29r ss guys...

[IROnick]

i see where that can be confusing. what i meant was when i climb steeps with the 18, i am barely turning the pedals and straining too much. when i put the 20 on, i got a few more rpms with the lower gear ratio and indeed climbed faster and had more torque to make technical sections at low speeds. with the 18, i would just stall out.

 

[axcxnj]

i run an 18 in the back of my ferrous, ive been able to handle most of everything that NNJ can throw at me, but i do end up walking sometimes.

maybe i should try a 20, i dunno

 

[ChrisG]

In order for the gear comparisons to really work, it would help to specify the size of your front ring as well. A variation of one or two teeth makes a big difference.

 

[IROnick]

I have a 32 up front. I was able to clean just about everthing with the 32:18 setup, except for some really technical climbs at Skyline where I had to walk a bit. Dropping to a 20 just allowed me to "rev up" into my powerband and give me the torque I needed to make harder sections.

 

[THATmanMANNY]

Yes lets specify the chainrings please. For instance, I had a 34/20 combo up until two weekends ago and the front ring just blew up on me (probably due to the fact I was missing a chainring bolt). With the 34, I have to overcome a small struggle at the very top of hills so I decided to get a 33. Im spinning mad and after one ride I'm not liking it at all!

 

[ChrisG]

Yes lets specify the chainrings please. For instance, I had a 34/20 combo up until two weekends ago and the front ring just blew up on me (probably due to the fact I was missing a chainring bolt). With the 34, I have to overcome a small struggle at the very top of hills so I decided to get a 33. Im spinning mad and after one ride I'm not liking it at all!

If you put a 19 on the back, you'll end up with a slightly bigger gear than your 34x20 combo was giving you.