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Chainstay Length Affecting Gear Ratio


grantham

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Got to agree with Damon on this. The longer the chainstays, the heavier the gear ratio will feel.

Think of the chainstays as a lever which extends from you hub axle to the bb. When you pedalkick, your bike levers you upwards. The longer the stays, the smaller the leverage will be thus making it harder. Thats why your gear ratio feels different.

I happily rode a 18:18 gear ratio on 372 stays and it was a nightmare to gap. Add a 55mm bb rise to that and you've got the worst possible setup imaginable - no power at all. I actually think the chainstay lengh helps more in gaps than a heavier gear ratio.

In my opinion:

-The higher the bb, the easier it will feel

-The closer the bars to the bb, the heavier it will feel

-The longer the chainstays, the heavier it will feel.

Edited by Inur
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I don't belive chainstay length does have an effect on how a certain gear ratio feels. I mean with 18/16 for example, regardless of any other factors your wheel will go around 1.125 times for every rotation of your cranks (assuming you're not coasting at all). With shorter stays it might make the gear ratio feel "lighter" though simply because your front end will come up easier when pedalling in the same way that using a lighter gear vs a heavier gear would.

If anyone can prove this wrong from a physics standpoint then please do!

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