Originally Posted by
jfmckenna
I run a 43T chainring and an 11-28 8-Speed Cassette. The 43 x 11 never gets used. I admit I lost a race once because the finish was on pavement and I had to sprint with one guy who took it. But I was also running a 13x26 then. Since then I must have done 50 races and never had the same experience YMMV.
Also BTW my Pit bike is a double so if I was worried about a sprint finish I could always use that bike. I think the single ring is the way to go. Personally I wouldn't race a SS bike unless it was in the SS class.
Cool, thanks for the info. I'm running 36/46 rings with a 12-28 cassette, and I am in the 36 most of the time. Last week we had an unusually climb-intensive course and I was in the lowest combo, but I probably could have survived with 43x28. I have an old 12-32 MTB cassette that I could probably use if I really needed it. Thankfully CX doesn't usually have a lot of long + steep climbs.