers. Global cycling network 1 013 171 views. On the left shifter you will see numbers to indicate which gear you are in 1 2 or 3. Bicycle gearing is the aspect of a bicycle drivetrain that determines the relation between the cadence the rate at which the rider pedals and the rate at which the drive wheel turns. In a 66 inch gear you ll be cruising along at just under 18mph and in the top 130 inch gear you ll still be able to keep up with the pedals at 35mph.

Dividing the front number of teeth by the rear numbers arrives at a number. The higher the number the harder effort per turn of the wheels. Top tips for finding the right gear when cycling. The larger the cog the lower the gear and the easier it will be to pedal but the slower you will go.

When we talk about how many speeds a bike has there can be some confusion. Gear ratio in its most simple calculation is a function of the number of teeth on the front chain rings compared to the rear cogs. In simple terms a gear ratio on a bike refers to how many times the back wheel will rotate for each full turn of the crank arms pedals. On some bicycles there is only one gear and therefore the gear ratio is fixed but most modern bicycles have multiple gears and thus multiple gear ratios a shifting mechanism allows selection of the.

To give you some idea of what typical numbers in gear inches translate to in the real world at a cadence of 90 rpm the lowest gear 42 inch gear on our race bike will see you doing 11mph. For one revolution you count one foot doing a full revolution. Ever wondered how bike gears and gear ratios work. Road bike wheels buyer s guide videos a high gear sometimes referred to by cyclists as a big gear is optimal when descending or riding at high speeds.

Derailleurs are the usual gear setup on road bikes but. So if both the gear indicators show 1 then you are in the easiest gear the bike offers. It is best to count this at the bottom of the pedal stroke. If the left shifter is at 3 and the right is at 8 then you are in the hardest gear on the bike.

The marketing department likes to multiply the number of cogs by the number of chainrings because big numbers are impressive. One full revolution of the pedals will result in one full revolution of the wheel.