18-14 gearing instead of 18-15?

[gage-mann]

Was pondering the idea of going down a tooth on the rear sprocket of my 26” trials bike

i know echo years ago used to spec bikes with 18-16 and then now it is 18-15 standard for stocks

has anybody with a bit of weight/power tried a 14T?

[Richie612]

Thinking logically if you had horizontal dropouts then moving the rear axle will give you an idea of a smaller rear sprocket. Move it towards the pedals for a smaller sprocket feel and away for a larger feel.

Rich 

[the judge]

3 hours ago, Richie612 said:

Thinking logically if you had horizontal dropouts then moving the rear axle will give you an idea of a smaller rear sprocket. Move it towards the pedals for a smaller sprocket feel and away for a larger feel.

Rich 

This would change the chainstay length but have absolutely no effect on the gear ratio. Different length cranks can change the way your gearing feels, but not different chainstay lengths. 
 

I suppose it would depend what type of riding you normally do? I like a lighter gear for the more traditional trials stuff, but a slightly higher one for more rolling/street stuff. 

[gage-mann]

I’ve ordered a sprocket to try anyhow just curious if anyone has done it and riding has improved? 

[Richie612]

6 hours ago, the judge said:

This would change the chainstay length but have absolutely no effect on the gear ratio. Different length cranks can change the way your gearing feels, but not different chainstay lengths. 
 

I suppose it would depend what type of riding you normally do? I like a lighter gear for the more traditional trials stuff, but a slightly higher one for more rolling/street stuff. 

I was thinking the same way a rear cassette on a MTB works, that seems to alter the chainstay length too is you think about it. When in a lower gear the chain is in a longer position than a lower gear. 

Rich 

[isitafox]

The chainstay could be a mile long and it doesn't affect how many times you turn the cranks to turn the wheel a certain amount, a 22t chainring will always turn a 11t rear cog 1:2 (think that's the right way round) no matter how big the distance between the two. 

[aener]

I think I heard Carthy ran 18:14 for at least a while, not sure if he still does or not. Obviously it gives more wheel rotation per kick so on paper would let you gap further because you're moving forwards faster, but you would obviously need to tweak your technique to use it, and more importantly have legs of steel to get the accelleration for it to be worthwhile.

[Mark W]

7 hours ago, gage-mann said:

I’ve ordered a sprocket to try anyhow just curious if anyone has done it and riding has improved? 

If you've got a frame with horizontal dropouts, it may be worth getting hold of a half-link too. Single tooth changes quite often lead to issues with lining up brake mounts, so having one available might be handy in case you need it.

[cwtrials]

I tried it years ago, but on a +45 or something.  It'd be interesting to try on a high bb modern bike, as the geo wouldn't be fighting the gearing nearly as much.  It would take some retraining on anything with precise rotation timing, which was the thing I remember being the most difficult to get used to.

[Canardweb]

One of my friend tried it in the past. He was really powerful and riding his bike pretty much like a motorbike tapping everything with his front wheel and getting crazy height. It made him better for a while but then he started to struggle with his pedaling and getting acceleration. The hardest part was getting back to a normal 15T but he never looked back. He doesn't ride anymore though as he can't feel his legs anymore due to an accident.

[Sam Song]

In the mean time, I am experimenting with going down from 18:15 to 18:16 to have a more lighter feeling bike. 

I will see how it turns out!