Double chainring an bash....why?

ravey1981
ravey1981 Posts: 1,111
edited January 2010 in MTB general
There seems to be more and more people ditching the big ring and fitting a bash ring instead....Of course I understand the benefit of having increase ground clearance and some protection but for me the downside of not having a big ring would be too much of a trade off..

I am what I would loosely describe as an "all round" rider in that I ride pretty much any trail, "natural" and trail centre, and enjoy the ups as much as the downs. There are always flat pedally bits though and not having a big ring would do my head in...

Is this a fashion led thing do you think? I just don't get it...

Comments

  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,675
    well it depends on what size rings you keep.

    consider this most DH racers use a 38T ring max. (some times a 40T)

    so a 28/38t will cover most options.

    People that go for a 22/32T i dont get either.
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
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  • shin0r
    shin0r Posts: 555
    You'd get it immediately after the first time you land badly and the big cog rips half your ankle off. 32/22 might be a bit limiting though.
  • bluechair84
    bluechair84 Posts: 4,352
    You won't need a bash on well groomed trail centres, you'll need it when you're on natural trails and come across logs and rocks - which will tear apart the underbelly of the bike.
    I do miss the big ring from time to time though as a bash really isn't called for on all trails.
  • dave_hill
    dave_hill Posts: 3,877
    ravey1981 wrote:
    Is this a fashion led thing do you think? I just don't get it...

    You'd be surprised.

    I ditched my outer ring about three years ago and not missed it once. I replaced the middle ring with a 34T item which gives me a top gear high enough to pedal steadily at 20mph on a flat level surface without looking like a monkey on a mangle. Any faster than that and I'm coasting, but I don't find it any great hardship. It also reduces the number of duplicated/redundant ratios.

    I'm not a good climber by any stretch so I tend to spend most of my time "twiddling" on big climbs. And I don't pedal going downhill anyhoo, so nothing lost. I don't view my riding as a race so I don't really need big ratios as I'm not in any hurry.

    From my point of view it isn't fashion that dictates what I've done, it suits my riding. There's no weight advantage but there is the clearance issue.
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  • scale20
    scale20 Posts: 1,300
    I thought long and hard about going down the double and bashring road a few months back. I ride a lot of natural trails, sometimes pretty rocky but getting to these trails can often lead to a long road ride to get there or get back. I started taking note of the amount I used the big ring and found that I would miss it no end if I went double.
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  • bomberesque
    bomberesque Posts: 1,701
    I have 22/36/bash on my HT. Between 36:11 and 44:11 there is some extra inchage but tbh spinning out 44:11 means going nearly 40mph and at that speed (unless on the road) I am usually hanging on for dear life and trying to keep the wheels on the trail rather than worrying about spinning faster

    It Works for me, although I'm considering upping the granny to 26 as the very lowest winching gears aren't much use anyway (they're just too low to push effectively I find) and the shifting is very laboured with 22/36 up front

    I like never spearing the back of my calf with the teeth of the big ring or ending up with the temporary grease tatoo from pressing against it, not worrying about see-sawing over stuff and the (slightly) increased ground clearance. Plus I must admit it looks a lot cleaner.
    Everything in moderation ... except beer
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    If riding an XC race bike is like touching the trail,
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  • I've got 22/36 on the 456 and it works nicely. I also do some pretty long road rides to get to my off road rides, it's a good warm up. However, the amount I was using the 2 or 3 top gears was not that often, by having a 36 instead of a 32, I'm pretty much covered through all of the old ratios anyway, and I'm not worried about bottoming out on some good old manx rock and killing my chainring.

    It really is horses for courses though.

    Certainly wouldnt say it was a fashion thing though, the big grey plasic thing that comes with the SLX cranks looks pretty fugly to me.
  • Thewaylander
    Thewaylander Posts: 8,594
    Bout to say in my area alot of people use 22/36 and bash, really good for the rocky bits in wales.

    I mean with my 44 outer it becomes unusuable within a ride or two as it becomes bent from rocks and so on.
  • Northwind
    Northwind Posts: 14,675
    I've gone 22/32/no bash just now... I might go for a bigger ring but so far I've never missed the higher gears. What I think people miss is that you're not actually losing that many gears- you lose the highest few but half of the gears on the big ring are duplicated on the middle ring anyway. Most times, when you're in the big ring you'll still be in a ratio that could be covered in the middle, especially with a 34 or 36T ring. (I keep meaning to count teeth on my cassette to figure out exactly how many I lose...

    So, not a fashion thing for me, the only time I've ever missed the highest gears is on the road and even then it's pretty minor. And in return I get more ground clearance and less weight, and better chain tension in the remaining gears.

    Bashrings I think are probably more a fashion thing, mind... Not for everyone of course but a wee sneaky look at bikes in car parks finds an awful lot of bashrings without a single scratch on them. I'm thinking there should be a market for a super-light unbashring just to act as a chain catcher/leg protector...
    You won't need a bash on well groomed trail centres

    I can think of a good few places in UK trail centres where you can ground out a 44T... And some bikes have pretty low BBs to boot. It was a ride at glentress of all places that killed my big ring and convinced me to bin it.
    Uncompromising extremist
  • biff55
    biff55 Posts: 1,404
    dont have a bash ring as yet , but recently ditched both big and granny ring , removed front mech and have gone single speed upfront , using only middle ring.
    i like it alot.
    rode the delamere forest trail over xmas with this set - up as a test ,
    and used all of 5 gears :shock:
    also do plenty of road / street riding and haven't suffered too much from lack of high speed cruising.
    when its time to change drive-train i'll probably fit a wider range rear cassette and bigger
    front ring but i'm happy to ride as is for now.
    enjoying the lack of chain rattle and mech tuning right now 8)
  • grumsta
    grumsta Posts: 994
    Why not? I have a 22/36 and bash setup - got it mainly for the Mega but I don't miss the big ring at all.
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Both my Zaskars have 44/32/22 set ups - cos thats the way I like 'em.

    There is no right or wrong, just whatever suits you.
  • RichMTB
    RichMTB Posts: 599
    I also use a 22/36T and bash ring on my full sus which almost never gets ridden anywhere but off road

    Advantages:
    Better ground clearance
    Less chain slap
    No cut / oily calves
    No snagging on rocks / logs


    Disadvantages:
    Sometimes spin out on fireroad
    Step in to my hut! - Stumpy Jumpy Pacey
  • projectsome
    projectsome Posts: 4,478
    Quite like the idea of this. I'm guessing you need to shorten the chain and adjust the gear ratio????
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  • lawman
    lawman Posts: 6,868
    stuff a double bash im gonnaget a 33t e13 front single ring and be hardcore :lol:
  • Tel39
    Tel39 Posts: 243
    Right, after reading this I'm going down the double n bash route, you've convinced me :)

    Been thinking about it for a while to be honest, weighing this and that up. Just need to think of the appropriate set-up for my Pitch now. It currently has 3 rings up front, would it just be a matter of removing the big ring and fitting a bashguard? What about chain tension or removing chain links? Any advice mucho appreciated :)
    Vis Unita Fortior
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    Measure the chain length the standard way - loop round the two largest cogs, bypassing the mech and add two links. With full sussers do at the point where the rear axle is furthest from the bottom bracket.

    You can just remove the big ring a fit a suitable bash - but will 32/22 be enough?
  • grumsta
    grumsta Posts: 994
    WIth most bashes you should be able to just take off the outer and use the same chainring bolts. And yeah you will need to shorten the chain, and adjust your limit screws.
  • tomos
    tomos Posts: 41
    Tripple and a bash guard... Great bit of kit ..

    http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... uard-32421
  • delcol
    delcol Posts: 2,848
    i use one of those mrp tripple bash things on my santacruz, easy to fit depending on your frame, they do work.. but can move under impact,,

    but if you want to keep 3 rings then theese work... and weigh next to nothing.
  • Tel39
    Tel39 Posts: 243
    Cheers for the feedback chaps. Will have a look around for a suitable bashguard now. To be honest been getting fed up with the back of my calves constantly getting mashed by the big ring!

    Supersonic, think I'll keep it 32/22 for now and see how I go on. I'm no speed merchant :) just have a short commute each day and then mostly local trail stuff, wales and the peaks etc

    Thanks again
    Vis Unita Fortior
  • ravey1981
    ravey1981 Posts: 1,111
    Some interesting answers, cheers

    I want to point out I wasn't having a go at people who use a double set up just interested to hear you're experiences.

    I myself use a 44t bash ring on the marin and have kept all my rings, I was sick of destroying chainrings which at £50 or so each aren't cheap. The BB height on the marin is pretty low you see...

    The downside of the particular bash ring I use (blackspire) is it weighs a ton (well nearly a pound)
  • Northwind
    Northwind Posts: 14,675
    tomos wrote:
    Tripple and a bash guard... Great bit of kit ..

    http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... uard-32421

    Yeah, I've got one of those- actually it's for sale- but in the end decided just to go with double. But it's a really clever thing and I'm sure will suit a lot of people. Did I mention it's for sale? Well, just in case I didn't, it's for sale.
    Uncompromising extremist