Derailleurs? Gears and all that stuff?

Gavzooka

I'm looking at my first semi-decent mountain bike purchase as per my other post. A few have suggested that I look on Evans and other retails instead of just Halfords...probably a wise move but now I'm left with a bit of a problem. Namely, specs and making a decision...

I'm not sure what to look for in terms of getting the best experience as an almost 40 year old overweight man trying to get fit again (roughly 125kg and 181cm tall). I've nailed 2 bikes to the deck so far (albeit they are £20 mass produced bikes from Ebay/Facebook) and I'm now looking for something a little more capable.

I've read these SRAM NX / GX 1x11 gear sets are good but don't understand why and what advantage (other than less to go wrong) they have over the normal front/reear derailleurs setups. But just the same, I don't understand what the advantages are over the different derailleur setups there are? Why would I need 30 gears or why is a 2 x 10 setup better than others? I've had contradicting advice on this and some say go for the 1x11 as its easier to get used to and better...others stay go for the other setup as you need the 'granny ring'....so even more confused...

I kind of get the difference between different brake setups. I almost understand the different suspension types too for the front forks at least (and that's all I'm after now) - although, I really like the name of Rockshock and I'm drawn towards them...don't know if they're good though :-)

It's just these gear things...Can someone guide me to a good explanation of the differences/advantages/cons of each or even advise on what I've detailed above? what would be good advise for someone starting out (again) ? As I hear the SRAM GX 1x11 are good and there's a bike in my range that has them with other (what appears to be) 'good stuff' on it, is it worth me chasing them?

Thanks in advance...

Uber_Pod

A lot depends on the persons perspective.
A racer or someone who's out all the time may well have a different opinion to a more casual rider.

When starting out, it's likely one of the most important things is does it work and will it stay working?
After that, the perceived benefits drop off pretty quickly as the cost goes up.
For instance, would a casual rider notice a few hundred grams weight saving? Probably not. Riding (anything) regularly will save far more. Add a 500ml water bottle would add 0.5kg anyway.

Going back to your original question, as someone starting out, I've not read anything particularly convincing about gear choices. By riding regularly, you'll get a feel of what does and doesn't work - it seems you'll pretty much know what needs changing, if anything.

You may never use the 2nd or 3rd front chain ring. But it's not necessarily doing much harm being there either.

ade555

This debate does come up very often first was 2x10 vs 1x10 now is 1x11, 1x system offers more symplicity and less parts to replace when things go wrong, chain retantion on front with 1x is lot better but saying that nearly every rear mech have clutch system now to stop chain slap, I was running 1x10 and on current 2 x10, is all about what suit the idividual rider and where you ride it. If you just thinking about canal paths/parks ect. with your daughter I don't think you will notice much difference, also converting to 1x is cheap if you have 2x10, 1x11 offers better range for climing hills compare to 1x10 but there is range extender cogs which are not cheap but there is also wide range cassette on market for 10 speed. If you going for 29" wheels I would go for 2x10 but thats personal choice.

The Rookie

I've been running 1x for about 4 or 5 years now, first off as a 1x9 with just an 11-34 cassette, this was fine for most riding and I could get up all the hills but on much longer rides (like 100km) having to 'charge' up hills (too keep pedal cadence sensible) took a bit too much out of me (as I'm now 50) so now I've gone 1x10 using an 11-40 and that works great.

You shed some weight (between 1/3 and 1/2Kg) which isnt much for an adult (but it all adds up) but for a child (weighing say 30Kg on a 14kg bike) it can mean a reasonably big percentage difference, you also simplify shifting as its just up and down on one side so much easier to learn for a beginner.

No clutch mech, never dropped a chain, a narrow wide font ring is enough. In fact 3 of my four bikes are 1x for various reasons.

sniper68

Again my advice is the same as what was given on the other Forum.