What's Your Favourite Gearing Combo
11-02-18, 10:31 AM
#51
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 2,857
Bikes: Road bike, Hybrid, Gravel, Drop bar SS, hard tail MTB
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1218 Post(s)
Liked 298 Times
in
214 Posts
I am curious to how a number of you would compare a 42/42 to a 32/32 on the same size wheel going up the same grade. 
11-02-18, 01:37 PM
#52
Non omnino gravis
The chain tension will be lower on the 42/42 compared to the 32/32. Would it make a difference in the short term or the long term? Maybe? Probably not.
This was always a point of contention in R/C gearing-- if the pinion-to-spur ratio is 1:3, say a 16T pinion and a 48T spur, then why not a 12T with a 36T, or a 20T with a 60T? Because there's no chain, bigger gears with more teeth simply mesh better, so the gears last longer. I always went with the biggest spur that would fit in the vehicle, and set the ratio via the pinion.
On bikes with 1X it's a tradeoff anyway. The chainring is undersized at high speed (higher chain tension) but oversized at low speed (lower chain tension) so it's a wash. For my 1X, I want a 1:1 low gear (preferably) without a huge compromise in the top end. I just can't see anything smaller than perhaps a 38T in the front with a 1X (non-MTB) setup.
This was always a point of contention in R/C gearing-- if the pinion-to-spur ratio is 1:3, say a 16T pinion and a 48T spur, then why not a 12T with a 36T, or a 20T with a 60T? Because there's no chain, bigger gears with more teeth simply mesh better, so the gears last longer. I always went with the biggest spur that would fit in the vehicle, and set the ratio via the pinion.
On bikes with 1X it's a tradeoff anyway. The chainring is undersized at high speed (higher chain tension) but oversized at low speed (lower chain tension) so it's a wash. For my 1X, I want a 1:1 low gear (preferably) without a huge compromise in the top end. I just can't see anything smaller than perhaps a 38T in the front with a 1X (non-MTB) setup.
__________________
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Alias530
Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg)
52
03-15-15 11:30 AM
