[IH8Rice]

so i just ordered my new frame, a SC Nickel and im trying to figure out gearing combo to use with my Atlas FR cranks.
i plan on using a 11-34 (maybe a 11-32) cassette for the back and running a 2-ring setup up front with a MRP 2X and im not sure what rings i should get up front.

also who makes good rings? i havent had to buy a 2 ring setup in years.

ideas?

 

[UNHrider]

when i was running 2x9 on my xc race bike i ran a 29/44 up front and 11-34 in the rear.

I really liked that gearing for the east coast

 

[boostindoubles]

If you end up going 1x9 check out Homebrewed components for a single chainring. I've got one of their cogs and a 32t ring - badass ****

I don't know much about gears though... I ride SS

 

[-BB-]

so i just ordered my new frame, a SC Nickel and im trying to figure out gearing combo to use with my Atlas FR cranks.
i plan on using a 11-34 (maybe a 11-32) cassette for the back and running a 2-ring setup up front with a MRP 2X and im not sure what rings i should get up front.

also who makes good rings? i havent had to buy a 2 ring setup in years.

ideas?

One word of caution... Check out your RF cranks. You know how they have the little "tabs" just in from the bolt holes so the rings sit flush?

Well the bolt hole diameter is the same, but RF made their tabs for the middle ring non-standard. I ran into this recently when I bought some RF DH cranks and went to put my blackspire ring on it... Didn't fit. You would have to either remove the tabs, or dremel the inside of the rings in order to get them to align.

So at least the crank I had (and promptly returned) would only accept RF middle rings.

 

[-BB-]

Oh, and for the size, I have a 36 & 22, but was thinking of going 36 & 26. Though I may stay with 22 since I'm out west and we have some LONG grueling sustained climbs

32 is too small. You will spin out on it frequently on flat stuff.

 

[golgiaparatus]

when i was running 2x9 on my xc race bike i ran a 29/44 up front and 11-34 in the rear.

I really liked that gearing for the east coast

How did you fit a 29/44? Were you using something other than 104 cranks.

 

[UNHrider]

yeah, upon googling they were 94's. It was a cannondale cx2 crankset. should have thought the spacing was funny before responding. but i found the 29 to be perfect for just about all the climbing i did on the east coast.

 

[gonefirefightin]

hammerschmidt

 

[IH8Rice]

when i was running 2x9 on my xc race bike i ran a 29/44 up front and 11-34 in the rear.

29/44 is about what i was thinking...maybe a 42t

hammerschmidt

no gripshift, no care. plus i already have cranks w/ a CK bb

 

[golgiaparatus]

yeah, upon googling they were 94's. It was a cannondale cx2 crankset. should have thought the spacing was funny before responding. but i found the 29 to be perfect for just about all the climbing i did on the east coast.

I've often thought of going to Middleburn cranks so I could run a 30t single to a 11/32 cassette.

Edit: I meant 11/34.

 

[jonKranked]

steve i'm running a 32T chainring with an 11-34 cassette, pretty much perfect gearing for the trails I ride - gives me a good range; I have yet to find myself wanting more gears. I might bump to a 33T and get an e.13 ring.


Also - just my $0.02, don't get a 44T. When I used to run a triple setup I literally never used it.

 

[IH8Rice]

steve i'm running a 32T chainring with an 11-34 cassette, pretty much perfect gearing for the trails I ride - gives me a good range; I have yet to find myself wanting more gears. I might bump to a 33T and get an e.13 ring.


Also - just my $0.02, don't get a 44T. When I used to run a triple setup I literally never used it.

youre only running a single ring up front?
if ran a single chainring, then id probably run smaller then a 32t since i had a 32t-11/32 on my DH bike and could tell i would need something smaller up front on a trail bike.

 

[jonKranked]

youre only running a single ring up front?
if ran a single chainring, then id probably run smaller then a 32t since i had a 32t-11/32 on my DH bike and could tell i would need something smaller up front on a trail bike.

yup. single chainring. i was running dual for a while. something like 24/36, but I honestly felt it didn't give me much benefit in terms of overall gearing. plus i kept dropping chains from letting my bike fly around during descents. so single ring and an lg-1 went on. No regrets.

you only run a 32 on your m9? I've got a 34 on my xprezo. 32 is a great sweet spot for a trail bike, but you'll def want to mate it to an 11-34 (maybe 12-23?) cassette to give you good range for climbing, depending on what kind of climbing shape you're in

 

[jonKranked]

also, might take some trial and error to get your gearing dialed. i know i swapped a few rings around before i hit on something i liked.

 

[kidwithbike]

same here 33t front, 11-32 rear on my trance X, kinda makes you man up and attack climbs.
on the atlas cranks just throw away those removable granny gear tab spacer. also having 1 grip shifter on a bike is more than enough...

 

[IH8Rice]

yup. single chainring. i was running dual for a while. something like 24/36, but I honestly felt it didn't give me much benefit in terms of overall gearing. plus i kept dropping chains from letting my bike fly around during descents. so single ring and an lg-1 went on. No regrets.

you only run a 32 on your m9? I've got a 34 on my xprezo. 32 is a great sweet spot for a trail bike, but you'll def want to mate it to an 11-34 (maybe 12-23?) cassette to give you good range for climbing, depending on what kind of climbing shape you're in

hmm, well i have all parts for that kind of setup so maybe ill try that when the bike comes in.

running a 33t now after i destroyed a 32t last year.
id probably try the 30 or 32t with the 11-34 cassette i have for the bike im getting

 

[golgiaparatus]

same here 33t front, 11-32 rear on my trance X, kinda makes you man up and attack climbs.
on the atlas cranks just throw away those removable granny gear tab spacer. also having 1 grip shifter on a bike is more than enough...

Thats what the SS is for.... 33/20.

 

[IH8Rice]

also having 1 grip shifter on a bike is more than enough...

i have become a weight weine and they are light

 

[moff_quigley]

24/36 Blackspire Super Pros with 11-34 cassette. Perfect for me.

 

[slimshady]

I'm running a 36 in front, with a 11-26 cassette in the back. More than enough for the (almost) flat tracks here in La Plata.

 

[golgiaparatus]

24/36 Blackspire Super Pros with 11-34 cassette. Perfect for me.

Would have loved that combo at the FTF race this year. 36 would have been great for the road sections and the 24, just enough for the steep climbs.

 

[moff_quigley]

Would have loved that combo at the FTF race this year. 36 would have been great for the road sections and the 24, just enough for the steep climbs.

How did you do? It was way hot on the day of the P2P, right? Did you go to Bubba's?

 

[golgiaparatus]

How did you do? It was way hot on the day of the P2P, right? Did you go to Bubba's?

I did okay. It was indeed really hot with 100% humidity. I decided to hang off the back and let all the dumbasses that sprinted up the first 5 miles of straight climbing just blow themselves up. I reeled 3/4 of the field in by the time we got to the lake laps.

I was somewhere near the top of my category at the finish, and somehow still had the energy to sprint out of the 4 man group I was with. They had the results all jacked up on the board though. Seems like the organizers of the event were either completely lazy, incompetent, or maybe both. I didn't podium, so I didn't stick around to find out if they got it straightened up. Didn't honestly care that much, I went to ride some epic trails more than I did to compete. And the trails BTW, were very epic... especially the climbs... man-oh-man.

On the way out of town we did try to go to Bubba's but it was closed, as was every other place in Eureka.

 

[JRogers]

If you're not exactly sure, I'd go for the 24-36 or something close to that. That's a really versatile setup that a lot of people are happy with. I doubt you'd need anything taller than 36, especially if you're happy with a 32 on your DH bike. And if a 32 is too tall for your trails, then you probably want a legitimate small gear as well and with that could be fine with a 11-32 rather than the 11-34.

 

[IH8Rice]

thanks all. keep the suggestions coming!

i think im going to try a 33t (from my dh bike) with a MRP mini-G2 (from my spare DH bike) up front w/ the 11-32t cassette to see how i like a single ring setup. i havent climbed hills in a while so i might be going to a 24-36 dual setup some what soon . i def dont want anything bigger than a 36t if i do a dual.


i also talked to S.C. about putting my 36 Talas 150 on the Nickel and they advised against it so i went with a 6" Butcher instead.

 

[oldfart]

I am running a 24 X 36 RF SixC on my Blur LTC for North Vancouver climbs. ten speed 11-36 though. That's plenty low for my old carcass. 36 X 11 is plenty high too for any trail I ride. Might not be so hot for some road riding but I have another bike for that.

 

[amishmatt]

thanks all. keep the suggestions coming!

i think im going to try a 33t (from my dh bike) with a MRP mini-G2 (from my spare DH bike) up front w/ the 11-32t cassette to see how i like a single ring setup. i havent climbed hills in a while so i might be going to a 24-36 dual setup some what soon . i def dont want anything bigger than a 36t if i do a dual.


i also talked to S.C. about putting my 36 Talas 150 on the Nickel and they advised against it so i went with a 6" Butcher instead.

So you'll be pushing a little more weight with the Butcher, maybe the two ring setup isn't a bad idea.

Depends on where/how/how long you ride, but I find that my 1x9 (32x11/34) is perfect for where and how I ride, which probaly isn't a whole lot different than where you ride (my 4x is 29.5#, FWIW).

If I hadn't just given my spare 32t e.13 ring to a friend, I'd send it your way. Pretty sure I only have a 34t left.

 

[IH8Rice]

So you'll be pushing a little more weight with the Butcher, maybe the two ring setup isn't a bad idea.

Depends on where/how/how long you ride, but I find that my 1x9 (32x11/34) is perfect for where and how I ride, which probaly isn't a whole lot different than where you ride (my 4x is 29.5#, FWIW).

If I hadn't just given my spare 32t e.13 ring to a friend, I'd send it your way. Pretty sure I only have a 34t left.

yeah, the Butcher is a bit heavier then the Nickel...not sure of the weight yet since its coming Tuesday . as of now, its 25.5 lbs without frame, headset, chain and chainring (32t E13 ring on the way too.) my front tire weighs a ton apparently, so ill be switching that and dropping over a pound.

i found two 11-34t cassettes in my parts cabinet so ill be rocking that too. im going to try the 32t/11-34t setup for a bit before swapping for the 2x9 setup...my cardio is absolutely crap now, so i predict a 2x9 setup will be in my future soon
im hoping QBP has the MRP 2X in stock soon since id be using my old E13 DRS BB mount.

thanks matt!

 

[IH8Rice]

finally decided to try a 2x9 setup since im having a hard time pushing the 1x9 up the bigger hills.
im going to try a 24/32 up front w/ my 11-34t out back w/ a MRP 2X. i have a spare 22t if i find i really need a smaller gear.

 

[golgiaparatus]

so i just ordered my new frame, a SC Nickel and im trying to figure out gearing combo to use with my Atlas FR cranks.
i plan on using a 11-34 (maybe a 11-32) cassette for the back and running a 2-ring setup up front with a MRP 2X and im not sure what rings i should get up front.

also who makes good rings? i havent had to buy a 2 ring setup in years.

ideas?

RF makes fine rings and they'd match up well on your Atlas cranks. Black Spire makes good rings too, and they may have a better selection of sizes than RF. Not sure.

Personally I run a RF crank with a RF single ring... 33 with an 11/34 on a 29er (which is more like running an 11/32 on a 26er). It allows me to maintain 25-26mph on the road with a comfortable spin, and is pretty much perfect for even the steepest of climbs. If I had to climb for 20 min on a steep section I'd want maybe a 22 up front as a bailout, just in case.

 

[IH8Rice]

i decided to go with Truvativ rings since QBP didnt have what i wanted in stock for RF rings.