1x10;Sram vrs. Shimano

[bonefishjake]

So why is it that most downhill bikes run a 36 x 11 as the top gear? ?

when was the last time you saw those guys pedaling UP HILL? oh. right. it's DH. never mind.

i've been running 1x9 for two years now on my niner. i did it for weight reasons. at this point i see zero reason to do it. either go two by x or SS.

 

[stb222]

when was the last time you saw those guys pedaling UP HILL? oh. right. it's DH. never mind.

i've been running 1x9 for two years now on my niner. i did it for weight reasons. at this point i see zero reason to do it. either go two by x or SS.

No one was questioning the low end, peps were saying were saying not enough top end.

 

[743power]

Xtr only for now. . .

Kevin- most of the fast pro dh guys are running 38-40 front and there isn't a whole heck of a lot of places to pedal on those courses.

I did the 1x thing for a year or so but missed both top and low end. The 39/26 double cranks from SRAM or 38/26 from shimano are the perfect setup for xc or enduro racing around here.

 

[Fogerson]

i've been running 1x9 for two years now on my niner. i did it for weight reasons. at this point i see zero reason to do it. either go two by x or SS.

I did it because I got too fat and out of shape to SS, nor could get out enough to get in shape to SS. When I could ride, I didn't want to hurt more than I had to. When I had gears before my "SS period", 99% of the time I was on the middle ring, so I figured why bother?

I don't do endurance stuff and I never ride anywhere one couldn't reasonable single speed, so 1x it just makes sense for *me*. Hell, I only use 4 or 5 cogs on the rear cassette, even in my well into clydesdale current weight.

When I get to the West coast that could change, may find I need more of a gearing mix whilst running around the Cascades, but even then the majority of what I'll ride won't require more than a 1x.

 

[rlb]

I went 1x9 a while ago and I'm all for it. I'm currently geared 32x11-24 and at first I was wishing for more low end but in reality I hardly ever need it. The only climb that still makes me cry is the orange trail to get into Deer Park. I do have a 30t Homebrewed ring on the way to go on a new set of X9 cranks and I'll still set it up when it comes in, but for places like MDR or CR I've come to the conclusion I don't need it. Granted my MTB rides never really surpass the 20mi range, but 32-34 is a pretty punchy gear to begin with. I never really found the small ring rock-crawler ratios usable because the balance between front wheel off the ground and rear wheel losing traction requires such precise weight shifting that it's impossible to get right every time.

Top end isn't something I'm concerned with so that might skew my observations. I say try it out on the cheap (replace the big ring with a bash, use an n-gear jump stop, and shorten the chain as much as you can) and see what your legs have to say about it.

 

[Fogerson]

Top end isn't something I'm concerned with so that might skew my observations. I say try it out on the cheap (replace the big ring with a bash, use an n-gear jump stop, and shorten the chain as much as you can) and see what your legs have to say about it.

Or crank the high/low stops on the FD to where it stays on the middle ring and try it (that way, you're not tempted to shift).

 

[MikeP]

we can all debate on what we like or what we think is stupid but it's really pointless. People say 1x10 you lose too much but what about SS? It's all personal preference and riding style. I think the original question was what parts you're running if you're running 1x10.

 

[Norm]

So why is it that most downhill bikes run a 36 x 11 as the top gear? These guys are going far faster than any of us. How often are you really using the big ring, 11, 12, 13, 14? Because if you are using them the majority of the time, you can do without them with a higher cadenace.

Also, did you fall out of contention in a cross race this year for a mis shift that resulted in a broken chain? less gears equals less chance of a mechanical happening because of those reasons.

It is the same appeal as ss, for simplicity and to a lesser degree weight. There is so much overlap in the gear ratio that you don't loose that much, hence the recent shift from 3 x 9 to 2 x 10. Yeah, you loose some top end, but how often are you really using them?

I don't follow DH but my guess is that the DH guys are spinning short and fast, not drilling power over FTP for any length of time. The go fast because of the gravity, not because of the gear choice.

Yes I was shifting back up to the big pie plate after it fell off onto the middle. I can't really run a 1x10 with a 47 up front, or whatever it is. That just seems silly.

Personally I raced about 98% of my cross miles in my big ring. The MTB is much less. But it's got to be in the 50% realm. You can't use the "spinning out" argument because for many of us, race cadence is like 75 on the MTB. You can't use the argument that I should choose 1x9 for simplicity and cover my gear ratio problem by changing my self-selected cadence from 75 to 95. It's just not that easy.

 

[goldsbar]

I think there's a difference between being in the big ring a lot and using the big ring to the max. When I had a triple I would go into the big ring on every little descent because it felt like the thing to do on a triple. That's much different than being in the bigx11. A 32x11 will get you to 20 mph with a fast cadance. I'm going to have to start riding with you guys because most people I know are in full DH position when they're going 20 mph on a XC bike on any sort of real trail. I get the feel thing, though - it feels nice to crank up a short incline in the big ring even if the gear inches are the same.

 

[pooriggy]

Thanks for feedback peeps, its much appreciated.

Falco did point out the fact that I spin with a high cadence on my mtb. This is true, I find myself in my 22 crank quite a bit going up through technical features. I am more comfortable spinning, the times I can't make a rock-up is because I am in too big of a gear for me.(I stall out) I cut my cycling teeth on a road bike and high cadence is where I am more comfortable.

I would however like to try the 32 crank with 11-36 cassette. Currently I am running 2x9. My crank is a 22x32 and my cassette is 11-34. I could leave the crank and get 10spd shifters and replace the cassette and de-hanger. If I feel I don't need the 22 crank then I could go about eliminating it and the left shifter.

 

[UtahJoe]

Iggy, you rode my 2x10 set up on my epic....did you like that?

I prefer the 2x10. While 95% of the time im using my 39ring, there are times when having the 26 ring comes in very handy. As RU mentioned, sometimes its just nice to have when you need it. 3rd lap at jungle this year was one that I remember. Plus days like today when I want to climb the big rock wall at split rock....39-36 is too tall for me to make that anyway.

I think a 30T single in the front would be too small, even if you like to spin. If you do go that route iggy, i would suggest 34-36.

I have talked to many people who don't think that you can go 2-1 with a 2x10 set up and that you must shift down to the small ring to use first gear. totally not the case, crosses over just fine.

 

[Norm]

I think there's a difference between being in the big ring a lot and using the big ring to the max. When I had a triple I would go into the big ring on every little descent because it felt like the thing to do on a triple. That's much different than being in the bigx11. A 32x11 will get you to 20 mph with a fast cadance. I'm going to have to start riding with you guys because most people I know are in full DH position when they're going 20 mph on a XC bike on any sort of real trail. I get the feel thing, though - it feels nice to crank up a short incline in the big ring even if the gear inches are the same.

I'm of the opinion the you actually transfer more power with the big ring than the middle even with the same gear ratio. I may have read an article with the science to support this but I may also be tired and dreaming it.