Silk Screen Exposure Calculator

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Reviewed by: David Chen, P.E. (Professional Engineer – Cycling Dynamics)

Use the ultimate Bike Gear Calculator Speed tool to determine your cycling speed based on your physical effort (cadence) and mechanical setup (gear ratio and wheel size). Optimize your performance for racing, commuting, or touring.

Bike Gear Calculator Speed

Bike Gear Calculator Speed Formula

1. Gear Ratio (GR) = Chainring Teeth / Cog Teeth
2. Speed (mm/min) = Cadence (RPM) × GR × Wheel Circumference (mm)
3. Speed (km/h) = (Speed (mm/min) × 60) / 1,000,000
Sources: Sheldon Brown’s Gear Calculator, Wikipedia: Bicycle Gearing

Variables Explained

  • Cadence (RPM): The rate at which the cyclist pedals. Typical values range from 60 to 100 RPM.
  • Chainring Teeth: The number of teeth on the front sprocket (crankset).
  • Cog Teeth: The number of teeth on the rear sprocket (cassette).
  • Wheel Circumference (mm): The distance the wheel travels in one full rotation. Often around 2100mm for a standard 700c road bike tire.

What is Bike Gear Calculator Speed?

The Bike Gear Calculator Speed is an essential tool for cyclists, providing a theoretical speed output based on the rider’s effort and bike configuration. This calculation is purely mechanical and ignores real-world factors like rolling resistance, wind resistance, and drivetrain efficiency, offering a baseline performance metric.

Understanding gear ratios is critical for efficient cycling. A higher gear ratio (e.g., 50/11) results in greater speed but requires more effort from the rider (a harder gear). A lower gear ratio (e.g., 34/28) provides lower speed but makes climbing hills much easier (an easier gear). This calculator helps visualize the exact speed changes across your available gears.

How to Calculate Bike Gear Speed (Example)

  1. Define Variables: Assume Cadence = 90 RPM, Chainring = 52T, Cog = 14T, and Circumference = 2096 mm.
  2. Calculate Gear Ratio (GR): $GR = 52 / 14 \approx 3.714$.
  3. Calculate Distance Covered per Minute: $Distance/min = 90 \times 3.714 \times 2096 \approx 699,576\ mm/min$.
  4. Convert to Kilometers per Hour (km/h): Since there are 1,000,000 mm in a km and 60 minutes in an hour: $Speed\ (km/h) = (699,576 \times 60) / 1,000,000 \approx 41.97\ km/h$.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How does tire pressure affect my speed?

The calculator uses the theoretical wheel circumference. In reality, lower tire pressure can slightly increase the rolling resistance and slightly change the effective circumference, making your actual speed marginally lower than the calculated speed for the same cadence.

What is the ideal cycling cadence?

While this is highly individual, most professional cyclists prefer a high cadence, typically between 85 and 100 RPM, as it is generally considered more efficient and less taxing on the muscles over long distances than ‘mashing’ a very hard gear at low RPM.

Can this calculator determine the distance I travel?

Yes. If you know your average cadence and gear ratio for a specific period of time (e.g., 30 minutes), the distance covered is the calculated speed multiplied by the time (e.g., $41.97\ km/h \times 0.5\ hours$).

What is “gear inches” and how does it relate to speed?

Gear Inches is an older, Imperial measure of gear size. It is calculated by $GR \times Wheel\ Diameter\ (in)$. It is directly proportional to speed; a higher gear inch value means a higher speed at the same cadence. The output of this calculator (speed in km/h) is the modern metric equivalent of the gear inch concept.

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