Mountain Biking - okay, okay, how do you guys do it?

I'm not a great rider. To some, i'm not even "good." However, i do ride, and i ride regularly. i'm faster and stronger (at biking) than any of my friends.

Anyways...

How do you fellow riders pedal around in your high gears? I find when i'm off the road on my SC Chameleon I can't get out of my small chain ring (22T). Using my 22T chain ring and my 11 - 34 cassette, i can access every ratio i need to on the trails.

even when i'm on the road, i don't really need to go any higher than my 22-11 ratio.

i can ride around on my middle chain ring (32) on the trails as well, but sometimes have to drop to the 22T for some slopes.

i almost never touch the 44T ring, not even on the roads.

how do you guys do it? i asked the guys at my LBS about removing chain rings and the guy i regularly deal with asked me why i was removing it; that little guys like me crank them and go speedy fast.

now i'm thinking of removing the 44t and 32t ring 'cause i don't need them and the 44t ring catches on fallen trees.

would riding on my kenda nevegal 2.35" tires be the cause of my slowness? what is it? how do you guys do it?

Running 22-11 is called cross chaining.. stop doing that.

I rarely use my 22t chainring.. or the 44 for that matter.

i try not to cross 'em :). i'm usually in the middle of my cassette (conscious of crossing)

Well........I'm not one to boast but I am a beast.

I only use the middle or small ring. Unless, of course, I'm wearing a testosterone patch on my nuts. Then I use the big ring exclusively. And, the bike has been known to implode under me.

Who's a beast now, '66?

Only time I've consistently gotten up on the big ring is XC races, either where a short descent has helped me carry that speed across a flat or in the last quarter mile sprint to the finish.

at 22 - 34 can you even keep the bike upright??? I try to stay in the 32 tooth ring, even if I make crap rpms... those low gears I seem to be content going slow. my method is when I get comfortable I just grab a gear and pedal harder until I get comfortable again.

try a different tire on the rear and see if it helps

I have a 22 and a 32. I am almost always in the 32 unless I hit a gnarly climb then I'll drop into 22. I had a 44 but I almost never used it. I am thinking I am going to change from a 32 to a 34 or 36 though as I have found myself running out of gears. My advice ditch the 44 and get a bash guard and stay in the 32 untill you need to run in the 22.

Maybe you need to find faster friends. :-)
I almost always ride in my middle ring and use the 22 for big climbs on my Chameleon. I use a 2.35 tire up front and a 2.1 on the rear.
You use the 44 for road riding and faster off road trails.
A lot of riders will remove the 44 and put a bashring on.

i use the 22-34 for the steep steep slopes.

i suppose i could ride with the 22 + 32 and slap on a bash ring.

Get a E 13 or and MRP bash. They are super beefy. You also might want to consider a chain guide. Blackspire, MPR, E 13 all make them for a two ring setup. I am running an E 13 DRS and I haven't dropped a chain since I put in on.

Work out the ratios. The top gear with the middle ring is 32:11, which would be approximately a match with 44:15, if you have a 15 on the cassette. If you have 11, 12, 14, 16,... on the cassette, the 44t ring gives you about 2½ gears higher than the 32t ring. The 32t ring also covers all but about the lowest 2½ gears of the 22t ring. http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears/

Meaty thews.

Zan-

Try going 1x9...this would mean take the 22 and 44 off. This will force you to push yourself harder on the hills. Using a single 32t front ring has changed my life. It made me stronger, braver, my hair grew back, and I'm a stallion at home:love:

(I live in KS though so if you live in an area with any hills at all...I'd stick with a 22,32,bash ring setup):thumb:

i was thinking of going 1x9. i tried riding the trails using the 32T ring. it's cool for the most part. i haven't been able to hit the larger slopes, though. storms knocked a tree over the slopes which prevents me from climbing. since i'm the only one who maintains the trails, the tree is still there. i'll get around to it sometime.

if i can climb that one slope with my 32T chainring, i think i'll go with a 1x9. more simple :)

i was thinking of going 1x9. i tried riding the trails using the 32T ring. it's cool for the most part. i haven't been able to hit the larger slopes, though. storms knocked a tree over the slopes which prevents me from climbing. since i'm the only one who maintains the trails, the tree is still there. i'll get around to it sometime.

if i can climb that one slope with my 32T chainring, i think i'll go with a 1x9. more simple :)

When it's loamy...there is a hill around here that makes me dismount. It's very short/steep and is over quickly.

The simplicity and dead-sexy-looks of a 1x9 are worth that little dismount in the loam.

Ride lots.

Go my style and be a 1-byer.. lol
run 1x9.
It makes you stronger, and its awesome.

Get on it man, clear that trail!

Just wondering, are you running 1x8 or 9?

Im running a 1x8


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On my old Trek I removed the 22 and the 42 as all I needed was the 32 and the 11-34 in the rear... the new Blizzard has a full drivetrain with 24 speeds and that granny doesn't see any use either.

Strip it off and join the

BAGG
Bikers Against Granny Gears

Zan-

Try going 1x9...this would mean take the 22 and 44 off. This will force you to push yourself harder on the hills. Using a single 32t front ring has changed my life. It made me stronger, braver, my hair grew back, and I'm a stallion at home:love:

(I live in KS though so if you live in an area with any hills at all...I'd stick with a 22,32,bash ring setup):thumb:


+1 except I run a 1x8 with 34t up front :)

1x8's UNITE!

Strip it off and join the

BAGG
Bikers Against Granny Gears

What about the chainguide-using "Freeriders Against Granny Gears"?

That would be
FAGG lol...
BAGG is cooler.
BAGG is inclusive of all styles of biking, except road and those who use granny's lol!

That would be
FAGG lol...
BAGG is cooler.
BAGG is inclusive of all styles of biking, except road and those who use granny's lol!

Some things that are intended to go without saying...well...:rolleyes:

LOL..
Well its a good thing I don't use a chain guide... SO that mean I fall under
BAGG

i try not to cross 'em :). i'm usually in the middle of my cassette (conscious of crossing)

+1 but I do use the 44t but I don't cross much in any ring, I just develop a feel for the trails I ride. I was riding with some guys that were using the smaller ring with higher cadence and they noticed I was using the bigger ring. Our thought was there are some higher spinning riders in smaller rings and there are some power riders in the bigger rings. I will shift before a climb but I accell on my climbs more than average so I think I spin slower but with more power......who knows:rolleyes:

I'm prolly going to get a bike that's 1x8 :)

I'm prolly going to get a bike that's 1x8 :)

Redline?

I kind of wish I had a FD so I could shift into my Big ring as well,
I did a quick 1 mile commute the other day, and in my 1x8 setup I was maintainin a 22 MPH speed on the road.
Im sure I could maintain 25ish with the bigger ring.

but hey, its all about the trails.

1x8 Makes you cool also.
=)

I kind of wish I had a FD so I could shift into my Big ring as well,
I did a quick 1 mile commute the other day, and in my 1x8 setup I was maintainin a 22 MPH speed on the road.
Im sure I could maintain 25ish with the bigger ring.

but hey, its all about the trails.

1x8 Makes you cool also.
=)

you ride your mountain bike at 35kph on the road? i don't even ride my road bike that fast. sure you could maintain 40 with a bigger ring? Cheeto, either you were going all out riding, are totally jacked and should get off the roids, or your computer is off.

how do you go about taking off chain rings? if you stick an alan key in the hole and spin, it spins freely. has some weird clip on the other side. you need a specific tool to handle this?

you ride your mountain bike at 35kph on the road?

Not tough in KS.

Redline?

Na, I dont need another XC bike. I am looking seriously into that Jamis Komodo 1.0 on Jenson. Not sure it fits the budget right now though. I ended up not starting a second job, didnt get many house sitting jobs this summer and being a caddie at the local golf course doesnt pay all that well, and there are alot of people who want to be caddies and only a few people who want to use caddies. Plus most places wont hire until I'm 16 :notamused:

see, this is where i'm confused. i used to ride my old department store bike on the roads @ 24kph or so. back then i was a weaker rider than i am now. now... when i ride my fancy pants bike on the road i have trouble going over 20kph.

the rubber is great off the road, though :) i don't slip like i did on my department store bike

how do you go about taking off chain rings? if you stick an alan key in the hole and spin, it spins freely. has some weird clip on the other side. you need a specific tool to handle this?

You need a chainring wrench. MEC has one for $3.50.

Click here. (http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp;jsessionid=LvHnMqgcvmnw62QyHyDJCjjDjzCB12XppnnHsWm2gdGLB7jw3sXp!-1018521016?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442618885&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302693915&bmUID=1218594600038)

You need a chainring wrench. MEC has one for $3.50.



You do?

Mine is just screwed on to the spider with 4 allen blots. All it takes for me to remove it is an allen wrench on the bolt side and a flat blade screw driver on the housing side.

Mine are like these but longer to accomodate the bash.

http://www.pricepoint.com/images/styleImages/D_080%20VUESR7.jpg

Big flatblade works fine. The specific wrench makes it easier, tho. Notorious as one of the least expensive of all bike-specific tools.

You do?

Mine is just screwed on to the spider with 4 allen blots. All it takes for me to remove it is an allen wrench on the bolt side and a flat blade screw driver on the housing side.

Mine are like these but longer to accomodate the bash.



Nah, you don't need the tool. But it sure works nicer than using a screwdriver. In a pinch, use whatever the hell you have handy that'll fit in the backside slots to prevent them from spinning. Sometimes it's needed, sometimes not.

And sometimes you can strip them. Just speaking from experience.

Wow, I feel out of place here since I don't ride SS or 1x9, but...............

I ride the pedestrian 22-32-44, 11-32 (34 is almost silly-low). I use 'em all (no cross-chaining). Like most folks who ride 3-ring setups I wear out the middle ring first 'cause that's where I spend most of my time (granny wears a close second because it gets the most torque). I use the 22 when the pitch is steep (for ME, anyway), but that doesn't SEEM to be super often. And I definitely use the 44 to get the speed up fast and to not run out of gears. The 44 is also good for rough descents to keep up the chain tension (less slappage) and to provide some ability to ratchet-pedal as you're going down.

That would be
FAGG lol...
BAGG is cooler.
BAGG is inclusive of all styles of biking, except road and those who use granny's lol!

The "granny" on my road bike would make you cry.

Yeah, you don't necessarily "need" the chainring wrench. As noted sometimes the bolts don't spin and an allen wrench is all you need. If the bolts do spin a flat screwdriver does work but in my case it was always slipping a little. When i came across the special tool and saw how cheap it was, I picked it up.

The "granny" on my road bike would make you cry.

Haha, same. I dont know the ratio, but I can hit 10 mph WITHOUT spinning out

Wow, I feel out of place here since I don't ride SS or 1x9, but...............

I ride the pedestrian 22-32-44, 11-32 (34 is almost silly-low). I use 'em all (no cross-chaining). Like most folks who ride 3-ring setups I wear out the middle ring first 'cause that's where I spend most of my time (granny wears a close second because it gets the most torque). I use the 22 when the pitch is steep (for ME, anyway), but that doesn't SEEM to be super often. And I definitely use the 44 to get the speed up fast and to not run out of gears. The 44 is also good for rough descents to keep up the chain tension (less slappage) and to provide some ability to ratchet-pedal as you're going down.

Me too. On rolling easy terrain I shift between 32-44 on the front. I find it easier than banging through 5 or 6 cogs on the back. As I get older I get lazier and lazier... Also with clipless my shins don't feel unsafe without a bashguard.

For me the 44 is the get me to the trailhead gear (road or pavement) comes in handy on some jeep trails too. The 22 is called upon for the nasties, root and rock laden ups that we find in the Ouachita Mountains. 32 is for general purpose. I never used to use the 22 but I'm getting old and weak.

well, the 44 is definitely going to go, 'cause i don't use it at all.

i've been toying with the idea of going SS. my beater which i rode on the trails before i got my Chameleon was a SS (had to be a SS), and i was able to nail everything with it.

went out for a ride the other day and my derailleur acted as a plow through the vegetation. kept hooking on stuff. my front derailleur was a mess too. vegetation + mud everywhere. SS might be more practical.

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll288/theConditioned/IMG_3706.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll288/theConditioned/IMG_3705.jpg

It looks to me like you're in the small front cog, and second smallest rear cog in that photo.. that is cross chaining.