28T chainring with 12 Speed drivetrain?

Im using the OneUp Switch oval rings on SixC cranks.  No complaints so far.  Buy the spider and a 28T and 30T (or 32t?) ring and you will be covered for all the experimentation you need. I havent had to swap out a ring yet, but not having to take off the cranks and spider is a big bonus.

Posted by: fartymarty

Climbs don't get easier they just take less time.  They still hurt.

I should have said relatively easier. IME the fitter you are the easier it is to push harder. From a physiological or exercise science perspective when your body is better adapted to doing hard work the perception of how hard that work is is less than when you're not adapted to doing hard work and hence seems easier.

I ran the switch system last year, no issues. Cheaper than buying the correct Eagle GX sprocket.

I keep getting told wonderful things about the Wolftooth Camo system, and if i was going to run 28t I'd look at that - stainless steel will be more durable than alu.

Pricey but the rings are super long lasting from what I'm hearing and justify the cost.

https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/collections/camo

Posted by: nouseforaname

I ran the switch system last year, no issues. Cheaper than buying the correct Eagle GX sprocket.

I keep getting told wonderful things about the Wolftooth Camo system, and if i was going to run 28t I'd look at that - stainless steel will be more durable than alu.

Pricey but the rings are super long lasting from what I'm hearing and justify the cost.

https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/collections/camo

Im still hoping that OneUp will do a stainless ring for the Switch system. That being said, the Al ones they currently have dont wear out any faster than any other Al rings out there (and they are usually cheaper). The Wolftooth Camo rings only go down to 30T in oval (28T round) as well, so that could be something to consider.  $40USD for a OneUp ring, $100USD for a Wolftooth Camo ring.

I use a 28t. No bragging rights and some buttholes may judge but im at least ridding and its not an ebike.

On my old Enduro 29, around the time that people were adding accessory giant cogs to their 10spd/11spd drivetrains - I switched to 28x11-36 XT and it was glorious. So compact. Great shifting. Insufficient for long road hauls but that wasn't a part of my rides at the time. And now I'm on 32x11-42, which is a similar low gear and it's great for me wherever. If I can't make it up with this it's not fault of the gearing.

I'm on a 30T / 10-50 on my Chameleon plus HT and love it.  28 would be overkill for me, but don't worry about what we say, if you think you need a 28T then go for it!

Posted by: Kenny

Another consideration is how much top end do you need? I have a 30t oval on my 27.5 bike and a 28t round on my 29er. They work out to feeling pretty similar.

Both bikes top out around 45kph (on Seymour parkway on my way to the trailhead, I can't hit 45kph on any trail I've ridden on the shore. I don't commute with them and I'm not training to enter world Cup downhill events, so that's fast enough for me. Anyone telling you they are regularly exceeding 40kph in North Shore trails, and not only that but also needing to pedal while doing 40kph is a god level rider (or full of it)...

This seems too obvious. Yet time and again in discussion someone chimes in about the absolute necessity to pedal at 120kmh downhill, while claiming to have never once begged baby Jesus for even one more tooth on the big cog while climbing some steep endless climb.

Posted by: shoreboy

Im using the OneUp Switch oval rings on SixC cranks.  No complaints so far.  Buy the spider and a 28T and 30T (or 32t?) ring and you will be covered for all the experimentation you need. I havent had to swap out a ring yet, but not having to take off the cranks and spider is a big bonus.

@op: I totally second that. Definitely go oval, and buy the switch with 28 and 30 in one go. Then you don't have any barriers to move back and forth between them if you want to experiment. And as you wrote you plan to ride a lot this season, your fitness will very likely improve enough that you can start with 28 and make the switch to 30 over time for good.

Posted by: craw

I switched to 28x11-36 XT and it was glorious. 

I've read this about 5 times now and I still smile every time.

I just got a 30t chainring to go on my 11-42 drivetrain, I was hoping the extra 2 teeth would help me grind up those steep bits a little better without having to come out of the saddle so much. Turns out I already had a 30t. So I can't count, and am more out of shape than I thought.

Oops.

OP here - bought the 28T chainring and tested it out for the first time today. Definitely was the right purchase for me! I'm not in the best physical shape so there's always been certain parts of climbing trails that I would get off the bike and push. With the 28T I find that I am able to stay on the bike a lot more on those types of climbs - usually it's just short sections of trail where it is unusually steep + technical. I feel like a 28T wouldn't make sense in many different riding areas, but if there is an area where it makes a ton of sense I think it's the "sea to sky". Most of the riding up here seems to be steep climbs followed by steep and technical descents. The only time I am using the highest gears on my cassette are when I am riding on pavement so I really don't value that range of gears at all. When you are riding a DH trail on the north shore, how often do you actually need the higher gears in the cassette? I'm almost never pedaling downhill in those gears... the bike park is the only place where I would want that option.

I assume the OP is on a 29? Glad he likes the ring. Not dismounting and pushing is a very good thing.