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Big Man Needs Big Gears (1x9 Cassette)

4K views 55 replies 22 participants last post by  WV_XCE 
#1 ·
Hey howdy, Been MIA forever I know...long story...too long.

Annnnyway, I'm still rocking my '08 TNT XL Spot and I'm still deep in the Clydesdale end of the scale.

Opinions: Is switching from a 11x34 to an 12x36 9spd cassette going to make a big difference in hard climbs? and if so, would going to a 10spd 36T be even better (due to the ratio spacing)

Here's the background:

I the rides around here have tons of short but draining, steep, technical climbs. up,down, up up up, down up... every few mins, not long spinning grinders.

Late last season I changed my Spot from a 2x9 to a 1x9. I dropped the granny and only have 32t chainring now.
I like the simplified setup, and the reduction in chain slap that came with adding a guide and a short cage Rder.

BUT

It appears my climbing has degraded tremendously. I'm standing where I used to spin, and Burning out much much sooner on the really hard climbs, It also seems my recovery times are taking longer if I recover at all. overall I seem to suffer more than I flow.

A lot of the climbing is with zero momentum and is inch for inch pedal to ground. This seems to me typical of pushing a ratio too high for me. My knees are noodly all the time, my quads too.

I've put in a fair bit of training time but it almost seems like I'm suffering from overtraining where the harder I try the less I accomplish.

Is going to a 36T going to help much or do I need to go back to the Granny?
Anyone with a single chainring riding 32x34? or do most folks use 36T?

Now I know being in better shape and personally lighter will help but first I have to get there and I'm not doing so now, I feel like I'm getting weaker, slower and having far less fun. I can hammer my ass off on rolling, DH or even steady grinders but hauling 240lbs up the steeps is sapping me where it did not nearly so much before I tossed the granny. Seems to me I'll be better overall if I'm in a reasonable spin/trundle than the edge of stall and expiration the entire climb.

Will a 36T do the trick?
 
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#12 ·
Most old fat guys that I know either buy a motorcycle, or give up altogether, and just settle down in front of the TV and rot. Which choice suits you, "he who posts like once a year?"
You could try actually working out once in a while. Jeez.
Shut up and pedal, is what people tell me. Come out here to 9,00 feet of altitude and let my 56 year old corpse kick your butt on some climbs.

Miss you.
 
#2 ·
Holy Chit, it's the Zilla out of cryostasis (hibernation didn't seem long enough).

I'm okay with 32 up front and an 11-34 cassette out back. Without changing your whole drivetrain you could try and pickup a Shimano HG61 12-36 cassette to give that a try.
 
#3 ·
Heh. While I'm between jobs I'm trying to harden up between interviews.

I actually bought an HG-61 last fall and forgot I had it till today. I'll put that on with an extra couple of links and see what's-what. Comparing it to a 10-spd the ratio on 3 largest cogs are the same and that's what counts the most for me.

The tooth count of the 12-36 is +2T on the 3 largest cogs compared to the 11-34 so it should be a help across several gears.

What suxors is it's a stack not a set so each cog is a single plate spider and all rather than a bunch pinned to a carrier. These tend to dig into softer driveshells. I destroyed a CK alloy shell with one of these once. (different ratios though) Since then I have a HD driveshell on my CK and a steel alloy on my XMXL. so I should be G2G. Just need to add some links I guess... I wonder...How many for 2Tmore?
 
#4 ·
What you might be able to do is pickup a wider Ti 36T cog to use behind a decent cassette, so it won't chew the freehub. Then you would just need to juggle the smaller cogs and use a suitable lockring. I think Actiontec used to make a suitable 36T...
 
#7 ·
Anyway, I'm no help, my single front ring solution requires a chairlift or shuttle.
I guess that's the issues I've been facing for some time. I like climbing everything I can find before descending. Therefore, gears, gears gears..............

Note: I do not have the 11 or the 36 on my gears, I just left them in the spreadsheet to have numbers.

Colorfulness Blue Text Red Line


Zilla, there isn't much difference between the 34 and 36, I tried that on my bottom end of my cog-stack. Ended up going 38. That 30 front sounds like the ticket. I love the 29 in front on my bike, I can stay middle for a very long time and very rarely need the 20 or the 42.
 
#10 ·
Wazzup Homies?

Zill, your title says it all. Agree with Gmats. Fuggetabout what the jackrabbits are suggesting, they aint carrying around an extra 75 lbs of hard work like us clydes.

Beware of turning your back on grannie:



Therefore recommend:



For graphing purposes, following gear inches with 26" wheel and meaty rubber:

32x34= 22.8"
32x36=21.6"
24x34=17.2"
24x36= 16.2"

The new Shadow RD and others versions are pretty stellar at reducing chainslap.

Cheers.
 
#11 ·
Hey Zilla - 6th is hella fit and strong based on his exploits. I think mere mortals like us need a little extra help. A 36 cassette definitely helps if you're running a 32 up front for the trails we ride and helped me tremendously and to the point that I ditched my granny - But at the end of a 3 or 4 hour ride at say Blue I found myself occasionally wanting one more gear so I got XX1. I rarely use the 42 out back but it's nice to have. Plus the 32 x 11 doesn't spin out on the single track just occasionally on the fire roads.
 
#14 ·
I rode with 6E...I'm pretty sure he's got a couple of midgets stashed in each leg.

I'll try the 36x11 and look for a 30T chain ring while I research a few of the creative options mentioned above.

3-4hrs at Blue? Right now 2 will put me near cardiac arrest. WTF? I must be doing something wrong.
 
#16 ·
Moose, Renny and Zilla all in one recent thread - can't wait to see TS, CC and Aqua (maybe even Smokey) chime in.

FWIW, I spend so much time granny/granny I can't imagine EVER going single up front. There are a couple of super short/steep climbs on my regular routes (Green Mountain - haha) that even in granny/granny I still only make the climbs < 50% of the time.

You guys are animals.
 
#19 ·
Moose, Renny and Zilla all in one recent thread - can't wait to see TS, CC and Aqua (maybe even Smokey) chime in.
...and rmac, and NYCB, and Wilks and, and and...
it's like a college reunion, without the beer and the underwear.

FWIW, I spend so much time granny/granny I can't imagine EVER going single up front. There are a couple of super short/steep climbs on my regular routes (Green Mountain - haha) that even in granny/granny I still only make the climbs < 50% of the time.

You guys are animals.
I used to be a granny grinder too. Then all my fast friends went to 1x, so I figured I'd give it a go.

I learned while I'm strong enough to ride pretty much anything I'd granny, it steadily ground me down. Maybe I'm getting stronger, maybe my endurance is increasing, it's hard to tell when after the first 20 mins all I can see is my front wheel and flat-line EKG .

For the moment I'm between jobs so I'm taking the cheapest route to something pedaly. I'd like to avoid going back to the granny, but holy cow looking at the gear-inches I used to spin at 22/34 compared to what I mash now at 32/34... I can see why I'm burning down like a candle under a blowtorch.

Today I'll put on the 12x36 cogset. I suppose I'll have to add some links to my chain.

If the benefit is only incremental, then I'll look for a 30t chain ring I can put on my XT HT-II crankset. If that still isn't enough, then I'll sell some spares and look at the new funky stuff.
 
#17 ·
At your weight Zilla, I'd have to agree with those who suggested putting the granny back on and getting a new clutch RD to help minimize the chain slap. I only weigh about 180lbs geared to ride, but have long legs and my granny/granny of 24/32 makes me suffer on super steep climbs and makes my knees hurt a bit, can't imagine going to a 1x setup unless I went to a 30t front and 36-11 outback. FYI I'm on a 29er though, so bit harder ratios, my 24-32=21.8 gear inches.
 
#20 ·
It's not the chainslap that is so much an issue. I had pretty good results with a short der, 2xchainguide and a granny. I could live with that.
But I've grown to like the clean simple setup of a 1x. And now I'm a fiend for flat pedals... no matter how technical the terrain I simply do not miss clipless.

BUT at nearly 250lbs, (yes you read it right) I need a few more teeth out back and a few less up front. Put me on rolling terrain, or a decent and I can hang with almost anyone but hauling an extra 100 lbs my partners don't have up a hard hill is one heck of a disadvantage regardless of my fitness level.
 
#18 ·
Zilla! Nice to have you back.

Another option for 11 speed gearing at 10 speed price is this cluster made by an Italian (of course!) company - Leonardi racing:

SRAM
Shimano

XX1 cranks are the cheapest option for light cranks with the possibility of using a chainring with 28t (if you are going to invest in new cranks), or switch between 1x and 2x setups (all you need to do is replace the spider with one of the X0 2x spiders).
 
#23 ·
Makes every gear in back easier and looses weight up front. I use it along with a 12-36 in rear on same type of terrain as you in WV. Unbelievable difference.

Product Info | Andersen Machine's Blog
That would certainly help. $90 bucks for an alu chain ring though... wow.
I can easily burn one out in a season.
 
#26 ·
Good to see you back in the forum 'zilla and getting some good discussion going.

I hadn't given the single front ring much thought until I started riding the dw and bigger wheels, don't know if it's both or one or the other but I am certainly climbing faster and my worst fitness ever. I need to wait for a 9 tooth rear cog though or I'd be casing lots of landings as 32x11 spins out too easy for me. Also the optimum ring size for the suspension design is something to consider. And when the cost of an all new drive train, especially 1x11, equals the cost of a vacation....
 
#32 ·
I say go back to a double in front. I am close to your weight and while I can climb many things in a 32x34, for the hardest climbs and/or a change in cadence when I start getting tired, that small chainring is a godsend. I would suggest considering running 24-36 or 24-38 front chainrings. I did this on my hardtail going from 3x8 to 2x10 and used Wickerworks 24-36 chainrings on my old crankset and a 11-36 rear cassette. This gives a bit more top end as well as the low gears for climbing when needed.

Remember, as big boys, we will never climb like the skinny guys.
 
#35 ·
Ahhh, Pisgah! :)

Can't beat free, but Wolf Tooth Cycling also makes a 30t ring that has the XX1 style wide/narrow profile, which almost justifies the high price ($75 shipped) IMO. Just got my 30t for the 5 Spot and haven't installed it yet, but the 32t I've been running on my hardtail works great- even when I left the clutch in "off" on my rear derailleur the chain didn't drop.

I think 30t (or maybe 28t on a FS 29"er) with an 11-36 cassette gives a very usable range for most East Coast riding. Most of our climbs that are steep enough to warrant a granny are also techy enough that you can't simply spin up them either- you have to keep the speed up so you can level/ratchet the pedals momentarily over obstacles, then be able to put down a few good power strokes quickly without spinning out.
 
#43 ·
Zilla: rocking the 30t ring with 11-36 cassette (10spd) on all three bikes. Kicks ass around here, and I'm riding pretty much the same trails. For trail riding around here, no problems. Even took a trip last fall into NH/VT/ME with much longer sustained climbing and the 30x36 gave enough low range.

Caveat: I am a much smaller mammal than you.

XTR crank with 30t on two bikes, SRAM crank with spiderless North shore Billet ring on the other. Working great on both counts!

IMO, if buying new and budget is not crazy flush, the SRAM/spiderless setup is the ****!
 
#44 ·
Zilla: rocking the 30t ring with 11-36 cassette (10spd) on all three bikes. Kicks ass around here, and I'm riding pretty much the same trails. For trail riding around here, no problems. Even took a trip last fall into NH/VT/ME with much longer sustained climbing and the 30x36 gave enough low range.

Caveat: I am a much smaller mammal than you.
Scrubby, from what I remember from the times I rode with you, You were climbing things on a full rigid, MX riders avoided. ;)
 
#46 ·
Okay I bolted up a 36T cassette.



Verdict: An incremental improvement.
While I still got shagged out on some climbs at my local asswhooper I feel a bit less flogged post ride. I was able to sit and pedal-climb in some places where I couldn't with the 34T.

I spoke with a few light and fit hammer breakers on a social ride yesterday and pretty much all of them said they tried ditching the granny on these trails and it burned them down as well.

I'll definitely need to go to 30T up front, and probably put the 22T granny back on as well, and hopefully the 30/36 will help me use it less.
 
#51 ·
Poor man's XX1

Have you considered adding a larger cog? These things on eBay look viable:
41 Tooth Cog for Mountain Bike Cassette 41T Sprocket | eBay

Water Circle Font Symmetry Pattern


(or just search "41 tooth cog" on eBay if the URL isn't working)

Stacked behind a 11-36 10sp cassette, and losing the 11T first cog for a 13T, gives you a 13-41, which is a pretty good spread. No funky steps either, you just lose the 11T.

I'm seriously contemplating the Wolf Tooth 30T ring + Zee rear der + 11-36 XT cassette modified to 13-41 via the mtbtools cog.

There must already be a thread on this on mtbr . . . I didn't look.
 
#52 ·
Have you considered adding a larger cog? These things on eBay look viable:
41 Tooth Cog for Mountain Bike Cassette 41T Sprocket | eBay

View attachment 801510

(or just search "41 tooth cog" on eBay if the URL isn't working)

Stacked behind a 11-36 10sp cassette, and losing the 11T first cog for a 13T, gives you a 13-41, which is a pretty good spread. No funky steps either, you just lose the 11T.

I'm seriously contemplating the Wolf Tooth 30T ring + Zee rear der + 11-36 XT cassette modified to 13-41 via the mtbtools cog.

There must already be a thread on this on mtbr . . . I didn't look.
Very helpful link, thanks!
 
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