Gearing how 2

[psiron]

What will be the best way to change the gearing, on my Inspired Fourplay Pro. Do i change the freewheel and guess the right size or do i think about a hope free hub and get a few loose sprockets untill i find the one that suits, even if this requires building up a new wheel.

Edited April 17, 2013 by psiron

[Beefchops]

Free wheel option is cheaper, whether you want the ratio higher or lower id take an educated guess, that or try someone elses bike and then swap your free wheel, you will probably change your mind again after a while!

[BradJohnson]

Simply change the rear screw on sprocket.
More teeth for a lower gearing, meaning it will feel lighter to pedal.
Less teeth for a higher gearing, meaning it will feel heavier to pedal.

[ooo]

If you can afford it I say go for the hope or a chris king and then you can change gear ratio on a whim. It makes a big difference to the feel of your bike and your ability to do certain moves, so if you are unsure what ratio you want being adaptable is better.

[psiron]

Trials Dude hits the nail on the head. I like adaptable. :wink2:

[picowatt]

Rear hub does seem more applicable to four plays and street riding. So if you can afford it go for it. If not maybe try some cheapie freewheels in different gear ranges just to get a feel. Then when you find the magic number buy a higher end freewheel in that tooth profile.

[Ash-Kennard]

i look at gear ratios in numbers, makes it easier when looking for the optimum ratio

i run 16:14 on my 26" this can be shown as 16 teeth/14 teeth= 1.143

a more common gear ratio of 18:15 would look like this 18/15=1.2

therefore my gear ratio is slightly lighter than most for stock.

on my 24" i run 20:15 giving me a ratio of 1.333, this is abit light for a 24" streety bike, but thats how i roll.

mods often run the ratio 18/12, giving a ratio of 1.5

so it can be seen that wheel size matters to ratios, other things that affect how this will "feel" is crank length, longer will make it feel easier, shorter makes it feel harder to pedal. I have found shorter cranks give more power in your kick, so my ratio of 16:14 with 170 cranks will feel very similar to a ratio of 18:15 with 175 cranks.

as for ease of trial and error, a rear freehub is ideal for switching cogs quickly. I am also a fan of the reliability of the Hope Pro 2's. but as everyone is running FFW these days it would definitely be easier to swap the rear cog than the free wheel. dont jump cog sizes by large amounts unless you are certain of the ratio you want to acheieve

Edited April 24, 2013 by Ash-Kennard