Single vs Double Chainring

slowhand44
slowhand44 Posts: 47
edited September 2017 in MTB buying advice
I am looking at getting back into MTBing after a long layoff, and will be getting a bike through my company's Cycle 2 work Scheme, which means I am limited to those shops that accept the Halfords vouchers and £1000. I have narrowed my choices to a Whyte 806 or Orange Clockwork 120. The Whyte has a single chainring and 11-42 cassette, whereas the Orange has a double chainring and 11-36 cassette. I havenever had less than a double on any of my bikes, so am unsure if the 1x11 setup will give me the same range of gears as the 2 x 10, or will I miss some at the top and bottom end? What are people's opinions on 1 x 11 vs 2 x 10?

TIA,

Michael
"There's a way of transferring funds that is even faster than electronic banking. It's called marriage."
James Holt McGavran

Comments

  • fat daddy
    fat daddy Posts: 2,605
    where do you ride

    I have 2x10 on my full sus and 1x11 on my HT

    As you would expect the 2x10 has a smaller and larger gear for climbing and descending and more gears in between ... its better for an all day bike and XC

    1x11 though is more enjoyably simpler, less range and bigger jumps, but the simplicity of only having 1 shifter is lovely, it affords you the same kind of non-thinking fun that a single speed does.

    you don't realise it because changing gear is mostly sub-conscious, but suddenly only having 1 ring seems to free up a whole section of your mind and the trail flows so much nicer. ....... on the road between trails it can be annoying as you spin out or cant find a comfortable gear to keep the speed up ... but on the trail it doesn't really matter if you want an inbetween gear then just slow down a bit4, who cares.

    I like both, but push come to shove would choose 1x

Categories