Mountain Biking - How many people use

a cassette with a 34 granny? my granny is 32 and my front is 22, well today I did new trail and had to walk some parts since I just couldnt spin without my legs dying on me...I picked up a 34-11 cassette in hopes it will help but I was wondering if many people run this set up.

It seemed to me that the people passing me during the climb were just spinning away in first gear, granted they are 100-150lbs less then me and probably have been riding much longer then I have, but it looked like there was hardly effort for their first gear spin, but my first gear felt like i needed to stand up and crank to proceed climbing and that just wasnt going to happen!

I have the same setup and I don't really think anything less would be useful for me... I've never even used that combo. For me the key is maintaining momentum into the hills and then giving a little more effort (Or a lot, depending on the hill) to keep from slowing down too much.
Time your shifts well. (I still stink at this)
If you downshift too early of the flats, you'll lose momentum.
If you downshift too late, you'll either goof something up because you're putting a lot of effort into turning the pedals at all, or you'll just stop, and from then on you're stuck walking.

there was a thread about this about a month ago. i run a 34-11

Isnt the "granny" the smallest ring or cog depending on the point of reference?

Isnt the "granny" the smallest ring or cog depending on the point of reference?


granny gear would be 1st gear (numerically would be the highest gear ratio)

For me the key is maintaining momentum into the hills and then giving a little more effort (Or a lot, depending on the hill) to keep from slowing down too much.


The trail is 2.5 miles of uphill(which is a lot for me at this point!) so there really isnt any momentum to maintain from a downhill...its basically a pull in the park, put it in 1st and pedal like a mofo till you get to the top ride. For me its a pedal till your legs die, stop, pedal some more, stop, walk, pedal to the top. The ride down was awesome and it was the first time I really used my disc brakes hard and it smelled just like a car brakes smells after hard braking...I thought that was pretty cool.

My uphill average was 3.6mph ...my downhill average was 30.8mph

there is a trail like that near where i live. and I have a 22 granny gear up front, and without momentum to help, that's about all you can do. Pedal and pedal, and if you get too burnt out, walk it. but the ride down is always well worth it!

Yes, I run this cassette 11-34. I wouldn't use anything else. It's very hilly where I live/ride, so I need all the low gears available.... The weight difference you mentioned is definitely a disadvantage for you as well. I can tell the difference in a 5 lb. heavier bike, let alone 100 lbs. of flesh/fat....

Big difference...rode the same trail today with less then 2 minutes of total break time...compared to about 15 minutes yesterday.

Well, Good thing you didn't listen to me.
Glad it helped!

a cassette with a 34 granny? my granny is 32 and my front is 22, well today I did new trail and had to walk some parts since I just couldnt spin without my legs dying on me...I picked up a 34-11 cassette in hopes it will help but I was wondering if many people run this set up.

It seemed to me that the people passing me during the climb were just spinning away in first gear, granted they are 100-150lbs less then me and probably have been riding much longer then I have, but it looked like there was hardly effort for their first gear spin, but my first gear felt like i needed to stand up and crank to proceed climbing and that just wasnt going to happen!

There is spinning, and then there is spinning like a Honda. It is possible to be in too LOW of a gear.

Ultimately, it's all about strength to weight ratio and cardiovascular fitness. Either get stronger or get lighter.

Personally, I gave up on 34 tooth cassettes because they were too easy to bend. I'm running 12-32 in an 8 speed.

I have an 11/32 currently. I also have a 11/34 in the parts bin. If ya need the extra low by all means get it.

I have an 11-34 also but use the 34 rarely. I used it more often when I first got the bike but as I became stronger and learned more about climbing correctly, I found I needed it less. It'd be great for pulling stumps though, so I'll keep it on the bike in case I ever have to clear some land.