[Dane Schley]

Hi guys, this is my first post here on ride monkey.
I am 14 years old and I just bought an Astrix Huckster. It is a single speed crankset and an 8 speed cassette. I ride urban freeride, trails, and a little cross country sometimes. I don't mind the weight of the bike and the challenge because if that, but it isn't geared for climbing at all. I am part of my high schools mountain bike club and the rides will start soon and I need to be able to climb. Should I consider a different cassette or add another gear to the crankset? And what would I be looking at for cost for either of those? Thanks.

I also posted this in the freeride and downhill section.

 

[swadd1er]

The bike isn't designed for climbing at all, however, if that's all you've got then you're going to have to make use of it. Personally, I think the best thing for you to do is purchase a dual crankset so you can have a smaller tooth chainring on the front for climbing as well as a larger one for downhill. For example a Shimano SLX crankset with dual ring. Just make sure you get the right BB size for your frame. You could also get a Blackspire Stinger guide (or something similar) to stop the chain bouncing off. Hope this helps.