MTB Trail riding - 1x9 or 1x10 ?

[craggers]

as I'm ditching 3x8 and going for either 1x9 / 1x10, but is 10 speed worth the extra premium over 9 ?

As the bike will be dedicated trail biking - red/black routes.

[P-Jay]

I'm more interested in gear range than number of ratios, if I could get the range of gearing I have with my 1x10 with a 1x5 I'd have the five, I never change one gear at a time anyway.

10's worth getting simply because anything X5/Deore and above that's 9sp is basically old stock and might not be available next time you need a bit.

[craggers]

P-Jay said:

I'm more interested in gear range than number of ratios, if I could get the range of gearing I have with my 1x10 with a 1x5 I'd have the five, I never change one gear at a time anyway.

10's worth getting simply because anything X5/Deore and above that's 9sp is basically old stock and might not be available next time you need a bit.

I agree - but 9sp is almost half the price to 10sp. Don't think 9sp will be going out anytime soon.

[phil-sti]

craggers said:

I agree - but 9sp is almost half the price to 10sp. Don't think 9sp will be going out anytime soon.

i wouldn't say that, the supply of quality 9spd items has dwindled significantly over the last few months.

[Vladimir]

phil-sti said:

wouldn't say that, the supply of quality 9spd items has dwindled significantly over the last few months.

Hmm; I'd better stock up on cassettes and chains then!

[Dr Imran T]

Just get 1x10 as there are loads of 10sp bits on ebay.

IIRC you will need a new shifter, cassette and chain. You should be able to use your rear derailleur..

I went from 9sp to 10 and it cost a fair bit but I am pleased with the outcome.

As others have said though, you might be able to get all the ratios on a 9sp.

[Gizmoish]

You'll get the same range on 10sp as 9sp. 10 will be future proof though.

[Pablo16v]

In my opinion it’s definitely worth going 10sp. If you fit a narrow/wide chainring and a Zee clutch mech, with an appropriately shortened chain, you won’t need to run a chain guide and you end up with an almost silent drive train that won’t drop the chain when the going gets rough. Fitting a narrow/wide chainring is the best upgrade I’ve made this year.

[craggers]

Pablo16v said:

In my opinion it’s definitely worth going 10sp. If you fit a narrow/wide chainring and a Zee clutch mech, with an appropriately shortened chain, you won’t need to run a chain guide and you end up with an almost silent drive train that won’t drop the chain when the going gets rough. Fitting a narrow/wide chainring is the best upgrade I’ve made this year.

Sound good, which chainring did you upgrade ?

Look like I'm better off getting 10sp rather than 9sp.

[Vladimir]

My issue with 10 speed is that it's an even thinner chain and more work for the rear mech.

I have no issues with 9 speed (x3) and couldn't ask for a better range of gears and/or smoother shifting.

Like the 29er thing, I can't help feeling 10 speed is just another way of making us buy new kit.

[Pablo16v]

craggers said:

Pablo16v said:

In my opinion it’s definitely worth going 10sp. If you fit a narrow/wide chainring and a Zee clutch mech, with an appropriately shortened chain, you won’t need to run a chain guide and you end up with an almost silent drive train that won’t drop the chain when the going gets rough. Fitting a narrow/wide chainring is the best upgrade I’ve made this year.

Sound good, which chainring did you upgrade ?

Look like I'm better off getting 10sp rather than 9sp.

I bought a 30t ring from Wolf Tooth Components in the US. I wanted to fit the smallest ring possible on my XT cranks, and at the time Wolf Tooth were the only company doing a 30t ring in 104BCD. It wasn’t cheap at £64 (including £17.50 duty and VAT), but it was worth it to get a nice low spinny gear for the hills hear in Scotland. Race Face and Works Components are probably your best bet for standard 32t or 34t narrow/wide rings. I think they both do them for £35, and I think Race Face now also do a 30t if you want a lower climbing gear.

[craggers]

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/race-face-single-chainring... .. 104 x 30t for £45.

[Pablo16v]

Here’s a pic of my dinky 30t ring. I initially ran it without a bash, but on the third or fourth ride I whacked a rock so as soon as I got home I fitted one of my old bash guards to give it a bit of protection.

[Herman Toothrot]

What range cassette are you using?

I am thinking about a new bike, possibly building on an On-one ti 456 and had been looking at the 2x10 setups, but beginning to think as 36-11 cassettes are now common place if a single ring maybe a better idea. I spent the weekend at Coed y Brenin and basically only used the middle and little ring, mostly just on the biggest 3 rings of the cassette 32-12 so the chain was kept nice and tight.

[ecsrobin]

9spd is certainly no more, it's already starting to get harder to get certain 9spd items from manufacturers. As for 10spd I think that will be a temporary stop gap as 11spd picks up pace.

[joema]

I'm waiting for my 9spd X9 set up to die before I go to 10 or maybe 11!

I think I'd like an extra ratio just to spin on some ups a bit easier at the end of the ride when I'm getting tired.

[Pablo16v]

Herman Toothrot said:

What range cassette are you using?

I am thinking about a new bike, possibly building on an On-one ti 456 and had been looking at the 2x10 setups, but beginning to think as 36-11 cassettes are now common place if a single ring maybe a better idea. I spent the weekend at Coed y Brenin and basically only used the middle and little ring, mostly just on the biggest 3 rings of the cassette 32-12 so the chain was kept nice and tight.

I'm using a Sram 12-36 10 speed cassette but I've removed the top 4 rings and replaced them with a General Lee 40t adapter.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/General-Lee-Wide-rang...

[Herman Toothrot]

Pablo16v said:

I'm using a Sram 12-36 10 speed cassette but I've removed the top 4 rings and replaced them with a General Lee 40t adapter.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/General-Lee-Wide-rang...

Ok, thats quite a good spread then

30/40 is almost (near as) the same as my current 22/32.

Although it'd be nice to get rid of the front shifter although it maybe easier to just got for the 2x10 XT setup, hum need to think about this one.

Cheers

HT

[R.P.M]

Interesting reading re thick/thin chainring.

I was running with a superstar front top guide on a 1x10 setup and I am throwing the chain like crazy, so sold my mech and put a clutch mech on. It's an improvment but still throwing 2-3 times a ride. The only thing is to swap the ring out for a thick/thin. Are they really that good and will I be able to scrap the front guide and have a truly un-throwable chain? Its on a hard tail and I don't use it lightly over the rough Btw.

The chain is as short as I dare take it.

[Pablo16v]

Herman Toothrot said:

Pablo16v said:

I'm using a Sram 12-36 10 speed cassette but I've removed the top 4 rings and replaced them with a General Lee 40t adapter.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/General-Lee-Wide-rang...

Ok, thats quite a good spread then

30/40 is almost (near as) the same as my current 22/32.

Although it'd be nice to get rid of the front shifter although it maybe easier to just got for the 2x10 XT setup, hum need to think about this one.

Cheers

HT

Yeah, the spread is pretty much perfect for the majority of my riding. I love the simplicity of a single ring drive train, but there’s no way I could have gone 1 x 10 with a normal 10sp set-up as the lowest gears wouldn’t be low enough for where I ride. The General Lee allowed me to go down this route without spending a fortune on Sram XX1, and so far it’s worked out well. If you can get the gearing to work for you then 1x10 / 1x11 is definitely the way forward for traditional drivetrain sytems.

RPM – Thick thin rings really are that good. In 3 ½ months I’ve dropped the chain just the once (on a DH course), and when I stopped to put it back on I realised the clutch mech was off so I think that was probably the contributing factor. Most users seem to manage without any sort of chain device so there’s a very good chance you’ll be able to ditch the front guide.