on & off road drivetrain

grispie
grispie Posts: 6
edited January 2015 in MTB buying advice
For on & off road use (say 50/50), is it wise to choose a Trek superfly which has a 36/22 crankset & has the advantage of an overall lighter bike or is it better to stick with a 42(or44)/32/22 such as the xcaliber 7 at the cost of weight & components?

I.e. would the 36/22 be a pain on the road or are there more substantial things to look after (apart from rubber..)?
thks!

Comments

  • njee20
    njee20 Posts: 9,613
    A 36t outer ring will be sufficient for most road riding, if you're doing a lot I'd consider going for something bigger - it'll get very spinny on anything down hill and you'll munch through cassettes as you'll always be in the smaller sprockets. I'd buy the Superfly though, daft to buy the cheaper bike purely because of chain ring size.
  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    It's a personal choice. But no mountain bike is much use on the road, so I would concentrate on off road performance.
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  • grispie
    grispie Posts: 6
    njee20 wrote:
    daft to buy the cheaper bike purely because of chain ring size.

    I know... But the frame of the xcaliber seems to be pretty good as per the review on this site.
    Could always upgrade when a component wears out.
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    I'm with Nick, you may find it a bit spinny on road so could consider swapping the rings to 24/38 or 26/40 if you feel the need, but I wouldn't compromise the bike for the sake of that.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • Chunkers1980
    Chunkers1980 Posts: 8,035
    Who's Nick, Simon?
  • grispie
    grispie Posts: 6
    The Rookie wrote:
    I'm with Nick, you may find it a bit spinny on road so could consider swapping the rings to 24/38 or 26/40 if you feel the need, but I wouldn't compromise the bike for the sake of that.

    Is this a solid option? knowing that i live in a very flat country, so most of the off road use is really in woods, mud trails & so, not really a lot of hills..

    I considered a hybrid, but I want a bike that can take some beating in case it needs to. There are some other options though, that have 24/38 or 40 tot start with. But the trek superfly series seems value for money to me and are just solid bikes.
  • njee20
    njee20 Posts: 9,613
    Chunkers1980 wrote:
    Who's Nick, Simon?

    Me, obviously. Random post.
    Is this a solid option? knowing that i live in a very flat country, so most of the off road use is really in woods, mud trails & so, not really a lot of hills..

    Wouldn't worry off road, 36-11 will be fine up to 24-25 mph, so more than enough for off road, even while it's flat, but you'll start to run out of puff whilst descending on the road.

    FWIW I've got a Superfly with a similar top gear (actually 32-10, not 36-11), and I've taken it on a couple of group road rides and averaged 20-21mph without worry, and rarely use the top gear, even on the road. However, I do generally limit the amount of time I actually spend riding it on the road.

    Talk to your LBS, they may be prepared to supply the Superfly with a different chainset from new, to give you bigger gears, but it's not a massive issue IMO, and I'd definitely choose it over the X Caliber.
  • grispie
    grispie Posts: 6
    njee20 wrote:
    Talk to your LBS, they may be prepared to supply the Superfly with a different chainset from new, to give you bigger gears, but it's not a massive issue IMO, and I'd definitely choose it over the X Caliber.

    That is exactly what i was thinking.
    They'll probably throw it in for free that way.

    But I'll seek to try one out and see whether it's really needed or not..
    thks for comments.
  • njee20
    njee20 Posts: 9,613
    You'll have to buy a Trek in person anyway - they won't ship the bike to you, so it won't hurt to ask.

    Consider that wheel size impacts on gearing - so a 36t chainring on 26" wheels isn't the same.
  • grispie
    grispie Posts: 6
    njee20 wrote:
    You'll have to buy a Trek in person anyway - they won't ship the bike to you, so it won't hurt to ask.

    Consider that wheel size impacts on gearing - so a 36t chainring on 26" wheels isn't the same.

    Indeed. I'll need to try one out to see how it compares to my old 26"
    there is a shop that has Trek, plan to pay them a visit this weekend.
    thks

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