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1x11 11-42 with 32T, spinning out options

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RanchoRunner

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I have a Specialized Crave (hard tail) with 1x11 Deore XT derailleur, 11-42 cassette, and SRAM GXP BB, 4 bolt crank, and a RaceFace narrow-wide 32T chain ring.

I can climb most hills in the 3rd, or even 2nd lowest gears. On very steep climbs, the very lowest gear has come in handy. On flats and downhills (particularly
on pavement) I'm spinning out.

I am thinking of upgrading to a 34T chainring either round or oval.

Any recommendations? Wolf Tooth oval vs. AbsoluteBlack? Will going to 34T AND oval be too much of a jump? I'm thinking I won't need a new chain by just adding 2 teeth, but maybe oval and 2 teeth will take me closer to the max on the chain.

I'm pretty fit, but I'm not doing any racing, nor am I ever the KOM on any segment.. not even close.

What other info is relevant? I'm 5'10, 50-ish, and weigh around 180.

Thanks!
 
#2 ·
maybe play with a gear calc first, I am guessing your not gonna like your 3,2,1 gears with a 34 as much and find yourself in the 2,1 alot more on climbs.

Perhaps the oval 34 would work as its basically a 33/34

Personally I am sold on Garbaruk chainrings over the ones mentioned.
 
#3 ·
TraxFactory said:
maybe play with a gear calc first, I am guessing your not gonna like your 3,2,1 gears with a 34 as much and find yourself in the 2,1 alot more on climbs.

Perhaps the oval 34 would work as its basically a 33/34

Personally I am sold on Garbaruk chainrings over the ones mentioned.
Click to expand...
Always, always, always use a gearing calculator or build a spreadsheet. Check out what gears you like now and make sure you cover those ranges well.
 
#4 ·
What RPM are you spinning at? I say this because more often than not, spinning a faster RPM will make you go faster, rather than a higher gear ratio. Yes, theoretically a higher gear ratio can go faster, but in reality, it's closer to cars and aerodynamics, you usually don't pedal that higher gear fast enough to actually go faster. The obvious answer is 10t, like an X-dome cassette. E13 even goes to 9t. It's just that for even full on DH bikes, they haven't gone to really high gearing, it's really not that different from anything else. A long time ago they thought you needed 52t front rings and bigger, but same thing, you really never pedaled that fast for it to really work.
 
#5 ·
This is why I like older bikes with 2x drivetrains. Low for climbs, tall for pavement when riding to the trailhead. Mash the big ring leading up to a climb, drop to the small to crest it, back to the big for turbo on the other side. Two clicks, massive gearing range.
 
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#7 ·
KobayashiMaru said:
This is why I like older bikes with 2x drivetrains. Low for climbs, tall for pavement when riding to the trailhead. Mash the big ring leading up to a climb, drop to the small to crest it, back to the big for turbo on the other side. Two clicks, massive gearing range.
Click to expand...
This will come back into fashion again at some point.
 
#8 · (Edited)
A new chainring is a relatively cheap experiment. Try it. Your chain might be too short to reach the largest cog, so it might be a good time to replace that too.

I'm curious about where you are spinning out. On the road? Are your trails completely flat in Indiana or something? It's pretty rare that I spin out in such a way that it really bothers me, and I have a much narrower gear range than you do. Perhaps I ride at a relatively leisurely pace. If I feel like I'm about to spin, I just let that speed be my pace. I'm not racing.
 
#9 ·
RanchoRunner said:
I am thinking of upgrading to a 34T chainring either round or oval.
Click to expand...
Be sure to check the maximum chainring size your bike can support. 34t Oval is usually 36t on the maximum diameter ovality and can interfere. My frame can take a 34t round but a 34t oval hits the frame.
 
#11 ·
RanchoRunner said:
On flats and downhills (particularly
on pavement) I'm spinning out.
Click to expand...
The other option is to stop riding on pavement. when you must, accept that you're not on a road bike and the bike is not going to go all that fast. settle into a comfortable cadence and just get to the next trail segment. are you trying to beat some sort of clock?
 
#12 ·
Having the luxury of multiple bikes, I am in the camp of just dealing with it when the trail bike hits pavement. My fat/plus bike is running a 28t, with 11 speed 11-42 out back. Great for trails and winter crawling but on packed gravel or god forbid pavement I also run out of gears from time to time. Currently in the mud season it sees quite a bit of gravel multi-track use as even those trails are a bit too soft currently for the cross bike. I accept the occasional spin outs to maintain the ability to climb when needed. Even with a one-bike solution if trail riding is the primary goal I would not sacrifice climbing for road speed. OP, this should be sufficient motivation to pick up a gravel bike :)
 
#13 ·
As a guy who rides a 1X mountain bike on the road a lot, I have found:

1. With a 4-bolt crank you have the luxury of rapid chainring changes, if only for experimentation purposes

2. Amazon/aliexpress have a lot of 4-bolt NW chainrings that work fine for like, $10, if only for experimentation purposes
 
#14 · (Edited)
You should be racing, spinning out a 32x11 on flat pavement on 29" knobbies is seriously fast. The cheap rings off ebay/amazon aren't terrible, if you just want to experiment and risk $12. I've put a boat load of miles on a Deckas, and quite a few on a Snail on the 'mud' race bike. - I have a 30t Snail on the mud race bike, their 30t chainring is threaded (chainring bolts only, no nuts) and offset 'in' a little bit, which is actually very cool.
 
#15 ·
I 2nd the above comment suggesting you get an e13 helix cassette, which has a 9 tooth cog. I've been using one of those for a couple of years and it works great with an XX1 chain and a shimano derailleur. I have the 11 speed, which only has 1 aluminum cog (46t). It has a lot going for it: lighter than the big name cassettes, cheaper than the high level big name cassettes, you can just replace the aluminum cog if needed, and it shifts very well. That 9t gives you a surprising increase in range.
 
#16 ·
This is why 12 speed exists. Spinning out on flats and mellow gradients is the nature of 1x11 unless you run a ring that makes your low range really tough. I run 1x11 with 30t because I'm ok with being spun out on the occasional flat section. One ride I do involves 2 miles of pavement in the valley that's popular with beginner roadies. I get passed by old ladies haha. Recently got passed by a guy in flip-flops, and no helmet on his townie. That's really the only time I want more top end so I don't mind. I just feel like a tractor driving on the shoulder of a highway sometimes.
 
#17 ·
when these questions come up, I always ask the following:

How fast are you going when you "spin out"?
What is your cadence when you "spin out"?

If you are using a cadence of 60rpm and think you're "spinning out" then you need to work a little more on pedaling a higher cadence. If your cadence is bursting past 100rpm when you "spin out" then adjusting gearing will be your best selection.

That said, I agree with others who say both that swapping chainrings is generally inexpensive and easy. But that you do need to be aware of the maximum chainring size your bike can accommodate given your chainline. You may be able to fix larger with a wider chainline, but that will have its own problems when you're trying to use lower gears on the trail. A cassette with a smaller small cog (9 or 10t) will give you a taller gear without messing with your chainring capacity, but it's a much more expensive option. A bigger chainring OR a wider range cassette may well require a new chain to fit.

As for me, when I'm on pavement with my mtb, I don't care about whether I am spinning out in my tallest gear combo. I can't sustain that kind of speed for very long in the first place (unless I'm descending), so I just adjust my effort to something I can sustain, and I coast when I start to exceed a comfortable cadence.
 
#18 ·
Modern high end 2x drivetrains are amazing. Unfortunately they have have been deemed uncool by the masses and most people's experience with front derailleurs are crap systems on the lowest of low end bikes. If you do a lot of pavement riding it might be worth considering if your bike can do a front derailleur.
 
#19 ·
KobayashiMaru said:
This is why I like older bikes with 2x drivetrains. Low for climbs, tall for pavement when riding to the trailhead. Mash the big ring leading up to a climb, drop to the small to crest it, back to the big for turbo on the other side. Two clicks, massive gearing range.
Click to expand...
If that were true tho, how would DH riders be riding faster than ever on smaller range (lower geared) setups, and not just them, literally every segment of racing going downhill is faster and faster somehow.
 
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#20 ·
Smiles for miles said:
I 2nd the above comment suggesting you get an e13 helix cassette, which has a 9 tooth cog. I've been using one of those for a couple of years and it works great with an XX1 chain and a shimano derailleur. I have the 11 speed, which only has 1 aluminum cog (46t). It has a lot going for it: lighter than the big name cassettes, cheaper than the high level big name cassettes, you can just replace the aluminum cog if needed, and it shifts very well. That 9t gives you a surprising increase in range.
Click to expand...
Well, it also won’t make you go faster due to the drag, but you’ll think you’re going faster in the 9t due to the pedaling resistance. But I think that’s what this is probably about, providing more resistance.
 
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