38T × 32T
1.188
Gear ratio
Per pedal stroke 2.5 m
38×32 ratio 1.188 — 2.5 m per stroke
A 38-tooth chainring with a 32-tooth sprocket gives a ratio of 1.188. One pedal stroke carries you 2.5 m, and at 90 rpm that is 13.5 km/h.
Speed
Speed is the ratio multiplied by cadence. Grinding a big gear slowly and spinning a small one quickly give the same speed, but legs last far longer doing the second — which is why most riders pick the gear that keeps them near 80 to 90 revolutions a minute.
- Cadence 60 rpm9 km/h
- Cadence 80 rpm12 km/h
- Cadence 90 rpm13.5 km/h
- Cadence 100 rpm15 km/h
- Chainring
- 38T
- Sprocket
- 32T
- Gear ratio
- 1.188
- Per pedal stroke
- 2.5 m
- Gear inches
- 31.2
Nearby cells
Same chainring, other sprockets
Same sprocket, other chainrings
Worth knowing
- The ratio is the chainring divided by the sprocket — bigger means harder and further.
- Two combinations with the same ratio are the same gear, whatever the tooth counts.
- Speed is ratio times cadence, so neither number settles it alone.
- These figures assume 700×25C wheels with a 2,105 mm circumference.
Common questions
Q. What is the ratio of 38×32?
1.188. One pedal stroke carries you 2.5 m, which is 31.2 gear inches.
Q. How fast is this gear?
At 90 rpm it works out to 13.5 km/h. Speed scales with cadence, so 60 rpm gives two thirds of that and 100 rpm a little more.
Q. Is there another combination that feels the same?
No other combination in this table sits within 1 % of this ratio.
Q. What happens one sprocket lighter?
You land on 38×36: the pedals ease off, but each stroke carries you less far.