Xtr 11 speed cost is it worth it

divingmoose

Hi guys,
As you know I am looking at getting a Santa Cruz bronson 2015 but looking at the spec to put on it and really now thinking the new xtr 11 speed is unreal price. The rear mech is £143 yet if I go 10 speed xt it's £43 which when you crash and burn and bend it and require a new one isn't that bad but £143 is steep. Do you think it's worth it or what options would you do
Lee

poah

10sp xtr is £100, 11sp is £130 not a huge amount of difference

Chunkers1980

Think the point being you're tied to XTR for 11spd so is expensive until it comes in XT and you can mix and match.

njee20

I've got XTR mech and shifter and XX1 Everything else. It's very good indeed. Worth the extra... Only you can say that. I'd recommend a hybrid to get the wider SRAM range, but that's even more expensive!

divingmoose

Not sure what to do, go xtr 11 speed single ring up front or go cheaper xt double up front 10 speed

The Rookie

Or XT 10 speed 1x10 with range expander?

njee20

Or XT 1x10 speed and just MTFU ;-)

rockmonkeysc

njee20 wrote:

Or XT 1x10 speed and just MTFU ;-)

Range expander with a bigger front ring means you can have more on the faster end of the range.
34t or 36t up front with an 11-40t cassette gives a reasonable climbing gear with less chance of spinning out on descents.

njee20

So just run a 36 with an 11-36, that's the MTFU part. Worked for me for 3 years.

divingmoose

Thanks guys and would you go pike fork or the fox 36 talas

rockmonkeysc

I couldn't justify the extra cost of the 36 over the Pike. The Marzocchi 350ncr would be my choice, brilliant fork, good weight, stiff, superb damping and over the last few years Marzocchi forks have had bombproof reliability.

poah

njee20 wrote:

So just run a 36 with an 11-36, that's the MTFU part. Worked for me for 3 years.

that's just stupid - I'd never get up hills with a 36 front ring.

njee20

Get fitter then.

Chunkers1980

Stock answer, some people like to spin and is often needed when you're at the end of a ride and fitness isn't the problem it's spinning big gears and fatigue

rockmonkeysc

I used to think I couldn't do without really low gears but now even in places like Exmoor, Quantocks and Lake District I find that 11-40t cassette and 34t chainring gets me up any hill and I wouldn't ever fit a smaller front ring.

BloggingFit

36 x 11/36 summer and 34 x 11/36 winter works fine for me. Much lower and I'd rather push anyway.

I'm going a build with XTR 11 speed as I think having a 40t bailout option on a longer travel bike may be worth having but I don't see me using that too much.

kajjal

POAH wrote:

njee20 wrote:

So just run a 36 with an 11-36, that's the MTFU part. Worked for me for 3 years.

that's just stupid - I'd never get up hills with a 36 front ring.

Me either off road on the trails I ride. Best to think what gearing you need and buy based on that. Also be careful as the more expensive group sets are there to meet price points rather than being much better than the less expensive group sets. I bought a full set of XT brakes and rotors for about £160

njee20

Get fitter = don't get fatigued so much ;-)

BloggingFit

divingmoose wrote:

Thanks guys and would you go pike fork or the fox 36 talas

Pike for the Bronson as it's an excellent trial fork for the money. Talas system compromises the fork performance a little and the 36 is more of a harder hitting fork if that makes sense.

rockmonkeysc

Talas actually works well now and doesn't effect the damping like it used to. The latest 36 Talas is as good as the Pike but far more expensive.