# Please teach me about gearing and give me some advice **URL:** \ **Category:** Scooters, Bikes, Sagways\ **Created:** [August 26, 2011, 7:39pm UTC](https://community.electricforum.com/t/please-teach-me-about-gearing-and-give-me-some-advice/1712 "2011-08-26T19:39:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gregski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecc23a/32.png) [@Gregski](https://community.electricforum.com/u/Gregski)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2011, 7:39pm UTC](https://community.electricforum.com/t/please-teach-me-about-gearing-and-give-me-some-advice/1712/1 "2011-08-26T19:39:25Z")
is a ratio a ratio, or does it make a difference for example 12 tooth front x 60 tooth rear is 5:1 13 tooth front x 65 tooth rear is 5:1 also if those are the same why would you want to carry the extra weight of the larger sprockets and or require extra clearance and a heavier larger chain right now I am running a 12 tooth front and a 46 tooth (OEM stock) rear for a ratio 3.8:1 call it 4:1 my top speed is barely 45 MPH, so I am torn with a decision, everything I read states that electric motors are happy at higher RPMs, so initially I was planning on replacing the rear sprocket with a 50 tooth one to give me that covetted 5:1 ratio, but then I am being told to go faster I need to lower the ratio and replace the front sprocket with a 13 tooth one while keeping the existing stock rear, which would give me a 3.5:1 ratio are my goals of a higher speed and optimal motor performance mutually exclusive, or is there a happy medium?