How to Increase Your Fixed Gear Ratio WITHOUT DESTROYING Your Knees

[@kevinchen1788]

You can use massive gear ratios without breaking your knees- but it'll come at the cost of your ability to accelerate. You have to gradually ease into the heavier gears on pedal strokes or else you'll put excess strain on both you and your bike. It's like opening a heavy door: you lean your weight into it, not kick it.

[@omniyambot9876]

also higher stress on chain

[@kevinchen1788]

@@omniyambot9876 damn straight lol

[@derekmcdaniel6029]

yes, this is very true, a lot of people want to instantly accelerate and have no patience to have a light touch, slow acceleration.

[@katephillips2518]

PSA, if you ride in the city streets, please do not dedicate one ounce of your attention to counting how many times you wheel goes around. Thank you for the video Zach; you're the best!

[@GiArK]

46/16 to 51/16 perfection for hills and passing e-bikes. Awesome tips and workouts!

[@ayobubby3690]

48-16 to 48-14 to 51-14 to 51-13. Every time I size up, my bike feels sprinty and fast just like it did when I first bought my first fixie

[@karlwalters3763]

A 51/13 is 105 rollout. That's very big gearing for a fixie and bigger than what I race in sprints and scratch races on the velodrome! You are better off learning how to spin at a higher cadence to get the speed otherwise you will blow your knees right apart from the big gears and shit shoes.

[@m.g.manuel3600]

I does 51:13 now... Since I used geared bike with around that highest gear combination like 44:11 it is good for racing not a pro one and it is good for commuting I do less effort. Higher rpm like 44:18-51:18 (before I jump into 51:13), this ratio got my legs numbing at around 130rpm or even higher to get my ideal speed. And it is more cardio for me so excessively exhausting for riding daily. I'm a lean person with less likely to gain body fat so I prefer my gear this way perhaps my body can handle it and I got no problem with it. I'm a former powerlifter and I find 51:13 gearing is just pretty normal compared to the highest roadbike gear combination 53:11. I count how wheels turn to identify which is suitable for my old geared bike I used back then before I got myself a fixie. So since it is somewhere between highest gear of roadbike and highest of mtb, this is pretty preferable for me and not hurting my need bad. This saves effort and it is nothing like lifting a hundred lbs to destroy my knees.

[@CoWsGoNeighh]

four minutes into the video and I JUST realized this is like that krusty krab training video

[@lawlawlaww]

hwhawhahwhahwhahw lol

[@YaBoiShining]

literally paused the video to comment this lmao

[@LikeToWatch77]

Four minutes into the video and I'm sick of it and closing the tab.

[@derekmosher4561]

When I was 17 to 21 years of age a 52 - 13 was my gear ratio as I was a bike courier from 17 to 19 and just kept that ratio for bragging rights . Now at 53 I ride a 44 - 16 and my knees feel great , I live in a city with hills that are much larger than my ego and thought to myself , who gives a shit what others think . My advice is that you should ride what`s comfortable for you and don`t let any dickhead pressure you to ride anything harder than you can or need. The bike I ride is the one I built and is just as good as any over priced bike made by Wabi cycles , you should encourage people to just ride and not and not just get them to ride what you ride . Halifax has humbled many people who thought they could ride big gears , ride often and ride safe ,it`s more fun that way .

[@jerrynorton1080]

I rarely downshifted my 52 on a 14-28, but i got the legs for it, and it wasent for the boast, i was simply addicted to speed, and have no ego problem with downshifting. The last bike i built has 48, and goes down to 11, with fat tires, and full suspension; slower, but worth it

[@jacoblavinder3827]

Preach!!!

[@appetit2619]

been loving the new presentation style, you just made my day lmao.

[@jeremiahshine]

I got dragged to a bar in Denver and there were dozens of fixed gear bikes out front. The girls all had tattoos, piercings, neon hair and straight geisha girl bangs. It was like a rockabilly/surf/punk rock scene. The girls were very nice.

[@coldcrush1]

Knee warm up Goals: 9:11 Step 1 kness to forehead Step 2 I went to fast in step one Step 3 concussion from kness to the forehead Step 4 skip step one. Thsnk you and good night

[@nayrdrumr]

Had a 49/16 and 14 for my fixie. Now I just built up a tracklocross bike at 40/18. Gonna probably go both up in yhe front and down in the rear over time. But this is good for me to learn how to fixie single track and not die. Also, still rocking the front brake for the time being. And maybe forever. Great video Zach

[@tbz1551]

9:20 another tip is to add some core/low back body weight exercises to the squat exercises. You’ll feel much stronger on the bike much faster than doing squats alone.

[@Orney]

anyone else here not own a fixie but just like the videos

[@docontra4921]

Aye aye! 😊 I doubt I'd ever own again a single-speed (let alone a fixie), but Zach's videos are top-notch. He does a great job explaining his views and I can easily respect them and see where he's coming from, even when I disagree. (Regarding the video, I live in a rather flat city and I have a naturally low cadance, and yet my knees hurt just by hearing "So can I go to 53-11 now?" at the beginning of the video)

[@dan_lazaro]

Yea I race on a Cannondale Synapse. I tried riding fixed but I can't get started, I clip in one side, set off, then can't clip the other side and I can't continue for some reason.

[@321tms2]

Is a soviet road bike with cheapest fixed hub a fixie bike?

[@neilchatterjee7644]

I’m 42. I used to ride fixed but (read as Danny Glover) I’m too old for that sh*t. Still enjoy the content though.

[@scrooge1913]

Have never owned a fixie either, just like the content. You are not alone, friend.

[@mikefule]

My fixed came with a 49t chain ring. I reduced it to 42t. I'd rather be able to spin at low torque and have something in reserve for the steep uphills, and when I'm in town in traffic, the ability to accelerate is more important to me than top speed.

[@davidburgess741]

Totally agree! You could just use a 53 chainring and a 21 or 20 cog. A lot of people just look at the chainring. You could laugh to yourself as you know this is a marginal efficiency gain. You also could stop and avoid the embarrassment of crashing.

[@davidburgess741]

Yes, a reasonable ratio for around town, The bigger the gear, the harder it is to skid. I am a lycra roady with 40+ years on the road. All flat roads here in the middle of nowhere. For me it's 52x19 or 52x18. That's 74" or 78" which is really a lot of gear. A freewheel with 20 teeth is on the other side for a 70". That means I must at least use a front brake. Gotta have that 20 freewheel incase stuck with a long headwind slog. No fixie community here. I'm it!

[@darknight1567]

One of the best videos I've seen from Zach thus far. Keep it up!

[@2120musiclover]

I ride a single speed and am thinking of changing my gear ration as well to go faster. This was a helpful video.

[@amydoan4959]

*Looked at a lot of options for getting my **Latest.Bike** . Great find in SAVA. Super light, nice components, really good value as it comes with many options only found in much higher priced bikes.*

[@Joshg51v]

Yakuza side story music for the ending was perfect.

[@Hiasibua]

...and ain't nobody got time... to have time Straight up philosophical! I've only stumbled upon this channel yesterday and I'm already loving it! Cheers man!

[@gold_soulo]

Bro this is so comedic and yet enlightening, thank you😂😂😂 keep up the great work, we're here for it

[@riccardo1796]

The real secret tech is running tiny wheels

[@kennethward9530]

Also, you can fake it with a big shiny front ring, and a dull, mat finish 21+ tooth rear cog people might not notice.

[@retardno002]

@RollinRat what a load of bullshit. Nothing bigger is mechanically stronger, longer frames are more flexible, bigger gears as well, it's like trying to break a long stick vs a short stick. What they are is more efficient due to the chain angle and how the force is spread over a larger number of gear teeth.

[@retardno002]

@RollinRat I did say it myself, it is more durable and more efficient, but don't use words that you don't understand, just say what you mean.

[@retardno002]

@RollinRat don't know what you're smoking man, I'm high af as well but I don't see where I was expecting an apology. You said some bullshit, I called you on it, glad it was just a bit of confusion. How about we go on with our lives enriched by this wonderful interaction?

[@ericpmoss]

@@retardno002 You were correct about the technical aspects, but there was no need to go aggro. A simple correction is all that's warranted -- it's not like he was trying to mislead people for some nefarious reason.

[@beofux3356]

Wow, this went deep at the end 😳😅

[@benbraceletspurple9108]

#1 change your route. Go on steeper downhills, but be sure your uphill is flat, even if you have to ride much farther. #2 small steps. Start with 1 tooth in the cog (16>15) or 2 in the ring (46>48). If that is still small, keep the gear just for fun, and later, and go up in the opposite gear. If you started with a cog reduction, add a larger ring, this way your chain needs no adjustment. If you average less than 70rpm don't go up. If you're topping out all the time, even in flats, and you're even touching 180rpm, averaging over 120, then you can change the ring and the cog at the same time. If you do a calculation, you still can keep the same sized chain. I recommend keeping a 13 tooth cog or higher, but never use 10s, only go down to 11 teeth, can get a nice 59 tooth chainring and still have a 15 or 16 to keep ware down. I recommend larger rings because it looks bigger if you want just the look of big gesrs

[@psychoaiko666]

Dude 49x17 isn't bad at all. I used to have 12 in the rear. I had to grind down the lockring in order for the chain to fit, result was that the lockring was stuck permanently. Eventually I just replaced the entire wheel. Also you (and with "you" I mean everyone) might wanna consider increasing the size of the chainring instead of the cog. Since adding one tooth to your cog raises your ratio about 4 times higher than adding a tooth to your chainring. An extra tooth on chainring raises ratio by about 0.07 An extra tooth on cog raises ratio by about 0.28 This changes though the higher the ratio becomes. The rate of climb of the ratio drops the higher the ratio gets.

[@psychoaiko666]

@Bebo 15kph? Nice one 😂 No comment on a Zach Gallardo vid is complete without getting hackled by Bebosaab🤣🤣🤣 But I never lived in Berlin. At the time I did live in a completely flat part of Germany and I got the legs for it (or at least I had, because I haven't riden my bike much and stopped going to the gym because of severe depression, but I'm starting to fight my way out of it) I don't know about looking cool, I just wanted to go fast, but I sure felt dumb when I wanted take the cog off. Actually I didn't like the look of the chainline when viewed from the side, with the upper part nowhere near to being horizontal. By the way, why did you change your nickname?

[@psychoaiko666]

@Bebo but the part about the 12 cog was meant as a warning, because in the end I had to throw out the entire wheel. And that is just a damn waste.

[@psychoaiko666]

@Bebo ouch

[@joeyzluticky19]

i love the dog getting pet during the assisted pistol squat segment. reddit gives you too hard a time this video was top-tier

[@luapahcor5039]

im 53 and run 52/17 and love as I shred 4 mile ride to work most days

[@galenkehler]

This has a real fixie points vibe and I'm here for it

[@MohamadHazrieSiri]

I think this is the best video you've done for quite a while.

[@reapanomin899]

I decided to click on this vid only to see his take on reasonably increasing the ratio,and to read the comments section. If anyone's wondering,I run a ratio of 58:14 and I enjoy it.I've never had knee niggles. That said,I don't mind if my mates ride a ratio that many consider small(like the typical 48:17),because everyone has their was of making the best of their ratio.

[@anielyantra1]

I give this a 9.5 on the dork scale. However, it is a gentle way to reprioritize competition to being an individual sport.

[@michaelfreeman2399]

Firstly, Im hella early. Secondly, your videos are getting much better and im living for it

[@godismeme272]

These days I'm just happy to get one more day out on my bike.

[@ME-hm7zm]

"MEATY BIKE-THIGHS" needs to be on a shirt.

[@greengonzonz]

You did it!!! Entertaining, educational and fun as hell 💙👍

[@denys2776]

I remember skidding on 46/16 it was hard at first. Then I changed to 46/14 and damn it got twice harder. I ride with front brake sometimes if going fast. I feel like 46/14 is near perfect for me.

[@raymundanlocotan1782]

Krusty Krab Training Video vibes, love it

[@ME-hm7zm]

42/17's the ratio I tended to cruise around on - can't do that up some of the steeper hills around here at all though...

[@zhiette]

Loved the last bit. So true. I tear.

[@yaboychad9916]

I know a guy who rides a 53/11 and I'm faster than him and I ride a 49/17

[@pinkyoshi]

thats an offensive ratio.

[@EDerable1]

you made your point. I can only say you're right about that

[@theronbutterfield3651]

Love the "Convict Conditioning " background music bra!

[@trajtemberg]

Above 88+ gi just be mindful about how you accelerate (specially from stop) and be 100% sure that the bike fits you. Also avoid stops, climbs, heavy winds and keep rides within 25 - 30 km (mostly like Crit training). Call it good once you average 90 rpm within 40 min (unless you want to compete and destroy your knees).

[@TheDrag2]

My Knees are watching attentively.

[@justinbocchino5141]

If your knees hurt a lot while riding then maybe your seat is too low? A high gear ratio should strain your muscles if anything, not your knees. But a low seat makes your legs all bunched up and can hurt your knees at times

[@martingazdag7570]

@Bebo we went on 50km bike tour. Almost everyone riding an mtb had plenty knee pain in the last few kilos and next day. Pushing against something that doesnt want to go kinda does kill your knees. Mtb roders have those knee angles so they can stand up, don't have the seat in the way and this way they can dampen jumps , potholes and all stuff like that =) do not try pedaling on low seats my guys or your knees will go and stick their bony ends up yer arse to show their unhappyness =)

[@martingazdag7570]

@Bebo no i am not. I have never met you and your weird angles, but i've been riding for almost 15 years now (i'm 26)on bmx, mtb, and niw fixed gear looking towards tracklocross. I believe i may have experienced a little more of bikes, and more on the extreme side =) I'm not saying you are dumb, but you just keep telling us we are wromg because it has never happened to YOU personally. Man i wish i had your knees but your dense mindset =)

[@martingazdag7570]

@Bebo i do not have any of the stuff mentioned above. And i have pointed the fact out that it's not me having issues. With a perfectly set-up bike with 2 missing acl I'm happily climbing hills with a trackbike. I'm saying that the huge rolling resistance paired with sub-optimal knee angles puts unnecessarily high strain on knees. I'm finished talking to a brick wall though. Guys who read this, don't be dense.

[@martingazdag7570]

@Bebo didn't expect you to answer anything clever, and i didn't expect you to quite understand facts about myself stated above, so no biggie! Go on but please do NOT tell people how to ride because YOU will probably get them injured =) Good luck ripping that meniscus in yours, just wait a year or two =) Keep your saddle low, your watts high and your knees on the brink of self-destruction =)

[@LeDore38]

I just bought my first second hand fixed gear on France's craighlist equivalent, I put a 46/17 on it. It's definitely a little slow but I'll keep it until I can use the bike well since I'm a fixie novice ... Then I'll put the 49t back and see where I stand. My standard flat road ratios on my allroad bike are 46/13, 14 and 15 at 85/90 rpm so I'll probably remove a tooth or two at some point but that's for future me to decide.

[@davidoviedo39]

Been pushing 48 and 14 for a good minute now, pushing up hills has only gotten easier with it 😳

[@brandonnunez3644]

Same gear ratio I run I also noticed that as well 💪🏼👍🏼

[@downfix]

I don't normally like videos but yu definitely deserves it with this one. Reminds me of so many "fixie food" from when I started riding 😂

[@rodrigoalvarez4105]

Great product Zach, you are an artists my man.

[@gold_soulo]

Had a 48/18(stock) climbing was as easy as descending but on flat roads I was spinning causing me to damage my Patella in my knee cap, so I moved over to a 49/14(current) and my god I’m zooming, climbing is tough at times but enjoyable for sure. Haven’t had pain in my knee since but my thighs have progressed efficiently.Do You guys have any stories of why you changed ratio?

[@ankeldee6100]

Same hear i am not used to high cadence riding by that time i was on 44/16 so i switched where i would be comfortable and voila tis 48/13

[@lolol20111]

Is 48/18 good or bad because I just wanna be fast and be dropped :/

[@3birdsmedia]

Used to ride 48/16, then learned that if I went to 49/16 i would get 16 skid patches instead of 4 lol.... So I did it to save money

[@Pillokun]

(writing this before I hit the play button) Shorter crank arms... helped me, but it felt super restrictive at the first 2week period. Almost gave up and threw the shorter crankset in the bin but I noticed that I did not had any hip/knee ache so I stuck with it and then after a two week period my body got adjusted to the shorter cranks. went from 175 to 165 with 40x11, trying to get down to 40:9 with deore micro spline hubs.

[@Aaron-by3us]

one of his best videos yet

[@katebelviscalimoso5994]

by far the most hilarious yet educational video you’ve made 😂

[@julien7639]

Always bringing great content. This one is gold. 😂

[@manuelospina9694]

i love how you took some serious shit as unserious shit without taking the serious away.

[@danielescobar7618]

I used to pull on casuals like they were standing still when i was young and less fukd. 52/16 2009. Just got a frame to built out need to get active again

[@lancelovecraft5913]

“Ain’t nobody got time, to have time” 😂😂 boy do I hear u there

[@kris4645]

39x14 ss I rode bunch of fixed gear bikes,in the past,now,ss! I need to coast, acceleration is easier,better! 52x19 or 20 is also decent,but honestly, I can't stand the look of that huge 52 chainring 🤣

[@jesterpaulaaron282]

Hi zach. Im new in fixed gear. And im having a hard time on descent. Do you happen to have a video tutorial tricks or advice for steep downhill?

[@damnfawcett]

Learn to skid then downhills become less terrifying

[@jesterpaulaaron282]

@@damnfawcett im trying my best to do it bro. Im using a 35c tire and its a knobby one. I even try to bomb downhill and try to skid and its not working. But i learned how to hop skid now

[@davidoviedo39]

@@jesterpaulaaron282 it starts with the hop skid bro 💯 its just practing skidding on the flats more before you do it down steep hills 💯

[@gabinandrade9668]

Learn to skid on a wet road and then when you're comfortable with it apply the same technic on a dry road. That's how I learnt and it works well. Take your time and it'll work

[@gregoryblind8954]

Get a brake ffs

[@StanStrong108]

LOL, sticking to my wimpy 49X17 for awhile, maybe forever!

[@kimrice394]

You really don’t want the girl that measures you by your.... ratio. Sprinters finish fast, too fast😉. Seriously though, my ratio is terrain dependent. Flip flops are great for climb/descent, tail wind/headwind or push hard/struggle home😁. I gear for the occasion because.... I ride my bike, not stand by it and run my mouth.

[@roguecode2354]

🤣🤣🤣 weighted lunges help me a lot, plus its easy to stop if you feel your muscle getting worked too hard. You just let the weights go.

[@ukupacha5033]

Good show. Would watch again.

[@davidbee9563]

Is this April 1st? In order to ride fast on a track you need leg strength and leg speed. Many riders are have one or the other but not both. The gear limit we used to have for mass start races was 48/16 which requires a cadence of 160 to go 60kph. But our track is tiny at 138meters compared to the standard 250m now. On my city bike I use a 40/16 with 34c tires and 38/17 on my winter bike with 50c tires. But I am more of a spinner.

[@khangngo5684]

u sound very lively in this video! hope all vids become like this

[@devenwearshats7450]

I'm running 47 15 and I kill everyone on the hills but I might dip behind the carbon rodies during the flats but it sure is satisfying overtaking them again on my garbage fixed gear

[@HanniSeidenba0525]

This is such educational.

[@josephcastillo2513]

This man likes Yakuza? Zach is the GOAT 👌

[@sicsempertyrannis9024]

Impossible to ride on the reg without destroying your knees. 😆

[@haakonhunter7621]

Thats why i have a front brake

[@geraldfisher6475]

easy going gear and brakes says otherwise.

[@tomcruz3774]

Maybe the real gear ratios were the ligaments we destroyed along the way?

[@dalescaringi47]

Another milestone, nice job!

[@StandbyCymbalist]

Dang. Ride a comfy ratio and learn some tricks if you want to impress people. Andy Sparks rocks 39/17

[@marcpayumo3594]

Editing is on point

[@moleratical1232]

Those pistols are no joke. Can't do them anymore due to lack of hamstring flexibility but you can also stand on a platform and let your raised leg drop off the side of the platform to still put all of the weight on the lifting leg.

[@juanlucasfernandez8833]

I always rode 48-18, i used to work in the middle of my city. Now i work far away and my ride is mostly straight so i changed to 53/18 cause i already had a 53 in my parts box, this was for final speed

[@Agr414]

Great job champ! 👍

[@slimshady9522]

Oh man I love your videos dude funny and educational 😅😅😊

[@gaboramirez4969]

Nice content sir, I'm from Philippines🇵🇭

[@homebrecker]

I’m just out here having fun on my 44 17

[@wakeawaken430]

I am running 46x17 700x23c fixed, right now, and i feel that i will be faster with a little bit lower gear ratio, just like yours

[@homebrecker]

@@wakeawaken430 I recently raced my buddy and he has that exact ratio (46x17) on a much lighter bike and he just couldn’t keep up in the sprint. That could just be leg strength tho... but yeah for riding in the city I value acceleration and getting a nice cadence on more than top speed haha.

[@wakeawaken430]

@@homebrecker That's right, when you have to stop and start all the time, a low ratio is better The other side of my flip flop hub, has a 18t freewheel(46x18) and feels much better 46x19 maybe it will be too low

[@raybenavides5437]

Free game, I appreciate that homie

[@LastNineBreaker]

Those one-legged squats alone will destroy your knees, and can even start to dislodge your kneecap at funky angles when done all the way parallel or lower.

[@andrewb4668]

Just got to 53 x 15 and from 17 on a 74' seraph. I wonder a bike half the weight with the same gearing would feel like.. 🤔

[@igniaulfsborg8946]

Kudos on step 10.

[@manuelcalleja92]

What hubs are those at 2:33? Allen key bolts instead of hex nuts would be amazing instead of bringing a wrench around for flats.

[@justinbocchino5141]

before your channel i thought that a 40x15 was reasonably high. Neeeevermind

[@user-ul9bi3ob2b]

Nice video you earn a new subscriber ✌️

[@jeremiahmedel4385]

Did he just time travelled to the future where no one is wearing masks?

[@sonymicronin]

More likely the past. Besides people don’t even wear their masks in the present anyways lol

[@Roguefoo27]

Fixie foos wya😤

[@ichika2139]

I used to be a 46:16 to a 48:16 to 48:14 then finally 56:14 i plan on changing to a 52t soon aswell as a 13 at the back

[@chuckstewart5775]

i took this video seriously 😂

[@danvee4523]

zachhyyy got jokes 🤣

[@cathalmorgan4827]

how do you commute by bike without sweating? I have done it once and it killed me

[@Buddhakingpen]

And here i am, mad as hell that i stick with 48/18 while riding against midwest winter winds and hate all forms of hills. Constantly thinking "man I'd crush this shit with 46/19" , while being waaay too lazy to change my chainring and way too forgetful to buy a new cog

[@andycuriel]

"..a knee brace looks even dumber.. " lmao! Great video man! Peace! D

[@jacobjames1171]

Why no mention of longer cranks with making the big gear change.

[@dandelionboy7820]

I ride 1X and still watch this you're so funny 🤣

[@johnsuarez1404]

Wireless front derailleur with chain tensioner

[@sallehrazilan1637]

hi zach...nice video,just want to know what ideal size for both hill and straight road..thanks you

[@ivopires5116]

you're funny! keep going.

[@mikeycash2326]

Yooo! That guy at 6:35 looks like that guy from Faithgear. You've been riding with them all along

[@Krik76]

Can I use this bike for a triathlon?

[@BourbonJazzyLife]

Nice one!