Guys, I got the new 36T sprocket on from the stock 44T sprocket and wanted to report the performance differences and my thoughts. I know a lot of this would be old news for many but hopefully it will help newer folks decide.
Rider: light rider
Terrain: 50% flat, 40% low to moderate hills, 10% difficult hills (suburbs Wisconsin)
Bike: 26" standard mountain bike at a slightly below average build quality
44T cruise: 18 to 20
44T acceleration to cruise: 1-2 sec
44T max speed: 24 (at much as I want to push the RPMs)
44T low-moderate hill: 1 mph speed reduction
44T difficult hill: 2-3 mph reduction
36T cruise: 24 to 28
36T acceleration to cruise: 2-3 sec
36T max speed: 30+
36T low-moderate hill: 2-3 mph reduction
36T difficult hill: 5-7 mph reduction and I pedaled (but this is an insane hill)
Overall, I think the 36T sprocket is definitely worth the sacrifice to hill performance. The acceleration to cruising speed is just a paltry ~1 second longer, and unless the hill is insane I am fine with the speed reduction or helping the motor along a little with pedaling. The other benefit is that the sprocket I ordered seem to be pure steel and did not bend in the rubber mounts unlike the stock sprocket which is slightly bend due to quality. There was some difficult adjusting my tensioner and engine setting to fit the 36T sprocket but its probably more my low mechanical skill than a difficulty per say. The sprocket cost me $15 off of eBay. Here is a picture of the size comparison; sorry for the blurriness. :helmet: