1 x 10 conversion from 3 x 10
Discussion
Hi,
I'm looking to convert my 29er from a 3x10 to a 1x10, currently I mainly use the outer 44t ring but rarely reach top gear, I raced at the weekend and left it in the middle ring (32t) using a wider range of gears on the rear cassette.
I'm thinking of going somewhere in the middle - 36/38t up front, I don't have many hills to tackle round my way so the 38t is looking favorite at the moment..
I've converted bikes previously to a 1x9 but the chain would keep coming off until I fitted a chain device, I think this was before the intro of the Narrow/Wide chain rings - are the Narrow/wide chain rings good enough not to need a chain device? Is that all I need? My Canyon with 1x11 set up has a N/W chainring but still has a guide...
Who makes the Best N/W rings?
I'm looking to convert my 29er from a 3x10 to a 1x10, currently I mainly use the outer 44t ring but rarely reach top gear, I raced at the weekend and left it in the middle ring (32t) using a wider range of gears on the rear cassette.
I'm thinking of going somewhere in the middle - 36/38t up front, I don't have many hills to tackle round my way so the 38t is looking favorite at the moment..
I've converted bikes previously to a 1x9 but the chain would keep coming off until I fitted a chain device, I think this was before the intro of the Narrow/Wide chain rings - are the Narrow/wide chain rings good enough not to need a chain device? Is that all I need? My Canyon with 1x11 set up has a N/W chainring but still has a guide...
Who makes the Best N/W rings?
I run a 26" with 1x10, 34T Blackspires narrow wide, XT clutch rear mech & 11-36T cassette. That range works perfectly well for me. I have not yet dropped the chain and I hit the rough stuff fast so I'd say narrow wide works. Do beware how noisy they are when new, they do take awhile to grind in, when I 1st fitted it I thought something was broken, really noisy. Now it's been on for a few big middy rides its a lot quieter but still some chain noise when in 1st or 10th I.e. When the chain lines not straight. I can see it doing some people's head in if you like a quiet bike. A friend had the same issue with a race face ring so don't know if any manufacturers items are better than others in that respect.
Edited by Herman Toothrot on Thursday 29th January 22:22
Thanks for the responses.
I don't have a clutch mech on the bike currently, but I am considering splitting another bike which does so can transfer the XT stuff from that to the 29er - it'll be a bit of an upgrade too.
Fear not, my other bike is being sold to fund a road bike so the space in the garage will soon be filled.
Anyone tried the Superstar Components narrow wide chainrings, they look good for the money...
I don't have a clutch mech on the bike currently, but I am considering splitting another bike which does so can transfer the XT stuff from that to the 29er - it'll be a bit of an upgrade too.
Fear not, my other bike is being sold to fund a road bike so the space in the garage will soon be filled.
Anyone tried the Superstar Components narrow wide chainrings, they look good for the money...
stuarthat said:
Superstar very good
Thanks, I might give one of theirs a try.Next question and slightly off topic - are all Cranksets interchangeable? My Giant XTC runs a push fit BB and my Pace runs a Threaded BB, are the cranks interchangeable between the two or are they specific to the BB type?
This is all interesting as I am looking at swapping from 3x9 to 1x10, as the front shfiter never seems to work anyway, so I usually stay in the 32T middle ring.
I realise that I will need a new chain if I change to Xx10, but will I need new cranks too if I am going to a single ring on the front?
I realise that I will need a new chain if I change to Xx10, but will I need new cranks too if I am going to a single ring on the front?
I've just converted from am old nakered 2 x 9 XT to a 1 x 10 XT (36 hope ring at the front, 11-36 back) and it's awesome. I never used the front mech, and I really don't get why people do! With the 1 x 10 set up the lightest gear really is light enough for the steepest of hills at a steady pace. Down a long, straight, flat hill I will run out of legs but I'm really not concerned about that. 20+ gears is just too many, there's so much over lap. Front mechs need tons of maintenance to keep smooth too.
1:1 is what mountain bikes came with back in "the day" (1990ish), 28,38,48 chain set being the norm and a 28-13 cassette. I admit that I use to have no issue as a child riding up steep Black Mountain hills with 28/28 but these days I do like a little lower ratio if big hills are involved i.e. scale of south wales or larger, 34/36 seems to do me fine. Off road the highest gear 34/11 doesn't seem an issue, I guess if you ride your mountain bike on the road then it may, but if you do that you may as well ride a road bike.
Edited by Herman Toothrot on Thursday 29th January 22:23
I use 1 x 10 with N/W on all 3 of my mountain bikes:
hardtail has a 36t hope chainring and 11-36 cassette, with a long cage non-clutch SRAM X7 mech.
trail bike has a 34t raceface chainring 11-36 cassette, shimano zee FR clutch mech.
DH bike has a 32t hope chainring and a 12-28 (i think) cassette, shimano zee DH clutch mech.
I don't use a chain device on any of them (not even my DH bike) and have never dropped a chain*. Occasionally it would be nice to have an extra ratio at the fast end on the hardtail as i use it for my short road commute, but it's not enough of an issue for me to actually do anything about it.
If you do want a wider range than 11-36, don't forget you can get a 40t range expander from hope, to give an 11-40 range
ps all my bikes are 26" wheel, so I would advise anyone with a wagon wheeler to go for a smaller chainring to compensate for the bigger circumference
hardtail has a 36t hope chainring and 11-36 cassette, with a long cage non-clutch SRAM X7 mech.
trail bike has a 34t raceface chainring 11-36 cassette, shimano zee FR clutch mech.
DH bike has a 32t hope chainring and a 12-28 (i think) cassette, shimano zee DH clutch mech.
I don't use a chain device on any of them (not even my DH bike) and have never dropped a chain*. Occasionally it would be nice to have an extra ratio at the fast end on the hardtail as i use it for my short road commute, but it's not enough of an issue for me to actually do anything about it.
If you do want a wider range than 11-36, don't forget you can get a 40t range expander from hope, to give an 11-40 range
- i lost the chain on my hardtail a couple of times when crap got under the chain and I back-pedalled, unhitching the chain from the bottom of the chainring, but I am not counting this
ps all my bikes are 26" wheel, so I would advise anyone with a wagon wheeler to go for a smaller chainring to compensate for the bigger circumference
Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff