Mountain Biking - Cross-chaining question

I just need something clarifyed. So to not cross chain I should not run a big chain ring with a small cog right? For example gear 3 in the front should not be run with gear 7 in the back... Or is it the other way around?

Think of it visually. If the chain is at a large angle compared to the chainrings and cogs extra pressure will be put on the chain and the chainring/cog teeth that it connects and disconnects from. So, big-big or small-small are bad as far as wear-and-tear go.

No, it's the other way around. Small ring up front with three biggest in rear. Middle ring up front with middle three in rear. Large up front with three smallest in rear. Assuming a 9 speed cassette.

Yeah, I mostly ride on the middle chainring and keep my gears mostly from the 3rd cog to the 7th cog, I only use 8th and 9th with the large chainring for fast downhill sections without many roots or anything and I only use the granny chainring with the 1-6 cogs for trials and climbing.

Thats why I want to get rid of my large chainring and get a bashguard.

I run my middle ring with the 5 biggest in the back, but my crankset is a little inside of centered. You can get away with using all the cogs with the middle ring kinda like everyones 1x9 or 1x8 setups.

i do it by common sense and try and keep the chain straight and not angled.

well i do all speeds on my middle chainring, top half on my smallest and bottom half on my largest...

i rarely ever shift out of my middle chainring anyway...might as well get a bashguard for two reasons:
1. hardly ever use it
2. my jeans won't get caught or greased up as easily (even with a rubber band)
3. I get more ground clearance.

i know i'm wearing my chain more than say, someone using a restrictive configuration like curtis', but w/e. a chain costs 20-50 bucks.

How much wear do you put on the chain by going 1-8/9 and 3-1, anyway?

there is also wear on the derailuer, chain rings and cogs out back, that being said I cross chain all the time, because A) I am a lazy bastard and B) It seems like I break parts long before they wear out :) If I had a $600 XTR drivetrain I would probably take better care of it :)

there is also wear on the derailuer, chain rings and cogs out back, that being said I cross chain all the time, because A) I am a lazy bastard and B) It seems like I break parts long before they wear out :) If I had a $600 XTR drivetrain I would probably take better care of it :)

I cross chain all the time and I do not break any chains (I weigh 280#). I use a steel ring and it wears just fine.

There is a good reason to stay in the middle ring. It takes a heck of a lot less time to shift the rear than the front. If you need a gear quick, it is probably more efficient to cross chain than to lose pedal strokes messing with moving the chain from one ring to another.

There is another reason not to shift into the granny. It typically has 10 less teeth and wears pretty wicked when compared to the others. And of course, it is more prone to chain suck due to increased pressure on the teeth.

A good strategy is to just STAY in the middle ring on the trail most of the time. Switch rings for SECTIONS of trail, not individual obstacles. If you aren't going to use the granny for a couple of minutes, it's probably best not to use it at all.

i do it by common sense and try and keep the chain straight and not angled.

+1 I just try to keep the chain straight