11spd Experiments

Perhaps the RAD cage is worth a shot, but I have been successful with 30 x 11-36 and rarely need a lower gear (and never spin out on dirt). For longer sufferfests, I throw on the GC and a couple extra links and deal with the poorer shifting.

But 30x11-36 on my 26er is money and I'm not making anything do something it wasn't designed to do.

Ran a wolftooth 42t GC on an 11-36 XT cassette w/ X.0 med cage and 32t Chromag ring for a few months.

The next step is the X.01 drivetrain w/Chromag narrow wide ring:clap:

I have one ride in on my newly installed RAD cage.

1) Shifting is back to stock 11-36 Shimano XT performance. Nice and crisp.
2) I disliked the performance with just the 42t and the stock XT derailleur. Enough so that I was going to remove it.
3) Chain wrap is improved enough to make the 11t useable again when really pushing it over bumpy terrain.

I have to say, this is a great option. I detest front derailleurs, but needed more range than 1x11-36 and did not want to have to replace the $300 X01 cassette and $250 X01 derailleur as a maintenance item. So for $150 (RAD cage, 42t, 16t and shipping) I now have a reliable, useable setup, with enough range for me. Good times…

I just need to get the 16t, and my shifting will be damn near perfect. Even the 36-42 jump is almost perfect. It must be a Knolly dropout thing, but I'm not even close to having my b-tension screw all the way in.

I am the same Graham, I am just using the stock B-Tension screw too!

I just need to get the 16t, and my shifting will be damn near perfect. Even the 36-42 jump is almost perfect. It must be a Knolly dropout thing, but I'm not even close to having my b-tension screw all the way in.

I think this varies from bike to bike. My friends who have Rocky Altitudes are running the B-tension mostly in and getting good clearance. On my Enduro I was all the way in and nowhere close to getting it done.

Lots of OneUp cogs last night at the NSMBA toonie race. That demographic has certainly accepted the 1x drivetrain.

Lots of OneUp cogs last night at the NSMB A toonie race. That demographic has certainly accepted the 1x drivetrain.

several of the guys i ride with have done the OneUp/RF narrow-wide combo as well . i don,t have the desire yet ,just got back onto a dual chainring bike for the 1st time in 12+yrs and i don,t mind having a bail out granny , currently running 38/26 up front and 11/36 in the rear. i may consider the swap over the winter thou .

several of the guys i ride with have done the OneUp/RF narrow-wide combo as well . i don,t have the desire yet ,just got back onto a dual chainring bike for the 1st time in 12+yrs and i don,t mind having a bail out granny , currently running 38/26 up front and 11/36 in the rear. i may consider the swap over the winter thou .

Do you get that the super low gear is still available in these setups?

Do you get that the super low gear is still available in these setups?

not sure what you mean by super low gear i do know when i,m in bottom granny and climbing my walking pace is the same speed so i tend too walk still LOL .

when we rode the new climbing trail on Bear last week one of the crew had a 1x11 with a 28x42 and he said his gearing was not quite the same as a 26/36 or the likes , he rides the whole trail up and i ride what i can and push the rest and he,s a few minutes faster time wise .

a lighter rear wheel helps big with climbing as well i just swapped too a lighter rearwheel and could feel the difference not as much energy needed too pedal .

I find I can climb better with my 1x10 (30t chainring, 40t conversion cog) than I ever could with a granny. It just feels better to me. And maybe my fitness has improved as well, but whatever the case if it works for you then that's great. Individual results will vary.

Often enough people climb in a lower gear than the could actually push. I see folks going up Fromme very slowly in their lowest gear. I think they just shift it there simply because it is their lowest gear and they don't care to push at all. I recall doing cx races where my shifting was too late and I was forced to climb in my middle which forced me to attack. I did that a couple times and won the Vedder Mountain race that way. Same thing in Osoyoos. So a I x 10 or any set up with less low gearing will force a rider to have push harder which can mean better climbing. Having a super low climbing gear makes it easy to give up. Now if we're climbing Cinnabar up to Windy Pass, that super low gearing might be required.

Often enough people climb in a lower gear than the could actually push. I see folks going up Fromme very slowly in their lowest gear. I think they just shift it there simply because it is their lowest gear and they don't care to push at all. I recall doing cx races where my shifting was too late and I was forced to climb in my middle which forced me to attack. I did that a couple times and won the Vedder Mountain race that way. Same thing in Osoyoos. So a I x 10 or any set up with less low gearing will force a rider to have push harder which can mean better climbing. Having a super low climbing gear makes it easy to give up. Now if we're climbing Cinnabar up to Windy Pass, that super low gearing might be required.

90% of the trails i ride i am using a 38T up front , there are some sections i will drop into granny and then back onto the 38 . since switching too a 32lb bike that climbs decently i found myself loving the bigger front sprocket .

as for spending too much time in a granny low , yup guilty of that it,s too easy too get into that spinning style cadence rather then get out of the saddle or hovering over the saddle and pushing a more productive climbing ratio .

yea i have the 38/24 up front and i find the 24 is too small to spin medium climbs. so i'm in the 38x36 all the way up b+k..switching to 34/22 this week. for the rides I'm doing and the amount of km's / week a single ring system will never have the range i need..