40x17, good for street?

[Triumph1cog]

I m running 40x17 on my 26" monocog with 1.5" slicks. It seems great on the bike path. What do you guys think? It climbs on pavement great when I stand up and crank. I know Ill have to gear down alot for the dirt.

[perttime]

Who am I to tell you what gearing you will like best

Anyway, your gearing sounds like something I could cope with on my local bike paths ... and way more than I could cope with on my local trails.

If it seems great to you, I bet it is great for you.

[slocaus]

Sure, why not? I have one SS cross with 42:17 and it sees 30 mile rides; another Scorcher 29er is 39:17 and it runs errands and does 50 milers, all fixed. With my four SS/fixed bikes, I have rings from 32-50 and cogs from 16-22. Ride what works.

[quaffimodo]

Sounds reasonable. 3:1 worked OK for mostly flat rides around town on my 700c rain bike but I wasn't winning many stoplight drag races so I dropped down to 39/15 for a bit more giddyup.

[nspace]

My road SS is setup as 44:16. A bit steep for accelerating quickly but you can get going at a nice pace with it.

Wow, I have never seen a pinecone that big.

[jddjirikian]

My road SS is setup as 44:16. A bit steep for accelerating quickly but you can get going at a nice pace with it.

Wow, I have never seen a pinecone that big.

I have a 44/17 set-up on my 26" "about town" bike. The tires are 2.25 IRC Lover Souls, probably too tacky for the tarmac, but it'll just help me build up leg muscle!

[Triumph1cog]

Thanks for the input, I just wanted some opinions. Im getting stronger allready! It sounds like Im in the ballpark anyway. I love riding that bike!!!

[hardrockcromo]

48:15 is what i ride, so you should be good in town

[Triumph1cog]

wow, you must be strong man, that seems like a huge gear!

[Miker J]

I m running 40x17 on my 26" monocog with 1.5" slicks. It seems great on the bike path. What do you guys think? It climbs on pavement great when I stand up and crank. I know Ill have to gear down alot for the dirt.

Where did you find a 40t ?

[Miker J]

Sure, why not? I have one SS cross with 42:17 and it sees 30 mile rides; another Scorcher 29er is 39:17 and it runs errands and does 50 milers, all fixed. With my four SS/fixed bikes, I have rings from 32-50 and cogs from 16-22. Ride what works.

Tires look nice and fat. Are they Mutano's? If not what are they?

[slocaus]

CrossCheck has Ritchey ZED Pro 42c. Scorcher has Nanos.

[Schmucker]

Should work fine. I ran 40:16 with All Terrainasaurouses on my MUSS for a while (175 and then 180mm cranks). Now I run 42:18 with 165mm cranks on my fixed rain/winter bike with 700x37 tires. My fast fixie (IRO Mark V) is 46:16 with 175mm cranks and I have no problem out accelerating the autos.

[Triumph1cog]

Where did you find a 40t ?

I have bmx cranks on so Im running a 5hole bmx chainring, any bike shop should have them.

[robcycle]

Tell me about the bars on the scorcher, a beautiful bike.

-Rob.

[slocaus]

Tell me about the bars on the scorcher, a beautiful bike.

-Rob.

It is made by Willits who make the frame, stem, and handlebar for this bike. It is a flash site, so I cannot give you the direct link, but the link below will get you there and then click on the bike.

I wanted my own little bike "history", so to speak, and Wes Williams has been a scorcher advocate for years; he also designed the Ibis Scorcher that is a collectors item now. I ride this bike far more than I ever thought I would, for long rides, when I expected it to be a town / errand / bar hopper. Here are a few fun links:
http://www.willitsbikes.com/Willits.html
http://www.63xc.com/scorcher/scorcher.htm
http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifesty...-sidebar_x.htm
http://www.adventurecorps.com/way/scorcher.html
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...7/ai_n16502763

http://www.fastcompany.com/resources...rs/081505.html
Take The Scorcher;a bicycle USA Today described as "a Mona Lisa with spokes." Crafted to look like the kind of racing bikes the Wright Brothers designed before they moved on to flying machines. Only 100 were ever made, so Scorchers are now pretty pricey ($975 at the time of manufacture back in 1993, they now go $3,000 on eBay). So hard-to-get is the Scorcher that even Scot Nichol, its designer, couldn't score one. He does understand, though, what the bike means to those who do. "When you ride a Scorcher," he says, "you join a special club nobody knows exists. The Scorcher lives deep in your soul. It's a pure cycling experience and nothing else."

[Sasquatchcycles]

As what has already been posted, that seems pretty good to me...I use a 44/16 for my SS townie...ride what you're comfortable with

[Zion Rasta]

I spin out at 25mph. It is good to go road riding with my wife. I ride that gear on a trek 1999 930 steel frame with 1.4 slicks. Sweet..

[Triumph1cog]

thanks for all the info!

[ScaryJerry]

49x16!!

[robcycle]

Just built a lugged, 26" wheeled SS for commuting to school and work. Its geared 48/14, and it seems a little high. I've got a 20t cog for it, but haven't bought the pipe for a spacer yet. So, in a few words, 48/14 is do-able, but a bit high.

-Rob.

[zipzit]

I have a question. When it comes to gear inch ratios for the street, I'm real curious to know. What did the zen classic masters use? You know, the guys that made the bike that sold thousands and thousands.. the classic single speed bike that affected a huge percentage of us...

er... that would be the Schwinn StingRay. Anybody know tire diameter, front sprocket and rear freewheel sizing? Anybody have a one of these in original shape in their garage and a tape measure? How does that gear ratio (in gear inches of course) match up with what the folks on this thread are talking?

thanks, zip.

[slocaus]

I have a question. When it comes to gear inch ratios for the street, I'm real curious to know. What did the zen classic masters use? You know, the guys that made the bike that sold thousands and thousands.. the classic single speed bike that affected a huge percentage of us...

er... that would be the Schwinn StingRay. Anybody know tire diameter, front sprocket and rear freewheel sizing? Anybody have a one of these in original shape in their garage and a tape measure? How does that gear ratio (in gear inches of course) match up with what the folks on this thread are talking?

thanks, zip.

Um, I think you are a few years late....... And I never had a Sting Ray when I was growing up in the 1950's; they didn't existed yet, but were a big influence, I admit. (You may find your answer on the link as well.)

As you can see from the post above, I do have my own Scorcher now.

"A new wrinkle in traffic control was added by the bicycle craze of the 1890's, when large numbers of cyclists took to the city's streets. In December of 1895 Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt organized the Police Department's Bicycle Squad, which quickly acquired the nickname 'Scorcher Squad.' The Scorcher Squad soon found itself with the responsibility of enforcing the speed regulations not just for bicycles, but for the newest toy of the wealthy: the automobile. An officer stationed in a booth would record the speeds of passing vehicles. When excessive speed was observed, he would telephone ahead to the next booth, and a uniformed officer would be dispatched on a bicycle to stop the offender. Traffic summonses did not then exist, so speeders caught by Scorchers were arrested on the spot and brought before the judge."
—from a brief history of traffic control in new york city

[gotyanose]

my roadie SS is 42x16.