Moutain Bike gearing

ryan922

Hi all I need some advice, I am a former semi pro xc racer but through illness I had to stop racing but after 10 years I have stated to cycle again and now live in Germany where it's good for the mountain bike so I was going to use my MTB again but was going to change my gearing to the modern day. So my question is do I stick with a triple ring or go to 2 or 1 on the front, do most people use a double or just 1 now days. thanks for reading.

robertpb

As we don't know what bike you have it's difficult to say what it can be converted to, both my mainly used bikes are 1x.

jonathanuk

As an XC racer you may prefer to ride fast occasionally, from my experience a 1x will limit your top speed so you may find it better to have a 2x, then you can have the lower ratio for steep hills and the higher ratio for top speed. You might also not care so much for a dropper post which is what a lot of people use the left thumb for when they have a 1x, I don't think it's impossible to have both though.

I'd recommend buying a full matching set (front, back, shifters) and ask your local bike shop for advice as to what will fit in your frame / on your rear hub etc. I switched from an old 3x to a 2x and didn't regret it, the Shimano XT groupset is an excellent piece of kit!

steve_sordy

My standard 2x10 gear set had a range of 5.18 to 1 (11-36 being driven by a 24/38).
My standard 1x12 gear set had a range of 5.0 to 1 (10-50 on the rear).

So the range was virtually the same, all I had to think about was where I wanted that range to work for me. The bike I bought that had the 12-speed gearing came with a 34T ring. Because of my arthritic knees, I chose to replace that ring with a 30T ring. That enable me to get out of bombholes and up steep hills without it feeling as though my kneecaps would explode. But it meant that my top speed on the flat was reduced, but I never wanted to go faster then 30 mph anyway!

Detractors of the 1x12 say that the big 50T dinner plate means that the mech-arm required is so low that it gets dinged regularly and can be an expensive business to keep replacing them. I had two bikes with 12-speed over several years and never once damaged the mech arm to the point it needed replacement. Yes, I got them scratched, but no more than on my 10-speed ones.

PS: You can now buy even wider cassette ranges than the SRAM Eagle one I bought.
PPS: You can also buy wide range 11-speed cassettes. And you can expand the range of an existing 10-speed cassette too!

robertpb

You don't need 2x to race xc, Nino Schurter runs a SRAM 10-50 with a 38t chainring on 29" 2.4 tyres with just under 17psi in the front and 17.5psi rear.

These pressures are a bit lower than him and his brother were running 10 years ago when I asked them via email as the tyres are bigger than then which was in the low 20's.

ryan922

Hi all thank you replying, I was sponsored by Tuner so I have a Turner Nitrous full suss. I been looking and have seen the technology has change a lot since I was racing, now days I don't race just ride for fun as I have a 1 year old. so that's why I wasn't going to change for a new bike and just change the gearing on mine. over the last few years I have been riding my BMC road bike but since moving to Germany there as so many trails around I wanna get back on the mountain bike. Back then my Turner was a 9 speed on hope mono hubs is it possible to stick a 10 speed cassette on there? as I have seen the gear ration you have more selection.

Thank you to everyone for the feed back and sorry for keep asking questions I'm just completely out of the loop with the mountain bikes and technology of today.

steve_sordy

Yes, you will be able to put a 10-speed cassette on your 9-speed hub. Depending upon the size of the largest gear on the cassette, you may not have to change your derailleur, but you will have to change your shifter.

Check independently about the rear mech. I changed the mech when going from 9 to 10-speed, because I thought I had to do so. However, I have read on other Forums that for the 8,9,10 speed conversions there is no need. I had thought that the jockey wheels needed to be thinner to suit the chain.

thecycleclinic

If you have a 36t chainring and a 10-50t cassette you have all the pace you can want and all the low gearing you can ever need.

ryan922

The top ring on my cassette back then was a 34. I have XT group set on it so I'm hoping I can run my mech as it has a reverse spring which was perfect for racing, It's a shame about my shifter as they where brand new from my sponsor a month before I had to stop.
I think I'm going to run 2 rings at the front and change to a 10 speed to the rear and see how it goes, I'm lucky that I have good roads for my road bike and good trails so I can play around with my gears. The advise you have all given has helped a lot I wished I had kept in the loop of MTB when I had to stop.

I thank you all for the advise and no dought i will be asking questions again soon

ryan922

It's ok your not being funny I did think the same and run it as it was I guess my problem is I was listen too many other people also for me I want it like i could go racing but I do have to keep telling myself that I don't race anymore. It is a good bike I was sponsored by continetal, goodrige and many others for a full suss it weighs 24 pound. I've just moved to Germany and yes out of the box a service and it's good to go again. So i guess there are still many riders out there running triple rings

webboo

Did you ever think if I had only one chain ring I would have won that race.