Front Derailleur - Need it?
- Thread starter mridgley
- Start date
a lot. i recently ditched the granny and big ring on my xc bike.
I'd run all 3 of em if its more of an xc bike. for years i ran a 22/32/bash on every bike including my xc bike but a few months ago put a big ring back on for an xc race and remembered why its there; for hauling ass on flat or downhill fire road. pretty fun to push a tall gear while hauling ass actually rather than sit back and coast because youre spinning out. I also use it quite a bit for a ride I do that I ride to on the road about 10 miles away rather than drive. as far as no granny, I enjoy the challenge of steep technical climbing and not getting off unless i absolutely have to, and a granny is kind of a necessity for a lot of those type of climbs, or maybe im just a weakling. The granny is also helpful as a bonk gear. i don't bonk all that often but it has happened, usually 3/4 the way into a long ride with plenty of pedaling left. 
i guess for me the biggest negative to running 3 rings would be dropping a chain when you hit the rough stuff. also ground clearance could be more of an issue for some of these bikes with seriously low BB's when running a 44t.
i guess for me the biggest negative to running 3 rings would be dropping a chain when you hit the rough stuff. also ground clearance could be more of an issue for some of these bikes with seriously low BB's when running a 44t.
that's a good point. A lot of it depends on you and the trails you ride. Where I live and ride, I don't have much of a need for a granny or a big ring. That hasn't always been the case.
Ran 2 front chainrings last year on my AM bike and used the granny exactly twice, at the beginning of the season. My XC bike never sees the granny or big ring. Contemplating ditching both and moving to a 1x9 as there is really no need for more in my area.
