TMBRA - Rider Board

[myocastor]

After seeing the increase in people riding 1X10 and the fact that I haven't used my granny gear up front in ages I'm looking to make the conversion to 1X10.

Right now I'm running a 34 up front and looking at keeping the 34 tooth up front. My question is what I should run in the back? 40T or 44T?

Also looking for recommendations for derailleur. Right now I'm running SRAM X9. Should I keep this and run a chain keeper or switch to a derailleur with a clutch?

Thanks in advance for any tips.
Brad

[Pegboy]

Several people might chime in, but. In my opinion,

1. Short cage dérailleur 10 speed with clutch is great.

2. Narrow wide front chainring to alleviate running a chain guide. Been running a narrow wide for 1 year and haven't dropped a chain yet.

3. 11-36 cassette in the rear should suffice. I'm weak and can still make most if not all climbs in the series. (Except camp eagle)

Hope this helps.

Rich

[myocastor]

thanks Rich,
I ordered a Oneup Narrow/wide 34T chain ring, and a 42T expander with 16T replacement for the back. I'm going to try running without the 42 first and then add it later if I need it. I agree the last time I used my 24T was the first climb at Camp Eagle.
Brad

[RickWetherald]

If you're looking at short cage, make sure it can handle a 36t cog. None of the short cages will swing an 11-42 spread, if that's the route you want to go.

If you want to run a 42 and you have a Shimano drivetrain, you'll need the RAD cage from OneUp. Without it, your drivetrain will function, but shifting will be very sluggish in the mid-smaller cogs. If you have Sram, you won't have a problem with the stock mid or long cage.

Like others have said, definitely go with a narrow-wide ring and clutch derailleur for a guide-less setup. So much smoother, quieter, and simpler.

If you're worried about the low end but are trying to avoid shelling out the extra $$ for a 42t cog and associated cage, I would seriously examine your 34t chainring choice. Contrary to what many think, 32 or even 30 is enough for MTB racing. Almost the entire time I lived in TX, I ran a single 32t chainring with an 11-34 or 11-36 cassette. I even ran that combo in Excruciation Exam with all that road. Now, living in Utah, all of my race bikes have a 30t ring on the front. I ran into trouble once, at the end of a race on a ~4 mile long section of false flat downhill dirt road with a very strong tailwind. That's what it takes to run out of gear in a real race situation with a 30x11. With the exception of Terlingua, Texas doesn't have any courses with speeds like that.