29er 1x10 question

^this, and you'd spin out

and you'd spin out

personally i feel like this concern is a bit overblown

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YleZvTSDC6s
but maybe it's cuz i'm slow :)

^this, and you'd spin out

You might spin out on longer road sections but on the trail? A 26t ring on a 11-36 basically loses one high gear compared to 30t on 11-42.

I'm guessing Specialized FSRs are optimized around a 30-32t ring?

boom is right. vpp would suck with a 26t. Id guess that horst link bikes would be less sensitive to this than most.

in my experience, trek and specialized incorporate little anti squat into their designs. so you may be okay

the other issue that occurs to me is faster wear. the fewer teeth pulling chain, the faster each will wear as the chain "stretches" and accumulates gunk during a ride. regardless of careful you are with maintenance and replacing chains, the effect will be more acute and pronounced the smaller your driving gear, all else being equal

in my experience, trek and specialized incorporate little anti squat into their designs. so you may be okay

the other issue that occurs to me is faster wear. the fewer teeth pulling chain, the faster each will wear as the chain "stretches" and accumulates gunk during a ride. regardless of careful you are with maintenance and replacing chains, the effect will be more acute and pronounced the smaller your driving gear, all else being equal

No question one by systems chain rings wear fast. After all you are always in that one ring and they tend to be 30 32 tooth or something like that. That said, a lot of two by set ups mean that the rider spends most of the ride in the small ring around here anyway and those melt away faster. Most of the two speed set ups have big rings that are a bit too big for the slower trails like say Salamander or most of the North Shore for that matter. If the large ring is 36 or 38 it won't get used that much other than flat trails or on pavement between trails. Some of the newer set ups have better usable ranges now. Like a 24 - 32.

Fair enough- take my advice if you're on a HT but heads back to Praxis 40t w/30t n-w for the FS 1x10 gig

No question one by systems chain rings wear fast.

for sure they'll wear faster than a 2x or 3x system - you're accepting that when you choose to run one. but because there are fewer teeth among which to distribute the load/wear, a smaller 1x front ring will wear faster than a larger one, on a drivetrain with equivalent gearing, is the point i was trying to make

Fair enough- take my advice if you're on a HT but heads back to Praxis 40t w/30t n-w for the FS 1x10 gig

yeah its a good thought. if you're pedaling technique was dialled you could get away with a hella low bb on a hardtail by running a 28/26 tooth front ring, and/or at least have NO concerns about not running a bashguard. so its an appealing idea, though i'm pretty set on shimano cranks

I have a 34t SRAM XX1 chainring on my Enduro and it held up for almost two seasons with LOTS of riding. Of course it is worn now, but it still retains the chain and lasted/lasts longer than any middle ring I´ve owned before. The X01 cassette doesn´t look fresh and the chain looks sketchy, but so far it works.

It´s a 26er though, the smaller 28 or 30t rings wear quite fast. They also tend to loose the chain easier when they´re worn.

boom is right. vpp would suck with a 26t. Id guess that horst link bikes would be less sensitive to this than most.

I guess you'd have to measure the ring diameters. I'm running a 30 on my FSR and it's fine so I wonder if a 28 or 26 would be totally fine.
I'm thinking I'll try 28 on a straight 11-36 and see how I do. It won't offer the same low gear I currently have so that would interesting to try - see if I can live without the bailout gear. If I really get stuck then I could put a 40t cog out back.

I guess you'd have to measure the ring diameters. I'm running a 30 on my FSR and it's fine so I wonder if a 28 or 26 would be totally fine.
I'm thinking I'll try 28 on a straight 11-36 and see how I do. It won't offer the same low gear I currently have so that would interesting to try - see if I can live without the bailout gear. If I really get stuck then I could put a 40t cog out back.

FSR is better in smaller chainrings from my experience on the E29. It felt mushy in the middle ring while feeling quite neutral and solid in a 24 or 26t. 28t might even be the sweet spot. It still has a fairly low main pivot and the rear FSR pivot hardly changes the axle path compared to a single pivot.

VPP is best in a 30 or 32t IMO.

why the hate on for the front derailleur?
I've been using xt and xtr front der's and rings for a long time, and they have been the most problem free components of my drive train ever
get rid of the rear der (not that that is possible unless I go single speed hardtail) would be better
3x5 and use 3 biggest cogs with small ring, 3 middle cogs with mid ring and 3 smallest cogs with big ring and you could have a very small and out of the way rear der that only needs to wrap 12 teeth, plus a lot less drive train friction and possibility to have no dish rear wheel (very short teeth on the grind points of the big ring keeps you from cross chaining and getting into big big, so no problem that way)

ps narrow Q is not that important unless for road and tri time trialling aerodynamics, so clearance for short stays and wide tire not an issue

why the hate on for the front derailleur?
I've been using xt and xtr front der's and rings for a long time, and they have been the most problem free components of my drive train ever
get rid of the rear der (not that that is possible unless I go single speed hardtail) would be better
3x5 and use 3 biggest cogs with small ring, 3 middle cogs with mid ring and 3 smallest cogs with big ring and you could have a very small and out of the way rear der that only needs to wrap 12 teeth, plus a lot less drive train friction and possibility to have no dish rear wheel (very short teeth on the grind points of the big ring keeps you from cross chaining and getting into big ring, so no problem that way)

Sure, the FD isn't a big deal but having a quieter, lighter 1X system with better chain retention is really nice. Not to mention the cleaner look and less bits to maintain.

S… and less bits to maintain.

but you do have to maintain more, parts will wear out quicker
and stronger rear der spring and lots of cross chaining makes more noise
needing only to have to wrap 10 teeth with a 3x5 and there will rarely be chain slap, plus the der's work as chain guides (I don't recall the last time my front dropped a chain or sucked the chain since xt/xtr and now so good)