The best groupset for climbing/downhill?

chrisrahi9

I am trying to find a groupset that is first durable, reliable has the stiffness needed to downhill (like saint) yet is able to climb the steepest hill. Now i have seen the shimano saint for example, but I am not sure it would be effective enough for the very steep hills. There are also options in sram but I can't seem to know which groupset and cassette would be suitable fro downhill and gravity. Xtr for example is intended for cross country but can it be ridden downhill without worrying about durability, reliability and performance?
Furthermore I know that different cassettes can be chosen along with different cranksets vut which is the best for my intended use? 1x11 with a cassette of 11-40 teeth seems to me quite reasonable but is there somerhing better and more efficient like a 2x10?
To summarize all i want to know which groupsets in both shimano amd sram are stiff reliable durable for downhill and still very effective when pedaling hard and climbing?
The second thing i want to know is: which cassette is best for the downhill/climbinf use and which set up (2x10, 1x11...) is best?
Appreciate it if you anybody could answer these questions

fenix

What frame are you using ?

roger_merriman

I'd of though that a group set with the simplicity and durability for DH is unlikely to to have the gears for steep climbs though does rather depend really on what you a) mean by DH and b) by steep hills.

chrisrahi9

Fenix wrote:

What frame are you using ?

Well i haven't bought the bicycle yet but i am planning to upgrade the components when i buy the bicycle. The bicycle is a commencal meta ht am essential 2016. It is calssified as a semi rigid enduro bike and has a stiff frame according to many reviews i've read.

cooldad

Pointless to randomly change everything. Just ride and replace as it breaks. It will all work well enough.

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/categ ... ial-50242/

chrisrahi9

roger merriman wrote:

I'd of though that a group set with the simplicity and durability for DH is unlikely to to have the gears for steep climbs though does rather depend really on what you a) mean by DH and b) by steep hills.

Well by downhill i am not meaning the rampage stuff or even hardline. Maybe more fast descents and fast urban downhill like going through stairs and jumping off of them rapidly. By climbs i mean steep gravel uphills, maybe 30 gradients (not sure, maybe more), but i mean some steep stuff that would make a 11-30/32 cassette tiring to pedal with.

chrisrahi9

cooldad wrote:

Pointless to randomly change everything. Just ride and replace as it breaks. It will all work well enough.

http://www.bikeradar.com/mtb/gear/categ ... ial-50242/

Well yeah you maybe have right, but it's because i have read some pretty bad reviews on the sram x7 and sr x5 and that they bend and break fast, so that's why i want something durable and sturdy.

fenix

If you're crashing then everything can break. SPending more just means you spend more to replace it when you break it.

What bike do you have now ?

chrisrahi9

Fenix wrote:

If you're crashing then everything can break. SPending more just means you spend more to replace it when you break it.

What bike do you have now ?

Well i want to buy a new bike which as i stated before is a commencal meta ht am 2016. Btw don't get me wrong, i am not a very hard rider but i like the idea or the confidence that o get from getting a capable durable and reliable groupset even if i ride it 25% hard as it can take. Just like the idea. And the bike i have now is a pretty normal cheap mtb. You have surely never heard of it, it's a yosemite x trail 29". In the end i am not even close to a professional driver but i do like riding and testing through steep stuffs and i lile the idea of having smtg durable.

The Rookie

Any decent groupset will be more than adequate based on you (lack of) experience.

X5 isn't very durable I've found, but Deore/X7 upwards there is nothing wrong with.

SLX 1x11 from CRC is a bargain and as durable as you will need.

LimitedGarry

Sometimes, cheap to replace is better than durable. So I'd stick to 1x10 or 2x10. 11 speed stuff is still pretty expensive and will be for a good while.
A 2X10 will have the extreme ratios, which are suitable for both very slow climbing and tarmac descents at 65km/h. A 1x10 will be more streamlined, lighter and easier to maintain and replace parts (since there's less of them).
And now to the main thing - you need to decide which ratios and style of shifting you want before you start picking a groupset. For instance, I do XC, which for me is a whole lot of going up and down through whatever terrain. I make do on a converted 29er 1x setup with 30T front and 11-36T rear. A lot of the groupsets have only a limited selection of chainrings. Shimano Zee for instance only has 34T as the lowest chainring, which is still too high for some 1X setups. And more importantly, it isn't narrow/wide, so you'll need a chain guide.

My ultimate advice is to keep riding on what you have and then decide based on extensive experience what you want and don't want. I started to shift stuff around my bike after well over 1700Km of riding.

supersonic

The above is good advice for, replace for less money, unless you want the lightest/strongest stuff. My commuter bike is about to get a refresh - 8 speed Shimano cassette, £9, chain £6, chainrings about a tenner. And is durable stuff anyway, just isn't fashionable anymore.

rockmonkeysc

Cheap stuff is often more durable. I found that Deore chain rings lasted about 50% longer than XT and for half the price.
Cheap cassettes quite often last longer as well.

FishFish

I discovered an unexpected consequence of an upgrade when I caught some guys checking out my newly fitted 1*11 with a view to stealing it. Well obviously I could not read their minds but it was in Harlow so reasonable assumption.

welshkev

Shimano SLX all the way for me run 1x10 with a 11-36 cassette. Cheap enough and I've got it on all 3 of my bikes with superstar chainrings and no issues.

chrisrahi9

LimitedGarry wrote:

Sometimes, cheap to replace is better than durable. So I'd stick to 1x10 or 2x10. 11 speed stuff is still pretty expensive and will be for a good while.
A 2X10 will have the extreme ratios, which are suitable for both very slow climbing and tarmac descents at 65km/h. A 1x10 will be more streamlined, lighter and easier to maintain and replace parts (since there's less of them).
And now to the main thing - you need to decide which ratios and style of shifting you want before you start picking a groupset. For instance, I do XC, which for me is a whole lot of going up and down through whatever terrain. I make do on a converted 29er 1x setup with 30T front and 11-36T rear. A lot of the groupsets have only a limited selection of chainrings. Shimano Zee for instance only has 34T as the lowest chainring, which is still too high for some 1X setups. And more importantly, it isn't narrow/wide, so you'll need a chain guide.

My ultimate advice is to keep riding on what you have and then decide based on extensive experience what you want and don't want. I started to shift stuff around my bike after well over 1700Km of riding.

Thanks for the advice!

chrisrahi9

welshkev wrote:

Shimano SLX all the way for me run 1x10 with a 11-36 cassette. Cheap enough and I've got it on all 3 of my bikes with superstar chainrings and no issues.

But is the 11-36 cassette suitable for the extremely steep hills?

fat daddy

chrisrahi9 wrote:

But is the 11-36 cassette suitable for the extremely steep hills?

kind of depends on the chain ring does it not ?

LimitedGarry

chrisrahi9 wrote:

welshkev wrote:

Shimano SLX all the way for me run 1x10 with a 11-36 cassette. Cheap enough and I've got it on all 3 of my bikes with superstar chainrings and no issues.

But is the 11-36 cassette suitable for the extremely steep hills?

That really depends and what you call steep and how strong you are. For me, it's really enough to climb anywhere I want to climb. To be honest, I'd say that any ratios lower than that (30-32T chainring on 36T sprocket) are ridiculous. Useful for maybe pedalling through short sections of higher steepness, but not really suitable for longer climbing. If you pedal at 90RPM, you're still going at walking speed at those extremes.
In a nutshell, if 30/36 is not enough to climb somewhere, It's not suitable for riding and I walk instead.

I'll get a 11-40T (or 42T) cassette eventually, but I'll also get a 34 or 36 chainring.

fat daddy

LimitedGarry wrote:

I'll get a 11-40T (or 42T) cassette eventually, but I'll also get a 34 or 36 chainring.

that's what I did .. the 11:42t cassette allows me to run a 38t on the front which makes the bike useable on the road as well as off road

quite useful if you live near enough to cycle home and don't want to spin like a mofo on the downhills

LimitedGarry

fat daddy wrote:

LimitedGarry wrote:

I'll get a 11-40T (or 42T) cassette eventually, but I'll also get a 34 or 36 chainring.

that's what I did .. the 11:42t cassette allows me to run a 38t on the front which makes the bike useable on the road as well as off road

quite useful if you live near enough to cycle home and don't want to spin like a mofo on the downhills

Well, I'm used to high cadence riding, so it's fine for me all the way up to 45km/h. After that, it's getting ridiculous. But yeah, same point as you. Even though I like to ride as much off-road as possible, roads are absolutely unavoidable where I live and I would like to have some higher ratios for them.

chrisrahi9

LimitedGarry wrote:

chrisrahi9 wrote:

welshkev wrote:

Shimano SLX all the way for me run 1x10 with a 11-36 cassette. Cheap enough and I've got it on all 3 of my bikes with superstar chainrings and no issues.

But is the 11-36 cassette suitable for the extremely steep hills?

That really depends and what you call steep and how strong you are. For me, it's really enough to climb anywhere I want to climb. To be honest, I'd say that any ratios lower than that (30-32T chainring on 36T sprocket) are ridiculous. Useful for maybe pedalling through short sections of higher steepness, but not really suitable for longer climbing. If you pedal at 90RPM, you're still going at walking speed at those extremes.
In a nutshell, if 30/36 is not enough to climb somewhere, It's not suitable for riding and I walk instead.

I'll get a 11-40T (or 42T) cassette eventually, but I'll also get a 34 or 36 chainring.

Yeah, you're right, eventually it depends on your legs. Maybe 2x11 would be a reasonable choice, because it will have a small a 22-24 sprocket and a 34-36 sprocket which makes the ride msybe better.

welshkev

chrisrahi9 wrote:

welshkev wrote:

Shimano SLX all the way for me run 1x10 with a 11-36 cassette. Cheap enough and I've got it on all 3 of my bikes with superstar chainrings and no issues.

But is the 11-36 cassette suitable for the extremely steep hills?

sorry, only just seen this. i'm in no way the fittest rider and am at least a stone over weight. I've ridden it everywhere, Scotland, north wales, locally and have had no issues. there's some technical climbs I can't do, but I couldn't do them when I had a granny ring either. that's more to do with my lungs and legs than the gear ratio.

Myster101

I live in the lakes and so have some decent climbs to do. Currently running a 30t upfront with 11t-36t on the back and have no problem. All depends on the terrain you're riding and how strong your legs are. You might have to chop and change a bit until you find the right set-up for you.