Crank Setup

AllAboutGuitar

Hey everyone

Want to see what would be best for mountain biking, before i actually go and do it.

Would a '1 by x' be better than a 2 or 3 by x crank setup?

Obviously they both have their pros and cons
1: Weight shedding, don't have to think about changing gears, etc
2/3: Wider range of gears to choose from for all sorts of inclines and trails

But could i get a second opinion on whether it could be a good idea or not, would be awesome if you could give experience on what a 1 by setup is like.

Thanks,

Josh

kickaxe

The real and honest question is: are you fit enough?

AllAboutGuitar

Kickaxe wrote:

The real and honest question is: are you fit enough?

I'm not the best, but i'm improving, was hoping to start going to a gym at some point in the summer aswell

kickaxe

AllAboutGuitar wrote:

Kickaxe wrote:

The real and honest question is: are you fit enough?

I'm not the best, but i'm improving, was hoping to start going to a gym at some point in the summer aswell

What's important really is if you can make it up most hills with the gear ration you will have, what gear do you usually climb in?

AllAboutGuitar

Kickaxe wrote:

AllAboutGuitar wrote:

Kickaxe wrote:

The real and honest question is: are you fit enough?

I'm not the best, but i'm improving, was hoping to start going to a gym at some point in the summer aswell

What's important really is if you can make it up most hills with the gear ration you will have, what gear do you usually climb in?

Thought I'd point out I have a 3x9 set on my MTB.

Usually climb hills in 2nd gear on the front and anywhere from 7 to 9 on the back.

skiffy

I'd be interested to know what top and bottom gears on a typical 1x11 setup would be equivalent to on a 3x9

kickaxe

You will need to find out (if you can't, count!) how many teeth those gears have. Then you calculate the ratio of that setting (front teeth/back teeth) and then you have the gear ratio. Now you can compare that to what you would get with a 34t chainring, etc.

kickaxe

skiffy wrote:

I'd be interested to know what top and bottom gears on a typical 1x11 setup would be equivalent to on a 3x9

I'd say the low gears are pretty similar, but the 3x can go up to much higher gears, the thing being that you don't really ever need those unless you are on a long, boring fire road

FishFish

Well on two of my bikes I've gone 1811 and 1*10 and have a variety of front NW - 32,34,36,38 which I change around. I'm quite happy because the quality of the stuff is far better than I had with 3*8,9 or whatever and so you get better shifting and less hassle with the 1*.

I guess there is a weight difference but I'm not so good that I notice it. It makes for an expensive change and it is error prone but my advice is to go for it and don't forget red dustcaps and red bash guards to optimise your performance.

The Rookie

If you are climbing in 7th or 9th at the rear on a middle ring you are either
1/ Super fit
2/ Its not much of a hill
3/ Confusing 7-9 (smallest sprockets) with 1-3 (biggest)