And may I Introduce... 30 Speed MTB
- Thread starter Purple Liquid
- Start date
don
Well-Known Member
Yup, that's the chart I was thinking.
I am pretty sure those are gear inches which is Front Chainwheel / Rear Cog * Wheel Size (26 in this case). Or at least very close.
I know for a DJ/Park bike you look for 55 gear inches based on the timeless 44/16 gearing for a 20" wheel.
Looking at the 3x9 chart syadasti posted, I found 4 gear inches exact and 5 more that were within 1-2.5 gear inches difference which is pretty close depending on the gear.
A 2x10 will probably be nice option for many racers (didn't Ritchey do a 2 ring MTB crank years ago?). But if a 3x10 setup comes out there will be even more overlap and it seems like we mtb riders are using too many gears as is.
I am pretty sure those are gear inches which is Front Chainwheel / Rear Cog * Wheel Size (26 in this case). Or at least very close.
I know for a DJ/Park bike you look for 55 gear inches based on the timeless 44/16 gearing for a 20" wheel.
Looking at the 3x9 chart syadasti posted, I found 4 gear inches exact and 5 more that were within 1-2.5 gear inches difference which is pretty close depending on the gear.
A 2x10 will probably be nice option for many racers (didn't Ritchey do a 2 ring MTB crank years ago?). But if a 3x10 setup comes out there will be even more overlap and it seems like we mtb riders are using too many gears as is.
Ian F
Well-Known Member
Bah! Single speeds ain't old school in the mtn biking world... yes, they've been around for years, but really only became popular a few years ago when everyone and their brother started making single speed frames...
Now 7 or 8 speed... THAT's old school.
And yes... I did have a single speed back in the day... an original Santa Cruz Bontrager... it was a fun toy, but having gears was more practical for the areas where I rode. I wouldn't mind having one again (and may get around to converting my Chameleon from being a D/S bike some day...), but never see one becoming my primary ride. My knees can't take it anymore.
Yep... Ritchey (always the racer...) championed the 2x9 set-up back when 8 spd cassettes were the norm. It was sold with a gadget that added a 9th gear to a 8 spd cassette. I don't remember the specifics and only ever saw it in catalogs and magazines.
Last edited:
don
Well-Known Member
Bah! Single speeds ain't old school in the mtn biking world... yes, they've been around for years, but really only became popular a few years ago when everyone and their brother started making single speed frames...
Now 7 or 8 speed... THAT's old school.
And yes... I did have a single speed back in the day... an original Santa Cruz Bontrager... it was a fun toy, but having gears was more practical for the areas where I rode. I wouldn't mind having one again (and may get around to converting my Chameleon from being a D/S bike some day...), but never see one becoming my primary ride. My knees can't take it anymore.
Yep... Ritchey (always the racer...) championed the 2x9 set-up back when 8 spd cassettes were the norm. It was sold with a gadget that added a 9th gear to a 8 spd cassette. I don't remember the specifics and only ever saw it in catalogs and magazines.
Wait a sec. I thought all those Klunkers were SS complete w/ coaster brake!
And the BMX bikes some of us rode on old dirt bike trails in the old days were SS too.
I remember thinking my first MTB with 18 (3x6) gears was so many. I still remember being in the lowest gear and spinning my legs 1,000 RPMs.
Ritchey had a good part in the Klunkers movie. I've always liked the dude but after the movie he got even more respect from me. An artisian not to mention great rider. At the time I thought the 2x9 was a little wacky but looking back I think he was ahead of the times.