12 speed - too many?

ednino

I'm looking at new bikes, but everything I'm looking at has 12 speed setups with 50t cassettes

I should add, these are lightweight XC race bikes and still have these massive gears. I'd understand if they were heavy trail bikes.

Is there any other XC whippets out there that feel the same :?: Or have any experience with 12 speed?
A 36t cassette has always been plenty enough for me so I'm not sure how I feel about buying a bike and carrying extra weight of big gears that I won't need

tom_howard

On light XC bikes, its not about the being able to spin up hills, they allow you to run a bigger front chainring, whilst still having a decent/bigger range of usable gears.

Plus, some of the posher SRAM 12 speed cassettes weigh about the same as Shimano 10 speed...

The Rookie

when you say a 36T was enough, was that with a single chainring or 2x10?

moonshine

i rode a 1x11 XT with a 32T front and an 11-42 rear - and it was fine for everything even hour long climbs in the Alps - - i've now got 1x12SRAM Eagle 32T and front and 11-50T cassette.

A 36 rear cassette is a 3x9 or 2x10 gearing. don't think i'd fancy that on a 1x10/ or 1x11 setup!

i have geared my wife with a 36t rear cassette on a 2x10 setup

cycleclinic

For XC I can use a 36T or bigger with a 10-50T cassette. I have been surprised I actualy have used 36-50T I must being going soft.

steve_sordy

For me, it was always about the range. Very approximately, a 2x10 gives the same range as a 1x12. All you then have to do is to choose the front ring to decide where you want that range to sit. Do you want to go fast and be prepared to push up something steep. Or do you never want to have to push but you don't mind topping out slower than your usual speed?

The first bike I bought that had Eagle 1x12 X01 had a 34T front ring (Whyte T130). I knew that even driving the 50t that it wouldn't get me up some of the steeper stuff I ride (not with my dodgy knees anyway), so I swapped the 34T for a 30T. That made the difference between stalling and not.

I was very impressed with the Eagle 1x12 and changed the Shimano 2x10 on my other bike (YT Capra) to the Eagle GX 1x12. The subsequent weight reduction was 393gm (almost 14 ounces). Going 1x enabled me to make the bar layout the same on both bikes which was of great benefit. In terms of performance, shifting feel etc, I could not tell the difference between the GX and the lighter X01 of the Whyte. Just for information, the even heavier NX is 11-50 not 10-50 so it can fit onto a standard Shimano freehub, and it's cheap too! I saw a video last night that said the NX shifting performance is the same, but the feel is slightly different, looser and more flexible than its more expensive brothers.

One important thing to realise with 12-speed is that the shifting precision required from the mech is higher. Therefore every setting has to be spot on. Also, the "b" gap has to be much larger (12-15 mm) than you are used to, so use the gauge. The mech hanger alignment has to be correct as well, not just near enough. After twice paying the LBS to adjust my shifting because I couldn't get it right, each time them telling me it was hanger alignment, I'd had enough! I bought an alignment tool and spent time getting the alignment spot on, not just near enough. I have had zero problems since then and that was a year ago.

The other item of note is something I have mentioned before on this Forum. I am finding the longevity of the 12-speed kit to be amazing! I measure my chain regularly with a vernier caliper gauge and I am on target for the chain to last at least six times longer than any chain I've had before. If the chain is not wearing out, then it won't be wearing out the expensive cassette, ring, and jockey wheels. I have already decided to replace the chain well before it is worn out in an attempt to get even more life out of the rest of the running gear.

I would 100% choose Eagle 12-speed again.

moonshine

^ nice post.
This forum needs a 'like' feature....

ednino

Tom Howard wrote:

On light XC bikes, its not about the being able to spin up hills, they allow you to run a bigger front chainring, whilst still having a decent/bigger range of usable gears.

Plus, some of the posher SRAM 12 speed cassettes weigh about the same as Shimano 10 speed...

Interesting. I get it, a small front chainring will wear faster and makes your chain angle tighter than a big tooth?

I’ve just bought a Scott spark with eagle 12 so I’ll update after I’ve ridden

I’ve mostly been on a single speed this winter so I’m sure it’ll feel like heaven

ednino

steve_sordy wrote:

I was very impressed with the Eagle 1x12 and changed the Shimano 2x10 on my other bike (YT Capra) to the Eagle GX 1x12. The subsequent weight reduction was 393gm (almost 14 ounces). Going 1x enabled me to make the bar layout the same on both bikes which was of great benefit. In terms of performance, shifting feel etc, I could not tell the difference between the GX and the lighter X01 of the Whyte. Just for information, the even heavier NX is 11-50 not 10-50 so it can fit onto a standard Shimano freehub, and it's cheap too! I saw a video last night that said the NX shifting performance is the same, but the feel is slightly different, looser and more flexible than its more expensive brothers.

One important thing to realise with 12-speed is that the shifting precision required from the mech is higher. Therefore every setting has to be spot on. Also, the "b" gap has to be much larger (12-15 mm) than you are used to, so use the gauge. The mech hanger alignment has to be correct as well, not just near enough. After twice paying the LBS to adjust my shifting because I couldn't get it right, each time them telling me it was hanger alignment, I'd had enough! I bought an alignment tool and spent time getting the alignment spot on, not just near enough. I have had zero problems since then and that was a year ago.

The other item of note is something I have mentioned before on this Forum. I am finding the longevity of the 12-speed kit to be amazing! I measure my chain regularly with a vernier caliper gauge and I am on target for the chain to last at least six times longer than any chain I've had before. If the chain is not wearing out, then it won't be wearing out the expensive cassette, ring, and jockey wheels. I have already decided to replace the chain well before it is worn out in an attempt to get even more life out of the rest of the running gear.

I would 100% choose Eagle 12-speed again.

Thanks for taking the time to post. That’s a good insight

tom_howard

Interesting. I get it, a small front chainring will wear faster and makes your chain angle tighter than a big tooth?

Well, yeah, but that’s neither here nor there. Get a ratio that matches your easiest gear (or one you can cope with) then you will have a range almost as big as 2x10, only much lighter, and will last LOADS longer (the cassette, not the chain)

I’ve been running 1x11/12 for 5 years now, and at no point have I wished for more gears