Gearing and Ratios

Question 1

Why are multiple gears necessary for bikes?

Answer 1

• help climbing steep hills
• help moving big loads
• achieve high speeds

Question 2

Your driven sprockets (rear) serve as an ______.

Answer 2

Output

Question 3

Your drive sprockets serve as an ______.

Answer 3

Input

Note: you drive with your pedals.

Question 4

What sprockets are used to increase torque?

Answer 4

Larger sprockets on your (rear) driven sprockets.

Question 5

What sprocket is your high gear on your (rear) driven sprockets?
Is it a small or big sprocket, and is it low or high torque?

Answer 5

High gear = small sprocket + low torque

Question 6

What sprocket is your low gear on your (rear) driven sprockets?
Is it a small or big sprocket, and is it low or high torque?

Answer 6

Low gear = large sprocket + higher torque

Question 7

Smaller rear sprocket = _____ torque
Larger rear sprocket = _____ torque

Answer 7

Smaller driven sprocket = low torque
Larger driven sprocket = high torque

Question 8

Larger chain rings are _____ gears.

Smaller chain rings are _____ gears.

Answer 8

Larger chain rings = higher gears

Smaller chain rings = lower gears

Question 9

Chain rings (drive) are opposite to rear sprockets (driven); explain their differences.

Answer 9

Chain rings are the input drive; whereas, rear sprockets are output driven.

Additionally, larger chain rings are higher gears and smaller chain rings are lower gears; whereas, larger driven sprockets are low gears and smaller driven sprockets are high gears.

Question 10

What has more torque? The chain connected to the largest chain ring and smallest rear sprocket, or the chain connected to the smaller chain ring and largest rear sprocket?

Answer 10

The chain connected to the smaller chain ring and larger rear sprocket.