Time for new chain and sprockets

[psycledelic]

Like most everyone on here, I swapped to a 14 tooth sprocket soon after getting my bike.  Now I am past due on a new chain and sprockets and can't decide if I want to stay with the 14 tooth front and stock rear sprocket size, or if I want to go back with the 15 in the front and use a bigger rear.  Curious as to what others have done?

[booger]

I went with 15/43(stock 15/41) and it seems to have done just enough to smooth out the lower rpm power delivery but I can't reasonably say it did anything more than that. Makes for easier riding in the traffic. It's been said that 14t countersprockets are harder on chains than 15t. Since it's best to buy both sprockets when getting a new chain, when it came time for me I went with stock front gearing and just went up two teeth in the back.

[psycledelic]

Kind of what I was thinking.  So the 15/43 in the rear is comparable to the 14/41 setup in bottom end gain and top end loss?

[booger]

Kind of what I was thinking.  So the 15/43 in the rear is comparable to the 14/41 setup in bottom end gain and top end loss?

General rule of thumb seems to be +2 teeth in the rear= -1 up front. I think that a 14/41 has a very slight advantage over the 15/43 but only very slight. All I know is I can do 2000rpms in traffic now with no lurching, snatching, or stalling. A better-behaved bike, but seat-of-the-pants improvement is unclear.

[DarkStaR]

I'm one if the few that like the stock gearing (sprocket wise), don't like the extra chain rub noise some bikes make with the 14t, and don't like the motor screaming on the freeway.  

I ended up going from a 15/41 to a quick change 15/42.  Not much of a difference at all.  Maybe about 100rpm high than stock.

At least with the quick change carrier I can just swap it out for not too much $.