Mountain Biking - Anyone ditch their Granny?

Anyone using just two chainrings on the front of their Mtn.bike?Shift ok?What cranks,rings are you using?
I have RaceFace 44/32/22.I'm thinking of tossing the granny.

why oh why oh why

LOL.I don't need it.I NEVER use it.I can climb all my local hills on my cross bike.It has 53/39 rings with a 12-27 cassette.
I climbed everything last Sunday in my mtn.bike's middle ring.The trails were crap.All snow and leaves.It just bugs me that it's there.

I run a 42/29 on a double crank setup on my current bike and it is all I will ever need with a 11-32 on back.

I'll change my new bike to a double first opportunity I get.

What kind of cranks are they?What brand rings?Shift ok?

Race face. 94mm 5 bolt pattern.

Shifts perfectly and my chain line is such that I can use the 42-32 if I really want to.

RaceFace cranks and rings?They make a 29 tooth ring?

oops sorry, the 29 tooth is a cannondale ring. The 42 is RF.

Cool.I'll see if my LBS can get a 29 for me.That would be perfect.Will I need a different bottom bracket?I have a RaceFace bb.I'm pretty sure it's adjustable.

The bottom bracket will depend on the type of cranks. Some use the newer spined BB's and some use the older style. Your bike shop will be able to tell you what your options are when they see what you have.

The 29 is a good gear IMO. I can ride in it all the time if I want and still get a good high gear ratio in a 29-12 or 14.

I like the 42 best since I rarely ever needed even the 42-11 when I was cross country racing and 44 seems a bit overkill.

I ran a 36/29 for a while but the 36 had no shift ramps and was not dependable for smooth shifts. I had better clearance for logs and still had a better than 3-1 ratio in the 36-11. The singletrack I ride is really not big ring type terrain. No long fire roads or anything to let you get flat out.

Anyone using just two chainrings on the front of their Mtn.bike?Shift ok?What cranks,rings are you using?
I have RaceFace 44/32/22.I'm thinking of tossing the granny.

DITCH THEM ALL!!!!! go SINGLESPEED!!!!

Anyone using just two chainrings on the front of their Mtn.bike?Shift ok?What cranks,rings are you using?
I have RaceFace 44/32/22.I'm thinking of tossing the granny.

This is what I think:

3 chainrings on an XC

2 chainrings on a Freeride

Singlespeed if you're under 25.

No one older than 25 should be riding singlespeed (cruisers exempted)unless blowing out your knees is some misguided idealism of macho...then again, I speak as someone who's hurtin'!

Gearing depends on your strength and terrain. If you never ride hills, then you dont need hill-climbing gears.
Going to a double or even a 1x9 can be a good move.
My Stronglight chainset has been configured, at various times, as a 36, a 34/46, a 28/38/48.
Singlespeed, and fixed are ideal for flatland riders, esp in muddy terrain.

I'm gonna keep my third big ring even though I never use it. Don't ask me why, though. The weight savings would be miniscule anyway.


Sam.. you got a new bike? Did you succumb to the power of the dark side and buy a Specialized?

Singlespeed if you're under 25.

No one older than 25 should be riding singlespeed (cruisers exempted)unless blowing out your knees is some misguided idealism of macho...then again, I speak as someone who's hurtin'!

Hey, I'm 34 and I ride a SS! O.k., I do have to ice down my knees and I pop Ibuprofin like candy, but hey, what do I know!

L8R

No one older than 25 should be riding singlespeed (cruisers exempted)unless blowing out your knees is some misguided idealism of macho...then again, I speak as someone who's hurtin'!Ha, Ha, where did that magic age come from? I'm almost 34 and that's all I ride. No knee problems and it makes you a strong rider. There's plenty of others that are older than me that ride SS exclusively without problems.

Here's what most people don't understand: riding SS is like interval training. Yeah, you might mash up the hills, but when you get to the top you are spinning and recovering.

I'm 34 too.I'm in the best shape of my life.No singlespeeds for me.I'm ditching the granny for sure.

Not a chance. I am willing to sacrfice speed for torque. I dropped the big ring and through on a bash gaurd and run granny and middle. I can't imagine doing MTB with a real bigring.

I always thought it would be cool to have a SS too, and I'm 40! The AR XC race series has a SS class, last year at a few that I made I would always check those guy's times and man, some of those guys are smoking fast!

Ha, Ha, where did that magic age come from? I'm almost 34 and that's all I ride. No knee problems and it makes you a strong rider. There's plenty of others that are older than me that ride SS exclusively without problems.

Here's what most people don't understand: riding SS is like interval training. Yeah, you might mash up the hills, but when you get to the top you are spinning and recovering.


I remember as a 15 year old, I could ride my BMX (classic REDLINE of course - Accept no substitute.) up and down hills all day long.

Now in my thirties, I'm dying without the large chainring on my XC after two hours!

Heck, when I was in my early teens (prior to drivers license) we would ride our BMX bikes all over town. It wasn't unusual for us to ride 30 miles in a day! No kidding. We used to leave from my house, ride to the beach, then the mall, then stop at one of the schools and play "bike tag" for a couple hours, and then to the BMX track for practice (Dad would bring the helmet and gear), then practice for a couple hours and ride home. All this with a 44/16 gear and a UNI Seat! (remember those?) We would almost NEVER sit down. Plus, we were hopping curbs, riding wheelies, launching drive aprons...etc. Mine was a GT Pro all maxed out. What were those rims that had the holes drilled out between spoke nipples with the different color rim strips? (Pro-Lines, Pro-Max..? I can't remember.)

Ah, those were the days!

Now I'm getting old and crusty and have to force myself to ride 3x's a week for an hour.

L8R

Hey, I'm 34 and I ride a SS! O.k., I do have to ice down my knees and I pop Ibuprofin like candy, but hey, what do I know!

L8R

I'm 37 and my favorite mtb is a SS - so you have @ least 3 more good years left on the SS!!! However, keep the ice and dope handy! :)

Heck, when I was in my early teens (prior to drivers license) we would ride our BMX bikes all over town. It wasn't unusual for us to ride 30 miles in a day! No kidding. We used to leave from my house, ride to the beach, then the mall, then stop at one of the schools and play "bike tag" for a couple hours, and then to the BMX track for practice (Dad would bring the helmet and gear), then practice for a couple hours and ride home. All this with a 44/16 gear and a UNI Seat! (remember those?) We would almost NEVER sit down. Plus, we were hopping curbs, riding wheelies, launching drive aprons...etc. Mine was a GT Pro all maxed out. What were those rims that had the holes drilled out between spoke nipples with the different color rim strips? (Pro-Lines, Pro-Max..? I can't remember.)

Ah, those were the days!

Now I'm getting old and crusty and have to force myself to ride 3x's a week for an hour.

L8R


Okay, I hate to admit this but I still own my circa 1981, made in USA, 4130 chromoly Redline MX-II! Talk about old school. :o

Do ya remember: Stu Thomsen, Tange forks, Dia Compe MX brakes, when Haro was "gnarly", the SE Racing Quad-Angle, the PK Ripper, Radical Rick, hard plastic Kashimax seats, Skyway Tuff mag wheels...? If you do, you're as much of a fogey as I am!

By the way kids, the Evil Imperial design looks a lot like a Torker. *What is a Torker?* LOL

Heck I still remember when some of my friends had bikes that looked like motorcycles with faux gas tank and full suspension.

I always sold one bike to put some money down on the next. Started racing BMX with a steel Ashtabulah, then an MCS Magnum, then the GT-Pro, then a RedLine PL-24 (Redline's first 24" cruiser), then got into freestyle and got a Kuwahara (w/white Tuff Wheels), then an SE Racing Quadangle, then got into Mtn bikes, then road bikes!

L8R

Do ya remember: Stu Thomsen, Tange forks, Dia Compe MX brakes, when Haro was "gnarly", the SE Racing Quad-Angle, the PK Ripper, Radical Rick, hard plastic Kashimax seats, Skyway Tuff mag wheels...? If you do, you're as much of a fogey as I am!

By the way kids, the Evil Imperial design looks a lot like a Torker. *What is a Torker?* LOL

Oh yeah, I remeber all of those. What was Radical Rick's buddy's name?

I grew up a few miles from the Hutch factory. I started freestyling in the early days when Haro was riding and a frame stand was pushing the limits. RL Osbourne, Wood Itson, Eddie Fiola, etc. Remember Z-rims? Beartrap pedals? Tuffneck stems?

BTW, I did some calculations with Sheldon Brown's gain ratio calculator not to long ago and found that with the wheel size differences, the 44x16 on 20inch wheels is almost exactly same as the 34x17 I run on my 26" MTB.

Oh yeah, I remeber all of those. What was Radical Rick's buddy's name?


Oh yeah! It really wasn't RR's buddy as I recall. It was his arch-nemesis who always tried to cheat or sabotage RR.

RR would win the race at the end of course. Those 'toons were drawn for "BMX Plus!" by Bob Haro himself. Talk about a talented guy.

Wow, BMX sure gave MTB a lot of innovations:

- Welded aluminum frames (PK Ripper)
- Twin top tube designs that Imperial uses for the Evil (first made by Torker).
- GT's wrap around seatstay design which is used by a lot of MTB manufacturers.
- Early "monoshock" BMX bikes with square tubing, which was pretty much an early attempt at what we now know as full-suspension frames.
- Even "sick" stunts (or "gnarly" as they were known). I remember Jim Pratt became a BMX god after doing a ramp-to-ramp jump over 5 cars, riding a 20 inch wheeled BMX, on a TV show called "Games People Play".

To further reminisce: I remember when Profile Racing first came out. Their frames were prototype, they gave my best friend (Ron Walker) a "full-factory" sponsorship. I was so envious and proud of my bud. That next Christmas, I begged my parents for a pair of Profile Cranks. Still riding their cranks and products to this day! As a matter of fact. I'll be meeting with Percy Owens tomorrow afternoon. They're redoing the local BMX track down here again, and my buddy (Ron) are going out there to see Percy and Termite and others.

Do you guys remember when that company (can't remember the name) had a double chain-drive bike? Two chains, chainrings on both sides, and reverse thread on a flip-flop hub. Remember the plastic covers over chains to keep the dirt off?

Most of all, remember the movie "RAD"? Remember E.T. and Bob Haro did the stunts?

What else? The guy from Mexico who was the first to do a backflip. Eddie Fiolas Flourescent Pink bikes. Grab On grips, "Heavy cushion for Heavy Pushin" Oakley 3 grips. Haro Flow Plates. SE Racing's Camo Travel Bus. Hutch bikes and the JUDGE. Hairy Leary and Team Diamond Back. Vans Checkerboard shoes. JT Racing's Joffa's, MX gloves, Helmet Visors and Race Pants.

DG Bikes. Shimano DX Pedals (the original DX) Side-pull brakes....I could go on and on.

Man, I'm feeling old now!

L8R

Radical Ricks buddy, was it Mad Mike or ? Great! Now I'm going to go crazy trying to remember.

L8R

The guy from Mexico who was the first to do a backflip. Jose Yanez I believe.

How about ODI mushroom grips, loved those.

Pots Mod, ACS Rotor,... Better stop now or I'll be up all night :D

Radical Ricks buddy, was it Mad Mike or ? Great! Now I'm going to go crazy trying to remember.

L8R


Was it MX MUG? He had a Pinnocchio like nose, and Lil' Orphan Annie/Barney Rubble like eyes as I recall.

If Skyway Tuff mags ever come back and make MTB wheels, I'm there!

Not a chance. I am willing to sacrfice speed for torque. I can't imagine doing MTB with a real bigring.

I agree. I guess the difference is the size of the mountains. I think those of us in the west have more appriciation of the "granny" ring. :D

"Its not the size of the ring, its the size of the mountain!" (or something like that) ;)

Very true N7, thats how I look at it. Maybe if I was in race form (yeah right) I could make it up some of the hills here without a granny...but really I don't want to work that hard UP...I want the speed and control down. :) The granny gear lets me 'coast' up the hill a little easier.

http://www.shabestari.com/PKRipper.htm

http://www.shabestari.com/PKRipper.htm

Cool! Is that your bike or one that you had before?

The early 80's PK Rippers had a "loop tail" if I recall. That is the seatstays, and chainstays were one continuous tubing = good rigidity. Perhaps some dirtjump MTB manufacturers would benefit from using the looptail design especially for single speeds with horizontal dropouts.

The nicest dropouts were on the obscure BMX brand known as "Thruster" -- name sounds kinda X-rated today. They had the dropouts recessed into seatstay and chainstay.

http://users.pandora.be/jjrbmx/oldschool/Thruster1.jpg

I was reading the thread and some old memories came back :) I did a search for pk rippers and found that link -here's another - loop tail : http://www.bmxnonstop.com/oldschool/pkgold.html
I had one, used, when I was about 7! 20 years later, I see this thread.
Thruster, I think I've seen one before. Nice.
Mongoose used the loop tail on their mountain bikes - another bmx carry-over.

I was reading the thread and some old memories came back :) I did a search for pk rippers and found that link -here's another - loop tail : http://www.bmxnonstop.com/oldschool/pkgold.html
I had one, used, when I was about 7! 20 years later, I see this thread.
Thruster, I think I've seen one before. Nice.
Mongoose used the loop tail on their mountain bikes - another bmx carry-over.

Suh-weet! Never seen a gold PK (Perry Kramer) Ripper. Look at those massive welds, and cool head gusset!

RE: Mongoose. Yes, you're right. I recall Mongoose put the looptail on their bizarre looking Moosegoose (a BMX for tall riders), then on their mid 80's bikes.

I think there's more than reminiscing here. I think there's a lot to be gained from studying old BMX designs and applying them to the current roster of freeride and dirtjump bikes (which are big BMX's in a way). I mean, it was HARD to break a good BMX frame in the day.

Besides, everything that is hot in MTB today was already done in BMX decades ago. Check these out:

- An ad for an early single shock suspension frame (monoshock) from Gary Littlejohn (two pics down). Looks a lot like today's full suspension designs.
http://www.vintagebmx.com/interview_littlejohn.htm

- Double crown, suspension forks
http://www.bmxnonstop.com/oldschool/74yamamoto.htm

On my Norco I have a Truvative Crankset that had a 22/32 combo, well you can pretty well climb straight up trees with a 22 on the front and a 32 cassette out back, I never used it, so I took it off and put a bashguard on in place.