TaylorFade

Hello all. I've come to the conclusion that my gearing is too tall on my stock Kilo TT. I'm no pro, but I'm relatively strong and a stiff headwind is a nightmare. What's worse is... I'm having some knee pain.

I know the KTT comes stock with 48/16 (even though I could have sworn I counted 50T), but most of these ratios and gear inch calculators don't make much sense to me. I know proper cadence is 80-100? I don't really know what my cadence is, but using one of the online calculators and my average speed, I'm probably in the 50-60rpm range on average.

I ride absolutely flat terrain so hills are of no concern. So, what gearing do you recommend? Should I change the chainring or cog? Or both? What tool kit do I need for this task? Are they universal sizes or how do i know which one to get?

So many questions!!! Thanks in advance for any advice.

Lazyass

My first SS has a 48/18. That's not too bad for me, I have rolling hills but no mountains. Strong headwinds are kind of rough but I but I never died. Bought my Wabi and it came with a 44/17. Very small difference but I actually like that better. A little easier in strong winds but my average speed didn't drop. I can cruise along at 18-19mph all day. If I were you I would just switch to a 44T and see how that feels. Shouldn't be too low with a 16 in the back.

Rage

When swapping out the chainring, keep in mind you will need the same BCD (bolt circle diameter).

TejanoTrackie 

The cheapest and simplest way to significantly change your gearing is to change the cog. If you replace the 16T with an 18T, this will give you a gear in the low 70s (gear inches) that is a good compromise between spinning too high with a tailwind, and too low into a headwind. Depending on how far forward your wheel axle is currently in your dropouts (track ends), you may have to add a link to your chain.

QPM

My bike came with a 46/18 which i moved to a 46/16 and am waiting on a 48t chainring in the mail.

I ride where it is very flat, but often windy. The 46/16 (2.88) is the same as my old bike and is good all around but i wanted a little more top end push so am moving to 3 (where you are). The 46/18 felt almost too light (to me) at 2.55 but that could just be a product of being used to the 2.88.

I guess my point is, you will be able to feel a change of a couple of teeth. You could try an 18 T cog fairly cheaply and see how the 2.66 feels.

The other question I have, are you sure the knee thing is related to the gearing or could it possibly be your posture? Just a thought....
good luck