How do I choose mountain bike chainrings?

Broadly speaking, if you ride a 29er and/or ride in steep mountains go for a chainring with 32T or fewer (the 11 speed Sram XX system goes down to 28T if your bike has the XX drivetrain). If you ride 26″ or 27.5″ wheels and/or ride in less mountainous terrain then go for a 34T or possibly even 36T chainring.

Why are mountain bike chainrings so small?

The type of riding that a lot of people do now means that you don’t need to be as fit as many of us were back in the XC racing days and that, combined with the increase in bike weight, slack geometry and bouncy suspension, means that a smaller chainring makes more sense for more people.

Are mountain bike chainrings universal?

Most modern road bikes feature a dual ring set-up with a front mech being responsible for shifting duties. The majority of mountain bikes have moved away from having multiple front chainrings in favour of a medium-sized single ring.

Is 1×11 better than 2×10?

If you ride long climbs (particularly at altitudes of more than 9,000 feet) with no fire roads or asphalt, 1×11 may be an option if you are a strong rider. If you’re concerned with optimizing performance and don’t want to give up gears on the climbs or descents, then 2×10 is likely the better choice for you.

How many gears are best on a mountain bike?

Typically, for trail riding, you’ll want between 30 and 36 teeth with anything above that being more gravity orientated.

Are smaller chainrings easier?

The table below shows you the difference in ratios between various cassettes on different sized chainrings. The lower the number the easier it is to turn the cranks. For the upper sprocket, this can mean getting up the hill easier and on the lower sprocket spinning out when riding downhill.

What is an 11 28 cassette?

Currently, the most common gearing setup on new road bikes is a 50/34 chainset with an 11-28 cassette. This means that the big and small chainring have 50 and 34 teeth, respectively, and the cassette’s smallest cog has 11 teeth and its largest cog has 28 teeth.

How does chainring size affect speed?

The smaller the chainring, the easier the lowest gear for climbing; the bigger the chainring, the faster you can go in the highest gear. You can calculate the gearing ratio by dividing the teeth of the chainring with the teeth of the cog on the cassette.

What kind of chainrings do you use on a mountain bike?

Fast shifting mountain bike triple chainrings for 3×9 and 3×10 cranks. See the above chainring images, especially the back view, and look at the shift ramps. Those lift ramps are massive, and they’re all around the gear!

What kind of gear does a mountain bike have?

The most common gear configurations for modern mountain bikes include one or two front chainrings. Bikes with single front chainrings are referred to as “1x” or “one-by”. Whereas you’ll see bikes with two front chainrings abbreviated to “2x”.

What kind of chain ring does a 3×9 use?

A typical 3×9 setup will have something like a 44t-32t-24t chain ring setup, (t = number of teeth) and an 11-34t cassette. There are some variations such as older 8 speed cassettes with 11-30t or 32t, and newer 10 speed cassettes with 11-36t.

Is there a double chainring for a triple chainring?

Now with the advent of double and single chainrings, the triple has become somewhat unfashionable. The first major chink in the armour for the triple came when SRAM introduced the 2×10 drivechain. With a wide range 11/36 cassette, the double ring system came close to matching the total gear range of a triple with one ring less up front.