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Development Per Pedal Stroke Calculator

Calculate metres of travel per pedal stroke.

Result

6.55 m
3.13

How it is calculated

Development is the distance the bike rolls for one full turn of the cranks: development (m) = (chainring teeth ÷ cog teeth) × wheel circumference (mm) ÷ 1000. The bracket is the gear ratio. Chainring and cog must be whole numbers above zero; a fractional tooth count such as 50.5 shows no result. The circumference goes in millimetres, not metres. If you leave it empty or set it to 0 or below, the tool uses 2100 mm, roughly a 700c road wheel, so that result is an estimate rather than a measurement of your own tyre (50/16 then gives 6.56 m instead of 6.55 m). Ratio and development are both rounded to two decimals.

Worked example

Chainring 50 teeth, cog 16 teeth, wheel circumference 2096 mm. Gear ratio: 50 ÷ 16 = 3.125, shown as 3.13. Development: 3.125 × 2096 = 6550 mm, which is 6.55 m. Result: 6.55 m per pedal stroke, so ten crank revolutions carry the bike about 65.5 m.

Try this example →

Common mistakes

  • Typing the wheel circumference in metres (2.1) instead of millimetres (2100). The tool accepts it and reports about 0.01 m, so check the unit.
  • Entering chainring and cog the wrong way round. The ratio is front teeth divided by rear teeth; swapping 50 and 16 gives 0.32 and 0.67 m instead of 3.13 and 6.55 m.
  • Using the wheel diameter or the rim size instead of the rolled-out circumference. The circumference is roughly the diameter times 3.14 and depends on tyre width and pressure, so measuring it beats relying on the 2100 mm default.
  • Reading the result as speed. It is metres per pedal revolution only; multiply by cadence to get distance per minute.
  • Entering a decimal tooth count. Real sprockets have whole numbers of teeth, and a fraction gives no result.

About this calculator

"Development" (also called gear development or metres of development) is the distance a bicycle travels for one full revolution of the pedals/cranks, calculated as (chainring teeth / cog teeth) × wheel circumference. It's mathematically the same information as gear-inch or gain-ratio systems, just expressed in metres — a higher development means more distance covered per pedal stroke, but also more resistance to turn the pedals, while a lower development spins more easily but covers less ground per revolution.

Track cyclists in particular rely on development calculations because track bikes are fixed-gear with a single chainring/cog combination chosen before the race — riders and coaches calculate development to pick the exact gear ratio suited to a given event (a sprinter wants a higher development for top speed, a pursuit rider balances development against the ability to accelerate out of corners). Touring and road cyclists also use development figures to compare gear ranges across different chainring/cassette setups before buying components.

Chainring teeth over cog teeth times the wheel circumference gives how far the bike travels for each turn of the cranks.

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