mkiii optimal chainring size

saturnine said:

i was reading about the new ibis mojo hd and the article stated that "The Mojo HD suspension is optimized for a 32T chainring" and i was wondering if the same holds true to the mkii. i know it's a different bike, but the suspension attributes have to be similar. i currently use a 34t e.thirteen ring and i can't understand how it would make a difference. maybe someone could fill me in if it's even relevant to the mkiii.

i wonder if dw even bothers to come by this place anymore.

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Well I'm going to be lazy here and not do an actual Forum search, but I swear I've seen more than one thread with _dw chiming in about optimal gearing for each different DW Link bikes.

I ran a 22/38 setup on my Mojo (non-HD) and it seemed to work fine. My butt/legs and body couldn't tell that the bike wasn't working optimally with that set up.

Plus, what Ibis/_dw are refering to only effects the bike when seated and/or climbing. Once you stand up or take tension off the chain it doesn't matter if you're running it in the granny gear or only in the 'big ring.'

One thing I've noticed on the DW Link bikes I've owned, as well as the VPP and VPP2 bikes, is that all that linkage prefers to be ridden in the middle ring-regardless of what tooth. I get the impression that those bikes seem to 'bob' quite a bit more when in the granny gear-at least it's more noticeable.

the search function here has not helped me. thank you, though.

how did you like going into a 34t? ive been thinking of going to a 2x9 setup with bash and ditching the 22-32-44.

I never use granny, is a 29-42 too much for this bike?

I put a 22/34/bash on the MKIII I bought for my GF (up for sale now). I can't imagine you'd notice much of a difference or the DW Link would work differently than an MKIII with a 22/32 set up.

A 29-42 is a pretty ambitious set up. I've never looked, but is there a 29 tooth ring available that will fit the bolt pattern of the little ring? If you're going to go with such tall gearing I'd be tempted to just run a single ring up front.

redmr2_man said:

how did you like going into a 34t? ive been thinking of going to a 2x9 setup with bash and ditching the 22-32-44.

I never use granny, is a 29-42 too much for this bike?

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i decided to go 1x9 because i never used the other rings around my area. it is perfect for me and perfect for the trails here. it gives me just enough of everything, i also went from 11-34 to 11-32 in the rear.

24-36-bash on the front of my MKIIII along w/ an 11-34 rear. I am thinking of going 1x9 due to the fact I rarely use the granny gear. 36x11 is tall enough for anything I ever ride when speed is needed.

For IBIS to state an optimal CR size for the HD full suspension is generic, it has to be. That MOJO is more of a sprinter with alot of travel, so there is more leverage with the cockpit controls, but w/ the Hardtail-like DW-Link.
Putting a larger front CR on a bike will keep the front-end down, or require more pull at the handlebar to raise the front. A smaller gear would have quicker action at the COG of the bike, the BB.
Seeing the the Mojo HD is like the 3rd or 4th of its kind, Ibis is tailoring the bike as a rocket-sled opposed to an oh-so-important Stunt-Bike.

I picked from 34-38 on my HT, and finally set in the middle with the 13-21 cassette to save on zip-tied Chainrings and endless guesswork.

redmr2_man said:

how did you like going into a 34t? ive been thinking of going to a 2x9 setup with bash and ditching the 22-32-44.

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That's what I recently did - ditched the 44T and got a 32T sized bash ring instead (only $18 shipped - found the site from a guy selling off ebay as well. Super light stuff too).
This was a very good move for me because I was often hitting logs on the 44T and never really needed to use it after all. But I di often use the 22T and ganny on te back (some steep climbs around santa cruz), so 2x9 is still needed for me.