[mudpuppy]

Hey...I am looking at replacing my drivetrain soon and want to know what some of you think is the best gearing to run with. I ride up and down, two rings in the front and 9speed in the back, and the terrain is rocky, muddy, rooty BC coastal goodness.....

Any Ideas?

 

[Hardtails Are Better]

11-34 casette, 22-36 rings. That's my setup of choice.

 

[.Danno.]

11-34 casette, 22-36 rings. That's my setup of choice.

Yup :thumbsup:

 

[Psycho Mike]

Ditto...that's what I'd be using if I ditched my 3rd ring

(And greetings from the next province over o/` )

 

[cameronm_99]

Currently, I'm running an 11-32 cassette and a 22-32-Bash up front. When I replace my middle ring and cassette, I'll probably go to an 11-34 cassette and 22/24 - 34 rings. It'll depend on how I feel with what I have now. However, I don't plan un giving up my 1:1 ratio. Having that 1:1 ratio comes in handy in slow techy type stuff when you need to be able to rock. However, having a 36 tooth ring will give you a bigger top end. Wouldn't go bigger than 36 or smaller than 32 though, but that's just personal preference due to living in CO and needing to be able to climb. If I still lived in TX, I might consider a 38 - 22/24 up front, since where I rode was mostly flat and I would benefit from having a taller gear to go faster. Ultimately, you have to find what works for you.

Cameron

 

[tkblazer]

11-34 casette, 22-36 rings. That's my setup of choice.

i love this setup! still lets me climb killer climbs and i can hammer downhill if needed

 

[fsrxc]

Me too, running 22/34 x 11-34, and I don't run out of high gears except on the odd highway section, not an issue on trails.

and my new bike came with 24/36 x 11-34, touch more top end but might hurt on the big climbs (might end up with a 22 granny since it's a heavier bike too)

Somewhere in that range gives you steep climb ability and plenty top end for most rides.

The best bang for the buck is the XT cassette, quite light and less than 1/2 price of XTR.

 

[moff_quigley]

When I replace my rings/cogs/chain for the start of the season I'll be going 24-36 and 11-34. I've been running 22-32 and I'd like a little more "top-end". There's few climbs around here that I'd need a wall climbing 22 to 34 gear.

 

[Mr.P]

I'm running a 24/36 front with an 11-32 rear. If you are a good climber and terrain isn't crazy long and steep I've found the 32 rear to be fine.

Also, the 24 up front eliminates the "walking speed" lowest gear speed.

So far no complaints climbing and haven't really run out of gear on decents.

Mr. P

 

[mudpuppy]

Thanks for the info...been riding since the 80's but never really paid too much attention to these things...

 

[Jim311]

I find 34 to be too low unless you're cranking for LONG periods of time.

 

[scrublover]

i run a 22/32 with a 12-34 spreak on both bikes. i'm much more of a spinner vs. a masher, so the lower range with the 32 up front works well for me. plus, i can stay in that larger ring longer before needing to swap down to the granny. if i had a dedicated shuttle/dh bike that i didn't have to worry about pedaling uphill with, i'd go for the 36 though.

 

[Kyle509]

I'm running a 24/36 front with an 11-32 rear. If you are a good climber and terrain isn't crazy long and steep I've found the 32 rear to be fine.

Also, the 24 up front eliminates the "walking speed" lowest gear speed.

So far no complaints climbing and haven't really run out of gear on decents.

Mr. P

planning on trying this exact setup, it sounded like a good combo. good to know someone has tried it! if for some reason it doesn't work out i will probably try an 11-34 cassette.

 

[sdwKubed]

I used to run 22/32 in the front and 11-34 in the rear, and sometimes either a 32 or a 38 single tooth, depending on the bike, and what I was riding... but none of the combos seemed to cover everything, and I really loved the 38 chain ring, I cant explain it, but accelerating just feels better with the bigger chain rings ( I think it has something to do with the greater amount of chain overlap on the chain rig). My new Knolly has a 26/36 and 11-34... this combo rocks... I can still climb really easily, and it's still awesome on the faster DH runs or singletrack trails. (I ride in the shore too.)

Have Fun
T

 

[carbuncle]

My Yakuza (soon to be my Dirtbag) has a 38t single ring, and every bike I've bought besides it in the last few years seems to come with a 32/22/bash setup. I like 36/24/bash or DRS best myself for a two-ring setup.

 

[mtb4life45]

24/34/38: 11-32 i'm running the q-rings too.

 

[DirtxRaven]

Me too, running 22/34 x 11-34, and I don't run out of high gears except on the odd highway section, not an issue on trails.

and my new bike came with 24/36 x 11-34, touch more top end but might hurt on the big climbs (might end up with a 22 granny since it's a heavier bike too)

Somewhere in that range gives you steep climb ability and plenty top end for most rides.

The best bang for the buck is the XT cassette, quite light and less than 1/2 price of XTR.

yeah im i love my XTR but i can't tell too much of a difference between the XT and XTR

 

[DrewM]

If you are going to run an 11-34 in the back make sure you get a cassette with 30t second cog instead of a 28t (which most bikes use). The difference between a 28t and 34t is too big.

I'd recommend an 11-32 in the back and I like a 26/36 up front.

 

[Master Nameless]

11-34/22-36 as stated before is the way to go.:thumbsup:

 

[FoShizzle]

my AM bike runs a 32x20...perfect for most riding