Gearing - 20" vs Cruiser

[dean k]

Does anyone know why cruiser gearing and 20" gearing are different? A stock 20" typically comes with a 44-16 53.6" roll out and a cruiser will typically be 41-18 54.7" roll out. Any idea why the cruiser would be higher?

[noobie]

It's the diameter of the wheel that affects the ratio. The number of pedals it takes to get the wheel to do 1 complete revolution. A 20 inch will do this with fewer pedals than a 24 inch wheel.

It's hard to actually explain on the computer, somebody else might have a better way of saying it.

[andymac]

I think noobie missed the point, as Dean K posted rollout numbers he has clearly already factored in the wheel size.
My guess would be that the higher rollout on a stock cruiser reflects that the market for complete cruisers tends to be an older rider that is likely to feel more comfortable with the lower cadence offered by the higher rollout.

[Ingee]

Hey Dean,
If you are asking if there is a difference in the rollout between a cruiser and a 20", the simple answer is no.

If you run your 20" on a track with a 54 rollout, you would run your 24" with the same rollout.

The chainring/freewheel combo will be different on each bike, but the rollout should be the same.

Stock doesn't really mean much anyway, as depending on if you can spin more, or depending on the track you run on, your own personal preference will probably be different. It`s a general one size fits none....
AND...there really isn`t much difference between 53 and 54 anyway.

On a side note....and this is for all the new(er) cruiser riders.... check those gears and don't run anything higher than a 56 rollout.
Unless you`re racing Supercross

There are some new riders out there trying to push gears like 42/16 ( 63 rollout) on cruisers, and it's just painfull to watch them pulling 60 rpm down the first straight and never being able to get out of the gate.

Quick lesson..
Rollout equals Front ring (39), divided by back ring(17), times wheel diameter (20 or 24) = (45) or (55)
This is a basic calculation, but gets the job done.
_________________
Jeff Ingram

[Urban Menace bikes]

The best calculator I found was on the Sheldon Brown website. It takes tire size, crank length and gears into consideration. If you want the same "feeling" as a twenty running 44-16, plug in those numbers then tweak the sprockets to figure out the gain ratio for the tire size you are running.