| The gears in mountain bikes just keep
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| | increments between a 1:1 gear ratio and a
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| getting more and more intricate. The
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| | 6.5:1 gear ratio so that you can always
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| bikes of today have as many as 27 gear
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| | pedal at 50 RPM, no matter how fast you
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| ratios. A mountain bike will use a
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| | are actually going.
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| combination of three different sized
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| | On a normal 27 speed mountain bike, six
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| sprockets in front and nine in the back
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| | of the gear ratios are so close to each
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| to produce gear ratios.
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| | other that you can't notice any
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| The idea behind all these gears is to
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| | difference between them.
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| allow the rider to crank the pedals at a
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| | With actual use, bike riders tend to
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| constant pace no matter what kind of
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| | choose a front sprocket suitable for the
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| slope the bike is on. You can understand
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| | slope they are riding on and stick with
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| this better by picturing a bike with just
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| | it, although the front sprocket can be
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| a single gear. Each time you rotate the
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| | difficult to shift under heavy load. It's
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| pedals one turn, the rear wheel would
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| | much easier to shit between the gears on
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| rotate one turn as well (1:1 gear ratio).
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| | the rear.
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| If the rear wheel is 26 inches in
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| | If you are cranking up a hill, it's best
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| diameter, then with 1:1 gearing, one full
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| | to choose the smallest sprocket on the
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| twist on the pedals would result in the
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| | front then shift between the nine gears
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| wheel covering 81.6 inches of ground. If
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| | available on the rear. The more speeds
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| you are pedaling at a speed of 50 RPM,
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| | you have on the back sprocket, the bigger
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| this means that the bike can cover over
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| | advantage you'll have.
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| 340 feet of ground per minute. This is
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| | All in all, gears are very important to
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| only 3.8 MPH, which is the equivalence of
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| | mountain bikes as they dictate your
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| walking speed. This is ideal for climbing
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| | overall speed. Without gears you wouldn't
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| a steep hill, although bad for ground or
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| | be able to build speed nor would you be
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| going downhill.
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| | able to pound pedals. The gears will move
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| To go faster you'll need a different
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| | the pedals and help you build up speed.
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| ratio. To ride downhill at 25 MPH with a
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| | There are all types of gears available in
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| 50 RPM cadence at the pedals, you'll need
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| | mountain bikes, all of which will help
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| a 5.6:1 gear ratio. A bike with a lot of
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| | you build up a lot of momentum if you use
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| gears will give you a large number of
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| | them the right way.
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