16 vs. 17 vs. 18 teeth freewheel??
 

i am converting to singlespeed and have no knowledge on the number of teeth on a freewheel and how it affects the ride...so can you help me out by giving me advice on what each number of teeth(16, 17 , 18) would be meant for and why one more or one less tooth would make much of a difference

google "gear inches"

it is time to become familiar with Sheldon Brown.

I've read Sheldon but only have the experience of riding on a 16 tooth cog. I would like to know from those who have ridden on these what their experience is. How do they differ?

...also, one tooth up or down on the chain ring? I'm riding 45/16 now and have heard it better to run same (odd/even) number front and back. So, do I go 46/16 or 45/15. From the charts I can see the difference. But, one way is cheaper than the other. Why pay for a mistake when there's so much experience here.

What's your feeling?

Gale

Yo Slick. It will depend ona few things 1. what type of riding you plan to do. Flat/hills/city???
2. what type of rider are you big strong powerful fella or a lightweight spinner "pantani" type. I ride a 42X18 due to my hilly region. I only ride it as a donut/coffee bike.
Good luck:D

If you like your current setup, I'd say you should keep it. Super inexpensive 16-tooth freewheels are much easier to get a hold of and to replace than the more specialty 15-tooth freewheel. In a situation where you're stuck with a smaller chainring (like a 40 tooth) is when, in my opinion, the 15t option starts to sound more appealing.

Changing the freewheel size by one tooth has a bigger impact than changing the chainring.

On my Peugeot singlespeed I've run a range of gears but found a sweet spot at 42/16. But it depends on what your using the bike for, your conditioning, equipment and the conditions your riding in.

In general you can't go wrong between 65-70 gear inches

Changing the rear gear size is a big deal definitely. I just went from 48/16 to 48/17 and I have alot more acceleration

Your ideal gear ratio ultimately would depend on your fitness level and your local terrain. About 70 gear inches is a good starting point.

16 is harder than 17 which is harder than 18.

No one can tell you what is better for _you_. Go try it. And to echo other posters, 1T jump in rear cog is much larger than a 1T jump in chainring. Do not try to go 2t +/- in one go unless you know exactly what you're doing.

I ride a 42/17, and tried a 42/16 also, on the flat stretches I like the 16, but it makes the hills tough for me. If my area was all flat riding, I'd go with the 16 tooth cog. But as everyone already stated, there are so many variables (terrain, level of fitness, desired speed, etc...) free wheels are cheap, try both.

(Not sure if you realize but you've responded to a seven-year-old thread.)

! Yea, didn't check the date. Thanks

i changed from 46/15 to 46/17 and it was immense. freewheel is an 18t but i have yet to use it. found the 17t fixed to be more fun

Those are mostly the 3 cogs I run on my Surly, buy them all.

cogs ( rear)
 

Is there much difference a 16-17 rear cog for easier pedal

Is there a noticeable difference between a 16 tooth cog and a 17?

Yep.

Noticeable? Yes.

Dramatically so? No.

Keep in mind that your wheel needs to be repositioned in the dropout slot when you change cog size. Typically, you can only accommodate a 2-3 tooth change before you run out of slot and need to change the length of your chain.

Thank you, you guys are awesome

I use this site a lot for gear ratio info.
Bicycle Bike Gear Ratio Speed and Cadence Calculator
Just type in your chainring number in the first section and then 16, 17 in the second section. It will show you the differences in cadence vs speed....so you know how fast you'll be spinning on the cranks at different speeds. Gives you a better idea of the differences.

I started with 46/17 about 4 month ago. Not i am up to 48/17. I would advise on 17t freewheel. I bought mine at Excess Components Pro Series freewheel | Retrogression I also have shimano and white industries. Excess in my opinion better than shimano. For only $20 plus shipping you can not go wrong. White industries better than all of them, but you looking at $80.

i love the fact when someome asks a question that's been asked before people berate them for not using the search function.
then whenever anyone replies to an old thread, they get called out on that, too!

There is a big difference between appending a new question to an old thread and answering someone seven years later.

I told them that so they would know in case no one else replied to the thread. And I did not even do it in a dick-ish way. Any other complaints?