Gear ratio comparison

Two numbers decide a gear system. The overall range — the ratio between highest and lowest gear — tells you which climbs you can manage and how fast you can pedal. The step — the difference between neighbouring gears — tells you how well you keep momentum and a comfortable cadence when shifting. With a range above 500% and gears that follow each other evenly in steps below 15%, you can always shift to the right gear in time.

The example

A 29” mountain bike (2.30 m circumference), once with a 2×10 derailleur (22 and 38-tooth chainrings, 11–36 cassette) and once with a SPEEDHUB (40-tooth chainring, 17-tooth sprocket). The figures are calculated from the tooth counts and the SPEEDHUB’s ratios.

Of the derailleur’s 20 combinations only 14 distinct gears remain: the small ring with the 14, 12 and 11-tooth sprockets, and the large ring with the 36, 32 and 28, give much the same as a combination on the other ring. So both systems work with the same number of real gears:

Property	2×10 derailleur	SPEEDHUB 500/14
Real gears	14 (of 20 combinations)	14
Distance per crank turn	1.41–7.95 m	1.51–7.94 m
Overall range	565%	526%
Step between gears	9–17%, uneven	13.6%, always the same

The range is almost the same. The difference is in the steps: on the derailleur the next gear is sometimes 9% away, sometimes 17%, and the 7–8 shift means changing chainring while stepping back two or three sprockets. Every SPEEDHUB step is 13.6%.

Gear by gear

Gear	Derailleur: chainring / sprocket	Derailleur: distance (m)	Step	SPEEDHUB: distance (m)	Step
1	22 / 36	1.41	—	1.51	—
2	22 / 32	1.58	12.5%	1.71	13.6%
3	22 / 28	1.81	14.3%	1.95	13.6%
4	22 / 24	2.11	16.7%	2.21	13.6%
5	22 / 21	2.41	14.3%	2.51	13.6%
6	22 / 18	2.81	16.7%	2.86	13.6%
7	22 / 16	3.16	12.5%	3.25	13.6%
8	38 / 24	3.64	15.2%	3.69	13.6%
9	38 / 21	4.16	14.3%	4.19	13.6%
10	38 / 18	4.86	16.7%	4.77	13.6%
11	38 / 16	5.46	12.5%	5.41	13.6%
12	38 / 14	6.24	14.3%	6.14	13.6%
13	38 / 12	7.28	16.7%	6.99	13.6%
14	38 / 11	7.95	9.1%	7.94	13.6%

The derailleur changes chainring at the 7–8 step (22 → 38) — the table shows the real gear sequence, without the overlapping combinations.

What the table does not show

• On the SPEEDHUB you reach any gear in one movement, skipping several if you like, even standing still — you leave the red light already in the right gear.
• You can shift the range faster or slower by changing chainring and sprocket, just as on a derailleur. For the smallest permitted ratio, see Chainline and gearing.
• How the gears come together inside: The 14 gears inside.