What singlespeed gearing would you recommend for bikepacking on trails in the Appalachian Mountains?
User Name
Logan Watts
Member Since 2012
94Verified Score
I’ll approach this question from a standpoint of 29x2.6" tires, since tire diameter makes a significant difference in “gear inches”—you can use the calculator here if you need to convert to a different tire size. At any rate, I started out with 30x21t gearing, which I find to be a great low gear here on my local singletrack in Pisgah National Forest. When bikepacking with a load, I leave it the same, and know there will be some walking with this gearing—and some people go even lower for bikepacking. Also, it’s worth noting that bigger chainrings will preserve the life of a chain. So 32x22 would be a similar ratio. 32x23 or 30x22 would be one step even lower—very spin-y on flat terrain, but more climbing friendly. That being said, I also know a lot of people who would consider 30x21 way too spin-y! But if you want to “remain seated” while pedaling sometimes, that’s the gear I’d recommend.
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Logan Watts
Member Since 2012
94
Verified Score
I’ll approach this question from a standpoint of 29x2.6" tires, since tire diameter makes a significant difference in “gear inches”—you can use the calculator here if you need to convert to a different tire size. At any rate, I started out with 30x21t gearing, which I find to be a great low gear here on my local singletrack in Pisgah National Forest. When bikepacking with a load, I leave it the same, and know there will be some walking with this gearing—and some people go even lower for bikepacking. Also, it’s worth noting that bigger chainrings will preserve the life of a chain. So 32x22 would be a similar ratio. 32x23 or 30x22 would be one step even lower—very spin-y on flat terrain, but more climbing friendly. That being said, I also know a lot of people who would consider 30x21 way too spin-y! But if you want to “remain seated” while pedaling sometimes, that’s the gear I’d recommend.