[endo_alley]

I have a 1x11 drive train with 10x42 cassette. I presently have a 30 tooth chain ring. Which I think is great for dirt trail riding. Do people lower the granny gear at all for riding over snow? It seems like a 28 tooth would be helpful on some snow climbs.

 

[tigris99]

For snow many of us will ride 24 and 26t but we don't have nice, groomed trails. We are making/grooming them ourselves lol. In snow your not going good to be pushing the same speeds (slower) plus sitting and spinning versus stand and mash for climbing is much more required. But most of those like me are on 4.5 or bigger tires too. I ride 28t during the summer 26t winter. if I can find a 24t I may grab one for the rides I need to really drop my pressures

You'll have to test ring sizes to see what works for you. That's a question that is hard for anyone to answer because the factors are endless that are needed to determine gearing and most you have to determine yourself.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

 

[Jayem]

I use a 32t chainring for snow, but I have to climb hills.

 

[Fat-in-Fundy]

Ring choice will be different for everyone depending on your fitness level.
If you find yourself frequently using the 42 then dropping down to 28 or 26 will keep you closer to the middle of the cog with a better chainline and more low end for those snow climbs.
I just dropped from 30 to 26, works great for winter.

 

[*OneSpeed*]

i don't change my gearing. i find traction is the limiting factor on steep climbs in the snow, not my gearing. 11-42 30t oval

 

[schnee]

I have a 1x11 drive train with 10x42 cassette. I presently have a 30 tooth chain ring. Which I think is great for dirt trail riding. Do people lower the granny gear at all for riding over snow? It seems like a 28 tooth would be helpful on some snow climbs.

It's relative.

Are you trying to shop before you've actually been stopped by your equipment? That's just 'retail therapy' hiding under a slim justification. Saying that because I've done it.

 

[RockyJo1]

Just grind a couple of teeth off until you find the ratio you like.

 

[Tjaard]

I would say, if you can ride your trails in summer while sitting and spinning, then go 2t smaller for decent (groomed/packed) snow or 4t smaller for deep powder.
If you need to stand to make your climbs in summer, you want to drop at least 4t.
Also remember, if your summer bike has 29x2.2 or even smaller wheels, and your fatty has 26x4.8, the larger wheel is making every gear combo that much taller.
There are not many drawbacks to a smaller ring.
The lower top speed is not an issue in winter.
Smaller chainring allows for more clearance with frame and is less likely to catch on rocks and logs, or to catch your baggy winter pants or boots.
If you are racing and need to stay in the draft on fast descents, that would be one of the only times I can think of needing a tall gear.

 

[Shark]

28t up front, 11-36+42 out back, does well all year.

 

[endo_alley]

It's relative.

Are you trying to shop before you've actually been stopped by your equipment? That's just 'retail therapy' hiding under a slim justification. Saying that because I've done it.

I haven't exactly been stopped by equipment. But whenever the snow packed trails start climbing, I soon find myself in my lowest gear. I was wondering, in this post, if that is the case with other people. And if the solution is lowering the gear ratio a little. In the summer I can push up the hills with quite a bit higher gears. I am presently using studded Vee 4.8" Snowshoe XL tires. With the rear tire mounted backwards for better climbing traction. Another notable thing I have found. With my tires set at a lower pressure for snow traction, I rarely use anything near the 10 cog running gear. So in the winter it is pretty much useless. As one reply implied, "just get in better shape",I am wondering if the 30 tooth chainring is adequate for most any fatbikers. And that the accepted answer is man up and grind it out in a bigger gear. O r is the accepted wisdom to be a sissy, lower the gearing, and spin easily.

 

[nordicriderqc]

i have some question about it i have now nw 30T 10-42T
im waiting chainring nw 26t , do i need to cut my chain for match this one ?
thank you

 

[alexkraemer]

I haven't exactly been stopped by equipment. But whenever the snow packed trails start climbing, I soon find myself in my lowest gear. I was wondering, in this post, if that is the case with other people. And if the solution is lowering the gear ratio a little. In the summer I can push up the hills with quite a bit higher gears. I am presently using studded Vee 4.8" Snowshoe XL tires. With the rear tire mounted backwards for better climbing traction. Another notable thing I have found. With my tires set at a lower pressure for snow traction, I rarely use anything near the 10 cog running gear. So in the winter it is pretty much useless. As one reply implied, "just get in better shape",I am wondering if the 30 tooth chainring is adequate for most any fatbikers. And that the accepted answer is man up and grind it out in a bigger gear. O r is the accepted wisdom to be a sissy, lower the gearing, and spin easily.

OneSpeed hit the nail on the head - it's conditions not gearing that limit you. When I first set up my Moonlander, I had a 22/36 chainring with an 11-36 cassette. I noticed very quickly that in the lowest three gears (22x28-36) I couldn't spin the pedals fast enough to keep the bike upright. Switching to a 28x11-42 gave me all the gearing I need. In fact, after having this drive train for a few years now, I'm thinking I could easily do without the top couple of gears and could have made my life a lot simpler by keeping a traditional 11-36 cassette paired with a 24t chainring.
One other piece, when you're dealing with conditions that loose, other things come into play like having a dropper post that allows you to put more weight on the rear wheel.

 

[bdundee]

i have some question about it i have now nw 30T 10-42T
im waiting chainring nw 26t , do i need to cut my chain for match this one ?
thank you

Probably, I believe Sram says the chain length is good for up or down 2 teeth when set up correctly.

 

[endo_alley]

Another closely related question. I have ethirteen cranks with four bolt spider. Will any four bolt chain ring fit this crank? Or are there more than one standard for bolt patterns?

 

[nordicriderqc]

Probably, I believe Sram says the chain length is good for up or down 2 teeth when set up correctly.

thank you i change the plan
ok good reason for buy another kmc chain
good time to make some deal with that Dutch seller
like 3 months ago i ordered KMC X11SL DLC red and black
and the seller said to me at the last second the red one is out
of stock for february i said im ok for the yellow one and now afther 3 months
of use i really love this chain and my transmition love it to ,
and i plan now to buy the red one for my 26t chainring

 

[Fat-in-Fundy]

I have the same setup, I needed to remove 2 links when I switched from 30 to 26.

 

[endo_alley]

OneSpeed hit the nail on the head - it's conditions not gearing that limit you. When I first set up my Moonlander, I had a 22/36 chainring with an 11-36 cassette. I noticed very quickly that in the lowest three gears (22x28-36) I couldn't spin the pedals fast enough to keep the bike upright. Switching to a 28x11-42 gave me all the gearing I need. In fact, after having this drive train for a few years now, I'm thinking I could easily do without the top couple of gears and could have made my life a lot simpler by keeping a traditional 11-36 cassette paired with a 24t chainring.
One other piece, when you're dealing with conditions that loose, other things come into play like having a dropper post that allows you to put more weight on the rear wheel.

Thanks. Your preferred (low) gear ratio 24t/36t would be similar to a 28t/42t. Which is what I am considering. One thing we have are fairly long packed service roads going up the ski hills. So where the roads may not be very steep, they continue to climb for three or four miles. There are some forest service roads with snowmobile tracks along them. There may be some snowshoeing trails that are open to biking also. I am still learning what is ride able around here. When we get into a pretty good snow cycle there may be fresh snow every day or two to deal with.

 

[Nurse Ben]

Blackspire 26t oval x Sunrace 11/46, riding 26" x 4.8" & 29" x 3".

Most of the time I get by with the 42t in snow, only if I'm really needing to spin slow do I go to the 46t.

For me, the are times when I want one crank revolution to more or less equal one wheel revolution, it's a unicycle thing, but it helps me with timing and balance. I get my best feel in the 26t x 42t.

I ran a 26 x 11/42 and I ran out of gears, leading to overtorquing in places where I couldn't maintain enough speed for an appropriate cadence.

Another thing to consider is some chainlines/drivetrains don't play well with backpedaling in the largest cog, so having a lower cog that allows backpedaling is nice; backpedaling a bike when restarting in snow sucks if the chain drops a gear.

I have a 1x11 drive train with 10x42 cassette. I presently have a 30 tooth chain ring. Which I think is great for dirt trail riding. Do people lower the granny gear at all for riding over snow? It seems like a 28 tooth would be helpful on some snow climbs.

 

[Fat-in-Fundy]

Another closely related question. I have ethirteen cranks with four bolt spider. Will any four bolt chain ring fit this crank? Or are there more than one standard for bolt patterns?

You have to check the BCD for that spider.

 

[endo_alley]

You have to check the BCD for that spider, I think e-13 uses 104mm

This is where you might run into problems because 30T is usually the smallest ring you can use with a spider, the smaller 28, 26 and 24 tooth rings are usually direct mount.

I have since found out that the e-thirteen spider is removable and can be replaced with a direct mount chain ring.