the gnashing of teeth

Destroy the bracelet.

Huh?

that stupid bracelet on the bike.

That was harsh. Destroy it?

yes.

.........

Hey is it ok if I quote the breacelet conversation on the blog? Cause I think it's funny.

Actual textversation between the lady bear and I last night. (I didn't destroy it. Tenderfoot would be devastated at the loss of his new chain)

On to the real meat of todays postage. Will more teeth make me ride bicycle faster?

From Drop Box

I've run a 32X18 on my 29er in every race I've ever raced. Most of the time, it's felt just peachy. But on muddy and very twisty courses it has seemed like a lower gear would be beneficial. Since my old trusty 18t is near death, now felt like a good time to try something different.

So on Monday I went to my loving shoponser and was awarded a slightly used 20t cog for a nominal fee. I really wanted to try a 19t (going up two teeth is a little risque. almost gives me the shivers. brr.) but no 19toothes were to be found, so on 20t I settled.

By my meticulously careful calculations, 32X18 is 51.8 gear inches. At 90 rpm, I would be going 13.9 mph. With a 32X20 I would travel 12.5 mph and have 46.6 gear inches. Riveting stuff eh?

I rarely (never) average more than 12mph in a race, so perhaps the 18t is more gear than I need. In theory, the only place I should lose time with a 20t is on flat smooth sections, which hardly ever appear in the XC races round these parts.