I recently bought a used polo bike, and up till now, I have kept most parts the same.
The gear ratio on it now is 2.19 (54 gear inches) with a 35 tooth chain ring, and a 16 tooth free wheel. I know that I will change it soon, but Im curious what everybody else is using.
Thanks
Abt. 1.7 on flats…
If you have Instagram follow world of bikepolo 
Everyone’s ratio is written on the stickers
3 Likes
depends on your wheel size and crank arm length too
everyone at polo is in between 1.5 and 2
1.6 to 1.7 on 700 is a big thing
26" / 27.5" you can push more and go 1.8
if you have big heavy tyres you will go lower ratio ( or could be good workout !)
cranks arm vary from 165 to 175 but if they are too long they could get in your way more than helping with leverage
2 Likes
Ok thanks.
I was trying to find that Instagram page because I have seen it before but couldn’t remember for the life of me what it was called.
I just found a used 18 tooth free wheel that will give me a ratio of 1.9 and with 26 that should suit me for a while, though I will definitely be on the look out for an even bigger one.
I knew that the crank length made a difference with pedal strike but I had not really though about it in regards to overall gear advantage.
its a bit deep but my recent thoughts on this topic are the followings :
- your body shape and size define your bike size. the length of the cranks are shorter for a shorter leg / longer for a longer leg.
-im 1,87m , mostly legs . i tried to run a 175 cranks with a “small” 1,6 ratio , FLAT pedals, 27.5 wheels : i ended up crashing a lot. whenever i would reach my “maximum cadence” peak and i still needed to go faster , my legs and feet cannot keep up and will end up going at the wrong place.
-
i tried 1.8 ratio on that same bike : a bit too much , was slow on defense , got tired quick. this could be due to my poor endurance as i m not a side sport person , i just play bike polo…i think someone in better shape could do well with this setup
-
finally i settled in between and now 1.777 the higher ratio , wide bars, flat pedals allows me to use the most of my body shape ( long legs / slow cadence ) . i mainly focus on giving lots of power in the initial first push and that allow me to compete with “fast spinners” with lower ratio / more candence / cliped shoe
-
i build this style around flats because i hurt myself less / less downtime tru the year / less fear in dodgy games / more polo on the long term !
EDIT feb 2023 i went 165 length and its feeling great ! smaller rotation circle , more clearance , and very small decrease in leverage. i could’t find that size for cheap at first so i went 175. many riders agree there isnt much difference in power transfer with such a small change .
2 Likes
32/20, with 160mm cranks.
Going 1cm shorter than standard 170mm cranks supposedly makes this ride more like a 34/20.
The rear is a freehub so I also have a 14t cog for commuting.