29er 1x10 question

I have a XT double on my chromag and my tallboy. Cant remember the last time i dropped a chain…

I have a XT double on my chromag and my tallboy. Cant remember the last time i dropped a chain…

I really don't like the heavy shifting feel of clutch derailleurs (run mine OFF all the time) so without a narrow wide ring or adjustable trim (friction shifter) I definitely drop chains off the front.

If I want to run a front derailleur I just run a friction shifter and I can fine tune position to make sure the chain can never drop inside.

I'm a fan of running 1x10 (or 1x9) with a 30t ring and I just space over a granny ring and can manually shift down if I'm exhausted or riding something heinously steep. That's with an 11t-36t cassette.

Thinking honestly about how often I use 30t x 11t (other than the road) I could just run a 26t (64bcd) narrow-wide ring like the ones from Wolftooth and the range would be great without having to run the big alloy cog.

http://www.wolftoothcycling.com/collections/chainrings/products/64-bcd-chainrings

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)

IME I have to maintain less. My N/W ring has outlasted any granny ring that I've had except for an old school steel ring. Perhaps you don't know what crosschaining is but it definitely isn't crosschaining when running in the middle ring whether you have a 3X or a 1X. I was usually in my middle ring on my 3X anyways so it's not a big deal. With a 30T 1X ring I actually have a better chainline in the bigger cogs because it is spaced inwards a bit and I rarely get to the small 2-3 cogs.

I run a double on my Tallboy and a 1X10 on my Nomad and prefer the 1X. Less to fiddle with, definitely quieter, lighter, cheaper and cleaner looking. The only reason I run a 2x11 on my TB is because I like the smaller jumps between cogs of the new XTR system and I need a bit more range in my gearing.