Huge Front Chain Ring - 77 teeth

Huge 77 tooth front chainring

Now we all like to think we're big and strong and can grind away the hours in the big ring.  Well, what about this big ring?  Spotted at The National 10TT Championships in Yorkshire on Sunday by our super sleuth photographer - Rick Robson - at Cyclesportphotos.com it's a daddy of a front chainring. 77 teeth to be exact.

It's being pushed along into the wind by TT rider - Nick Bowdler.  I blogged recently about gear ratios for beginners, so to save you doing the math, if he was running an 11 tooth rear sprocket (160 gear inches), with 165mm cranks, spinning at a cadence of 150rpm, in theory he could hit 82.8mph with that gear!  Mr. Wiggins still took the honours, so big gears don't always mean medals but I wonder what Wiggo could do on this bike eh?

Last time I saw a front chain ring this big, it was on a bike by a certain Mr. Graeme Obree.  Have a look for yourself here.  Be funny to see how far you'd get on an incline pushing that gear - Fred Whitton anyone?

Time Triallist Nick Bowdler

Close up of the Big Daddy Front Chainring