#!markdown
I've thought about this quite a bit. It used to drive me nuts that my gf uses
the granny ring pretty much all the time, but at her moderate speeds she never
seems to spin out on trails. If she ever does decide to push it a bit more and
runs out of gears on the high end in the granny ring, a bigger ring 1x setup
would probably fit the bill. But for her, figuring out the front shifting has
been a huge challenge and she basically doesn't do it.
For the rest of us - even more seasoned riders - 28 x 11-36 is likely a great
range on a 29er. On my own 26er, I gave up on a 42t cog conversion after being
dissatisfied with the mediocre shifting and settled on 30 x 11-36, which is
similar to a 28t ring on a 29er. For trail riding around here, that seems to
be the sweet spot for me. I never spin out on trails (even during races), and
the small gear is adequate on most climbs.
Aug. 20, 2014, 7:32 a.m. - DMVancouver
#!markdown I've thought about this quite a bit. It used to drive me nuts that my gf uses the granny ring pretty much all the time, but at her moderate speeds she never seems to spin out on trails. If she ever does decide to push it a bit more and runs out of gears on the high end in the granny ring, a bigger ring 1x setup would probably fit the bill. But for her, figuring out the front shifting has been a huge challenge and she basically doesn't do it. For the rest of us - even more seasoned riders - 28 x 11-36 is likely a great range on a 29er. On my own 26er, I gave up on a 42t cog conversion after being dissatisfied with the mediocre shifting and settled on 30 x 11-36, which is similar to a 28t ring on a 29er. For trail riding around here, that seems to be the sweet spot for me. I never spin out on trails (even during races), and the small gear is adequate on most climbs.