Gear Ratios. What does it all mean?

So, you hear we use a 44/16 gear ratio. Anybody know what that means? We do!

Basically, you have two chain rings that the chain rides on: the big one in the front by the pedals and the small one in the back on the rear wheel. The first number (xx/yy) refers to the number of teeth (sharp pointy things) on the chain ring by the pedals. The (yy) second number refers to the number of teeth in the rear cog (name for smaller gear ring attached to the back wheel).

So, we use what we feel is the perfect ratio for urban commuting, trick riding and performance: 44/16. Again, 44 teeth on the front, 16 teeth on the back. Also - You may notice our flip flop hub on the rear wheel: one cog on each side of the wheel. If you don't want to count, both are 16 teeth - One is a freewheel cog and one is a fixed cog.

So how does a lower or higher ratio affect your riding? Well, a few ways. Our 44/16 ratio equals 2.75 (if you divide 44/16). We love this number. We fall asleep to this number. We got tattoos of this number on our foreheads in our dreams last night. If the number gets higher, it means you're either shrinking the number of teeth on the rear cog or growing the number of teeth on the main chainring. Similarly, if the number gets lower, it means you're shrinking the main chainring or growing the rear cog.

What does a higher or lower coefficient mean? Well - A lower number will make it easier to accelerate and maneuver the bike at slow speeds but will make for lower top speeds. A higher number will make it harder to accelerate but will give you a higher top speed.

This is all personal preference, guys and gals. We experiment with our gear ratio all the time and have come to the conclusion that our 44/16 ratio (2.75) is the perfect one for most of us riders. If you think you want something different, check out your local bike shop and tell them Pure Fix sent you!

Peace, Love & Soul,

Pure Fix