A Little Fixie Adjustment

Today I picked up my new 16 tooth cog I ordered at Bike Doctor on Monday.  They ordered me a Surley brand, which is great.  They make “bulletproof” components.  I installed it with only minor problems.  My chain whip isn’t well suited for the width of the cog, so I took it into Bike Doctor and had Jessie pull the old one off.  I’ll let you know how it rides tomorrow.

According to what I read, this new cog, one tooth less than the one I’ve been riding, should give me 1.2 mph more at 90 rpm.  I’ll be interested to see if I notice the difference on the climbs we typically ride and whether or not I can break my fixie speed record heading onto the Naval Academy Bridge.

I purchased the new cog because I’m anticipating a 115 mile ride across the Eastern Shore on Wednesday of next week.  In that distance, the same number of pedal strokes with the new cog will save me about half an hour.  It will also serve to strengthen my legs … or wear me out.  We’ll see which.