32 by 16 on a rohloff 29er

That's pretty low. I think you'll find the low unnecessary, and the high so undergeared that you'll curse every time you hit a moderately fast section.

I suggest the online gear calculator at SheldonBrown.com. Calculate your current geared setup, then plot it against a couple of Speedhub configurations.

ive read a lot of guys running 36 by 16's on there regular 26" rigs so i guess i thought with the 29er it would bring it around the same range... you might be right though, maybey i should try a 36?

32 x 16 would be way too low. 36 x 16 is fine for everything I have ever ridden on the Rohloff. The only reason I run that ratio is to get a little more log clearance on the chainwheel...otherwise the standard 38 x 16 that Rohloff recommends would be fine.



R.

rainman- Ive heard the optimal gear for riding on a rohloff is #11. I mostly ride my 29er on the 32 by 22 or 24. (trad gearing) so i thought by running the 32 by 16 it would put me in that optimal range most of the time instead of being around gear 7/8 and having more technical shifting problems. I almost never go into my big 44 front chainring on a traditional setup... Im sure i wouldnt use the lower gears often but that was kind of my basis of thinking for wanting to go with a 32 by 16 rohloff setting. I tried using that calculator but it was jsut to confusing... I am math illiterate

According to Sheldon's calculator, you would need a 23x16 Speedhub drivetrain to make gear #11 equivalent to 32x23 traditional gearing.

Your proposed 32x16 Speedhub drivetrain would drop your equivalent gearing onto gear #8, which you state you are trying to avoid.

Honestly, if you're a strong rider, 40T would be a good starting point, 38T would give you a little extra climbing oomph, 34T would be more than a little help on the vertical stuff if you don't mind loosing some speed on the top end.

There is nothing wrong with trying lower gears (if you don't mind violating Rohloff's 2.4:1 ratio rule even further), but unless you're ok with spinning out on any mild downhills or flat terrain, I think you'll dislike it.

thanks speedhub nate it sounds like 36 by 16 would put me right at 32 by 24 which is where i do the majority of my spinning right around gear 10 or 11... i appreciate the advice:thumbsup:

I've found that a 34x16 Rohloff gives you a very comparable granny gear to a standard 26" wheel setup. I started out with 38x18 on my Rohloff 29er, and found it was way too overgeared for me (I'm NOT a strong rider). I dropped down to 36x16, and found that it was still a bit too overgeared for grinding up long uphills. I needed to drop to 34x16 to get the equivalent granny to my old 26er. It sucks being old and slow...

thanks for the info ohnoo does anybody out there have a 13 tooth cog for a rohloff layin around? I have a 32 tooth boone chainring i would just love to use with this setup which is why i originally started this post. Maybey if i switched out the rear 16 for a 13 i could still be within the limits i need and use my beloved vling ti chainring........

With the 13T cog comes faster drivetrain wear, decreased efficiencies, a wider chainline, and no ability to reverse the cog to double the lifespan. Kind of anti the Speedhub credo.

However, they're easily available for riders who are forced to use a partiuclar chainring size.