The Official mtbnj 1x9 Thread...

At LM today on Walter's 29er and I never even thought about dropping to the small front ring. I don't mean like, "I'm a man and would never think of it!" I mean, just never really felt like I needed it. And I'm not in the best of shape right now, to be sure.
 
NJ-XC-Justin said:
Cool 1x9 writeup from MRP:

http://www.mrpbike.com/blog/?p=34
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While the MRP system may be the bomb, it's also a bit expensive.
I'd spend $30 and try both of these guides before spilling $100+ for a roller guide.

N Gear Jump Start Chain Deflector
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Deda Dog Fang Roadbike Chain Guide
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The N-gear jump stop is worth a shot if you're riding a hardtail. Less chance of dropping the chain on one of those, so like you said, $10 (!) is zero risk. My two blackspire plates were about $25 each by the way, so that's not much of an investment either. 70g each though as opposed to the n-gear's 30g. But they also protect the chain and chainring from rocks which a jump stop doesn't.
 
Along my path to the 29er SS, I had my 26" jamis dragon set up as a 1x9. I used the N-Gear for the inside and an E-thirteen ring for the outside of the front gear. I don't know if it was the steel frame, the 9 gears, or all the cough syrup I was drinking, but this set up was magic. I almost always chose the dragon over my epic, for rides and races. As an experiment, I put on the front gears and shifters, and suddenly it was a very average, almost dull, bike. I then tried it as a single speed, which was also great. I eventually decided to go with a 29er SS, now the magical dragon just sits in the classifieds. Anyway, 1X9 = Good.
 
1x9 29'er...

I've been kicking this around the last few rides...For the last 2 years I've been running a 2x9 (32/44) w/a 12-27 Ultegra cassette in the rear on a 26inch bike. Now that I've been on the Paragon for a bit, I've realized I don't use the big ring at all. Obviously, the gear inches are very different between 26 and 29 which almost makes the 32t of a 29 the same as a 42t on a 26...I need to hit Round Valley to make sure I don't need a lower gear (other than running an 11-34t cassette)...Just as a point of reference, JHK runs a 39t as his outer ring and he's stood on the podium at the worlds, so I'm pretty sure a dork like me doesn't need a 44😀!!

Oh, and Ben is 100% right about the Jumpstop, I've had that setup on my CX bike and never had a single issue, if I do decide to run a 1x9 on my Paragon, it will get the same setup...

-Jim.
 
jimvreeland said:
Obviously, the gear inches are very different between 26 and 29 which almost makes the 32t of a 29 the same as a 42t on a 26.
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Admittedly I know zip about 29ers but I have never heard this before. I just can't see it being THAT much of a difference -- 32 feeling like 42 is pretty extreme.

And JHK won Chequamegon on a 1x9 29er last year I believe. Very cool.
 
I think the gearing is about 11-12% "taller" on the 29er, simply due to the bigger wheels. I kept the 32 front chainring from the 26er, but went from an 18 tooth rear cog to a 20 on the 29er. This ratio feels very close to what I had on the smaller wheeled bike.
 
Just to break down Jim's post a bit...

26er, 32x11 = 75.6
26er, 42x13 = 84.0
26er, 42x11 = 99.3

29er, 32x11 = 84.4
29er. 32x13 = 110.7

The point is that changing your cassette's smallest cog from a 13 to an 11 gives you an enormous gain in gear inches. So if you use the 42x13 as your tallest gear now, you can go 1x9 on the 29er if you go with the 11t and get the same thing.
 
Suhr40 said:
I kept the 32 front chainring from the 26er, but went from an 18 tooth rear cog to a 20 on the 29er. This ratio feels very close to what I had on the smaller wheeled bike.
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This is much more in line with what I would think. 32 becoming 42 and your rear cassette remaining the the same didn't make sense.

Anyway, I run a very standard 32 x 11-34 on a dualie 26er and it's about ideal. If my legs continue to get stronger I may consider moving to a 34 ring.
Got my short cage X9 derailleur the other day. Even quieter, lighter and less slap. Oh yeah.
 
just ordered a blackguard to try out when my new ride gets in...
 
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stb222 said:
just ordered a blackguard to try out when my new ride gets in...
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So are you just removing the granny at this point -- 2x9? Or removing the big ring as well and rolling the dice with losing the chain to the outside?

Most times I lost my chain before the chain guides, I lost it to the inside, so the Blackguard fixes that.
 
NJ-XC-Justin said:
So are you just removing the granny at this point -- 2x9? Or removing the big ring as well and rolling the dice with losing the chain to the outside?

Most times I lost my chain before the chain guides, I lost it to the inside, so the Blackguard fixes that.
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I am already running a 2x9 setup with a salsa bash in place of the big ring. I will be running a 1x9 just like you mentioned in your original post with the blackguard in place of the granny.
 
stb222 said:
I am already running a 2x9 setup with a salsa bash in place of the big ring. I will be running a 1x9 just like you mentioned in your original post with the blackguard in place of the granny.
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Nice. I can honestly say I wish I had a few more gears only once in the past 5 months.
 
that should be the case for me too, epscially six I mainly ride six mile, mercer and clayton. I may be hurting if I hit up round valley, wiss, sourlands and chimney rock, which I plan to get to this year.
 
stb222 said:
that should be the case for me too, epscially six I mainly ride six mile, mercer and clayton. I may be hurting if I hit up round valley, wiss, sourlands and chimney rock, which I plan to get to this year.
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Never ridden any of those places. Ringwood most weekends. Mahlon, Stewart, LM and the westchester parks too.

A couple sections of Waway weren't easy as pie the other weekend, but, much like a SS mindset, you just chug ahead and don't think about it.
 
I've officially converted my bike to a 1x9😀 I've had it long enough to realize I'm never gonna need the big ring on the 29'er and I haven't had a little ring on my bikes in years...I rode it yesterday at Hartshorne and really like how much smoother the drivetrain feels and of course, it's a lot quieter...I'll post some pics later...

-Jim.
 
when i build my next bike, it will more than likely be a 1x9 setup. from riding the SS for so long, the only time i wish i had gears was on the flater sections so i could go faster.
 
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