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What are you guys riding for gearing?

csermonet

Monkey
Mar 5, 2010
942
127
I can tell you that just about no one runs a 2x setup these days. Even on all-mountain/enduro bikes. Absolutely no one on a dh bike is. Its all about a single ring and chain guide these days, whether you use a bash or taco style guard is up to you. I personally run a 36t chain ring and 11-26 9 speed cassette on my dh bike.
 

yetihenry

Monkey
Aug 9, 2009
241
1
Whistler, BC
36t chainring and 10speed 12-27. I ran an 11-23 up until recently, but doing more remote shuttling and fewer park laps these days. I may go back when I get a new trail bike.
 

ButtersNZ

Monkey
Jun 6, 2013
176
10
1x9: 34t chainring, 11-28t cassette. I have a 38t sitting there but the current set up feels pretty spot on for purely DH runs.
 

boylagz

Monkey
Jul 12, 2011
558
61
SF bay area
34t ring to 10sp 12-25t cassette. Pedal up gentle fire/service roads 50% of the time, ride park 6-8 times in the summer.
 
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Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,853
9,557
AK
It's an enduro bike, but 33t with an 11-28 ultegra.
 

Casey-Ryan

Monkey
Jan 2, 2012
142
1
Gloucester, MA
So if I was running more of a freeride bike set up then would 1X10 34 front Ring and 11-32 rear to much gearing for park riding or pretty standard. Thinking of replacing my components with Shimano Zee so trying to figure out which cassette and rear mech I would need.
 

boylagz

Monkey
Jul 12, 2011
558
61
SF bay area
imo youd still be good riding park even with a 32/34 ring coupled with a 11-32 cassette. AND you can pedal thay thing up your local hill.
 

Bedlam

Monkey
Feb 13, 2010
240
0
Under ground
32 up front is too small, you spin it out way too soon. I've got a 1x10 32t - 11x36 on my trail bike and want to go to a 34 up front (damn the price of the XX1 chainrings!) as I end up on my highest gear on a regular trail ride, would want something to go a bit faster in parks and on pavement. I also rarely/never use my lightest gear, 32-36 is so light it's almost silly.

On my DH bike I've got 36T in front and a 11-24 road cassette, but I mostly use that for lift assisted riding or push biking (it is rideable but it's a bit of a b**ch..)
 

saruti

Turbo Monkey
Oct 29, 2006
1,167
73
Israel
single speed
36 front
14 rear

great for everything
even some pedaling from super morzine to Shatel
:)
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,921
borcester rhymes
So if I was running more of a freeride bike set up then would 1X10 34 front Ring and 11-32 rear to much gearing for park riding or pretty standard. Thinking of replacing my components with Shimano Zee so trying to figure out which cassette and rear mech I would need.
I have a 35t front and 11-30 rear, in 8 speed. I ride probably all of the parks that you will ride. This setup is fine for virtually everything. When I'm actually moving, I'm never in the top 3 gears. Climbing to the top of say hellion or easy rider, I have a few gears to drop down into. I almost never use my 30t, but I'm too cheap to get rid of the XTR 8 speed titanium cassette I have in favor of something worse.

If I had to choose, I'd pick a 34-36t front and a 12-25 or 11-28 rear. You can tailor that on your suspension design and pedaling preferences too. Higher pivot, larger chainring. Lower pivot, smaller chainring smaller cogset.

Don't bother with 2x, and my advice would be to stick with 9 speed unless you really want that clutch. I just can't picture where you would need 10 different ratios while riding park.
 

yd35

Monkey
Oct 28, 2008
741
61
NY
36t in the front and a 11-23 10 speed cassette out back. I don't notice any huge benefits with 10 speed vs. 9 speed, but I am a huge fan of the clutch derailleurs. If a quiet bike is something you crave, go clutch all the way.
 

gemini2k

Turbo Monkey
Jul 31, 2005
3,526
117
San Francisco
Why do amateur riders run tight gearing road cassettes? I can understand a pro doing it on their race bike, but I know I vary in speed between 5-40mph roughly on my DH bike. Using close spaced gears seems ridiculous. Especially because if I AM pedaling, I'm sprinting, and I'd want wider spaced gears because of my unbelievably fast rate of acceleration.
 

GekoES

Chimp
Oct 16, 2012
83
0
Spain
Why do amateur riders run tight gearing road cassettes? I can understand a pro doing it on their race bike, but I know I vary in speed between 5-40mph roughly on my DH bike. Using close spaced gears seems ridiculous. Especially because if I AM pedaling, I'm sprinting, and I'd want wider spaced gears because of my unbelievably fast rate of acceleration.
Maybe because they only ride park
 

bengxe

Monkey
Dec 19, 2011
211
30
upstate NY
36 11-23 here.
I run a road cassette because it was a cheap way to drop a lot of weight from a heavy bike. I agree with you about the gear spacing, though, I tend to shift 2-3 gears at a time. Next time Id like to find a way to setup a 5 or 6 speed 11-23 cassette.
 

Casey-Ryan

Monkey
Jan 2, 2012
142
1
Gloucester, MA
Right now I on my AM bike I am running a 36 MRP ring but unless I know the trail I get caught up on some of the climbs so I am thinking going with with a 32 or 34, my gearing in the back is a 11-36 10speed.

Any rings people like over the other for 104 BCD? I have had good luck with with MRP stuff but I am always open to trying something new.

I proably wont upgrade the stinky until the off season and first thing is first the 250lb spring is got to get the heck out of there and swapped with something way more beefy.
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,921
borcester rhymes
Any rings people like over the other for 104 BCD? I have had good luck with with MRP stuff but I am always open to trying something new.
I had good luck with a blackspire monovelo (single speed, non dh-specific) 36t and a 35t e13 ring. No noticeable difference in wear nor shifting.
 

atrokz

Turbo Monkey
Mar 14, 2002
1,552
77
teedotohdot
36T - 11-32 on my trail bikes. Might drop down to a 34 but I've got these massive thighs.....
38 or 40 - 11-27 on the DH bikes I've had.

I spin out small chainrings way to fast. I've found gearing to still be an individual preference, depending on strength and ability to spin a gear quickly. I mash, so I tend to ride harder gearing. That said, the new 10x1 stuff for trail looks awesome. I'd like to try a 11-36x34 soon.

That said, I'm buying a 6 speed rear hub soon, so that attempt at gearing should be interesting to say the least.
 
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captainspauldin

intrigued by a pole
May 14, 2007
1,263
177
Jersey Shore
M9: 36T chainring + 11-28T Cassette Used to run a 38T, but wasn't really spinning it out, decide to switch to 36T for a lower profile chain guide.
Stumpy: 32T chainring + 11-36T Cassette Would like to bump up to a 34T for the faster/flatter trails I ride, but nice to have the 32T for when I need it.
 

Gary

"S" is for "neo-luddite"
Aug 27, 2002
7,536
5,470
UK
For a bike you actually ride uphill - Work out the lowest gear you need for climbing and the highest gear you need before spinning out then use a gear calculator to see if you can manage that range with one chainring and a wide range cassette or if you'll need two rings.

For a DH bike, work out the smallest chainring you won't spin out in the 11T sprocket and fit it, any cassette will do but I guarantee even if it's a road cassette the two largest sprockets wil still be totally pointless on a DH track.

Pretty much all the other information in this thread is massively irrelivent narcisistic crap bordering on autism! [/irony]
 

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,580
2,005
Seattle
For a bike you actually ride uphill - Work out the lowest gear you need for climbing and the highest gear you need before spinning out then use a gear calculator to see if you can manage that range with one chainring and a wide range cassette or if you'll need two rings.

For a DH bike, work out the smallest chainring you won't spin out in the 11T sprocket and fit it, any cassette will do but I guarantee even if it's a road cassette the two largest sprockets wil still be totally pointless on a DH track.
Pretty much. I run an 11-23 cassette on my DH bike, and basically use the 23 to pedal to the lift line, and don't actually ride DH in the top half of the cassette at all.