Will putting a larger chain wheel on my bmx make it a bit harder to pedal?

Question

I dont like it been to easy to pedal so if i change the chain wheel for a bigger one will it mean its harder to pedal?

Answer 1

The gears on a bicycle are, in essence, the same as those in an automobile. Hence, the smaller your 'sprocket' (front) or 'cog' (rear) is/are, the harder it will be to pedal. However, the trick with cycling (again just as when driving a standard automobile) is to maintain smooth shifting. So in the instance of a multi-geared bicycle, you would want to 'top out' (achieve top speed) in one gear (the larger sprocket/cog) before switching to the next, higher, gear (a smaller sprocket/cog). The ideal situation being to maintain a steady flow as you pedal so that when you feel yourself pedaling in an uncomfortably rapid manner you would then change to a higher (smaller sprocket/cog) gear. This gear switch will make it harder to pedal again but you will maintain your momentum from the lower gear. This is why the higher gears (smaller sprockets/cogs) feel more comfortable when traveling downhill (faster natural momentum) and the lower gears (bigger sprockets/cogs) feel more comfortable when traveling uphill where momentum is hampered by the gravity pulling you backwards/downhill.

When dealing with a single gear bike, such as a 20" BMX bicycle or a 'beach cruiser,' you would certainly want to find a happy medium between the higher and lower range of gears. Most of these bicycles usually come standard with a proper gear ratio. But if you find yourself needing more torque (harder to pedal) when starting to ride from a dead stop, then you should consider a smaller cog for the rear wheel. This will make it harder to get going but provide a higher top-end speed. Conversely, the opposite is true of a larger rear cog. On 20" bicycles the standard rear cog would have 15 to 17 teeth—the higher number of teeth providing for quicker starts out of the 'starting gate' used in BMX racing as well as for greater ease of pedaling for speed in the short straight-aways between jumps and turns. Many of the stronger BMX racers/riders (those with bigger/stronger leg muscles) opt for 14 and even 13 tooth cogs.

Answer 2

If you put a bigger crank in the front, or a smaller gear in the rear, it will be harder to pedal.

Answer 3

When the sprocket at the wheel is smaller, it is harder to pedal.  When the sprocket at the pedals is larger, it is harder to pedal.  I have noticed this from shifting on a multi-speed bike.