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How To Use GéRZ Bicycle Gear Tables (1)
The right selection of gears will help you save energy and make every ride more fun. Check your bike's current gears or spec a new drivetrain with GéRZ Bicycle Gear Tables.
ELEMENTS OF AN EFFICIENT DRIVETRAIN
As you begin to examine bicycle gearing, it is important to grasp that no matter how many speeds your bike has, its most efficient gearing should include:
A low-enough first gear for you to comfortably climb hills.
A high-enough top gear to meet your need for flat-out speed.
Even steps between ratios across the entire gear range.
A smooth shifting progression that limits double shifting. |
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Start your analysis by creating a chart that illustrates the gear ratios and shifting pattern specific to your bike. Follow the instructions below, then check the results as explained in How to Use (2).
Measure And Record Your Gears
1. Print this page or sketch on a sheet of paper a chart similar to the blank ones shown below. Include enough spaces for every gear on your bike. For reference, Example 1 below represents a 16-speed bicycle.
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2. Count the number of teeth on the chainrings and rear cogs of your bike and add the numbers to your chart. As in Example 1 above, write in chainring counts across the top and rear cog numbers down the left side.
3. Check the wheel size of your bicycle (imprinted on the tire sidewall of the drive wheel) and display the appropriate GéRZ Bicycle Gear Tables chart.
27" / 700C Gérz Chart -- Road bikes and most hybrids
26" Gérz Chart -- Mountain bikes and cruisers
4. Read across and down the GéRZ chart to find the gear ratios created by your chainring/rear cog combinations. (Multiply each ratio, expressed in "gear inches," by 3.14 to determine the approximate distance your bicycle will travel with a single revolution of the cranks using the selected gears.) Write in the ratios on your chart as in Example 1 above, and click for more on how to evaluate your gears.
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