29er ss gearing

lewis1641 · Jun 6, 2013

Hi, recently built a single speed 29er. Not ridden ss in a while and struggling , not sure if its my kegs or the gearing.

I used to run 36/16 on 26 inch ss. The 29er currently has 34/18 and its not pleasant to ride at all.

Any thoughts?

hamster · Jun 6, 2013

Well your 26" gear was around 58.5", the 29er is 55". Is your problem that the gear is too low or too high?
Frankly the only difference in gearing is 1 tooth on the rear, which you would barely notice.

I suspect it's something about the geometry, weight or riding position which is making it "not nice to ride", not gearing.

lewis1641 · Jun 6, 2013

Sorry I didn't really explain well at all. It rolls really nicely once you get it up to speed but it feels too highly geared, so it's slow off the mark and any slight incline is a challenge.

I assume the bigger wheels need more effort to get them rolling but I assume once rolling they require less input than a 26" with the same gearing.

hamster · Jun 6, 2013

I think you have summed up most people's experience of 29ers: slower to accelerate but they roll well. However, most effort is against gravity or wind resistance so pedal input is about the same.

velomaniac · Jun 7, 2013

I'll stick my neck out and recommend 32:20. Running this gear on a 29er feels close to that of 32:16 on a 26er.

monty dog · Jun 7, 2013

Agreed, 32:20 is pretty good for a SS 29er if you need to cope with all terrain

29er ss gearing

lewis1641

hamster

Retro Wizard

lewis1641

hamster

Retro Wizard

velomaniac

monty dog

Senior Retro Guru

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