(There are different rear sizes but the standard is 16 when talking about Gear Ratios, even if you ride 9t or 14t rear you almost always know the conversion to 16t. Most BMX will come with 44:16 gear ratio where racers will use 46-48:16, and I have seen higher. I also use a lot of upper body strength when pedaling, so going up hills feels on average less strenuous than on the sit-pedaling bikes. The gearing on a race BMX is higher than on one you will buy out of the store. The BMX is for quickly maneuvering the downtown streets, jumping up and down from the pavement when a articulated bus is trying to kill me, speeding down the cobble stone streets without shaking to pieces, and quickly accelerate between the intersections and people walking in the street. The road bike is for longer distances and exercise outside the city. The MTB is for off-road and trail exercise. Finally, the 2.73:1 gear ratio is another outstanding ratio to look for in a BMX bike. This just implies how easy it would be to pedal your BMX bike forward.
I bought a Sunn Tzar S2 MTB and a Vitus Razor VR road bike, both heavily discounted, and a Haro LT Pro racing BMX from Danscomp. Another gear ratio that most riders appreciate is the ones that have a 2.78/1 value. A Pro race bike features slightly wider rims with a standard 20 inch size, meaning they can handle a heavier rider, who might be looking to jump more. Its the first race bike that steps from the skinny wheels, to what we know as a proper BMX bike. Divide the number of teeth in the front sprocket, or freewheel. 54.72' Gear ratio The Pro size race bike is incredibly important in BMX racing. I've been commuting on city bikes for about a year now, but in August I finally took the time to buy a few proper bikes on the CRC summer sale. The formula to find the gear inches for your bike is simple. After 6 years of heavy use, someone stole it, and I've tried both a MTB and a hybrid since then (both stolen by now), but neither felt better than the BMX. I bought my first BMX about a decade ago because it was the only bike fitting my 1x1 meter basement storage unit, but then discovered it was great for getting around the city. Just wondering why did you buy a BMX to commute? I'll do some more testing with the BMX and a road bike and find an acceptable speed and crank rate, then use that to calculate which gears I'm going to buy. And that I should ensure I've got chainstay clearance in the front. I've also learned that my cassette hub can go down to a 12T, possibly 8T depending on what style of cassette I've got. Is this way of calculating the difference in gear ratios correct?Īdditionally, are there any recommendations for gear ratio for a BMX only used for commuting on flat asphalt?ĮDIT: I've had my calculations validated and several calculators linked, such as this.
The current set is 44T/16T, and with a wheel circumference of 156 cm and a pace of 1 full crank rotation a second, I believe my max speed is: ((44/16)*1.54)*3.6=15.246 km/h
I'd like to correct this with a new set of gears and a new chain, but need help picking the correct ratio. Hi, I recently bought a BMX for commuting the ~1 km to work, but gear ratio isn't high enough, so I'm freewheeling much of the time.