1242Vintage

I'm running a 1x11 SRAM drivetrain 32t oval chairing and a 10-42 cassette.

Have a bigger chainring in case i ride or race in an event that doesn't have a whole lot of climbing. Only takes a couple minutes to undo four bolts to swap out.

Have lots of steep hills on my favorite gravel roads so I need the low gearing. The downside is that I spin out at about 25 mph.

Ronsonic 

I'm still 2 x 9, 48-39 and 13-26. Not a wide range, but small gaps. It's flat and windy here.

martynaaas

It is interesting that no one else here mentioned 10-42 cassette when going with 1x setup. IMO it provides more than enough gearing when climbing those steep hills on a cyclocross/gravel bike without losing an ability to go considerably fast when going downhill.

GeneO 

Sure they did.

"Fred"

I run a compact double and find it perfect for Gravel Races in Northern Michigan. Sometimes on steep hills I would like an easier gear but on fast flats the top end is needed. I built the bike from the ground up and am glad I choose the compact.

RockiesDad

I just did this swap and think it was worth my $10 shipped 34T ring.

It helped a bit, but, its still not quite enough low gearing with my 11-28 cassette. My next thought was to go to 12-36 cassette with would give me a couple more gears on the low end but will have to go to a mountain bike rear derailler to get there. So a new cassette, derailler and new chain. Not sure if I can do this myself so might have to add some labor in there too.

So with all this talk about a new 46-30 crank got me thinking. After some calucations, I would be gaining only one more gear with my same 11-28 vs. having two more with the 12-36 swap. Cost seems to be a wash.

Using this gear calculator is rather fun. Thanks to whoever posted this somewhere. Just passing this along...

HTML5 Gear Calculator

Tim_Iowa

Main gravel bike:

Foundry Auger: 2x10 SRAM - 50/34, 11-34. I use a medium-cage "WiFli" RD which is rated to 32t, but handles the 34t OK.
The 11-28 cassette was the first thing I changed out. Not low enough gearing for the rolling gravel and B-roads I ride.

Other bikes I ride on gravel:
Rivendell Road Std (650b): 3x10 mostly Shimano - 52/42/30, 11-32. 10s bar-end with XT M772 RD.
Schwinn KOM: 3x9 Shimano - 48/38/26 Biopace!, 11-34. 9s bar-end with SLX M662 RD.
Rivendell Roadeo: 2x8 Sachs Ergopower (Campagnolo) - 46/30 VO crank, 11-28.

09box

9x2 Campy/XTR Frankenstein. I hardly ever use the left shifter.

Barrettscv 

Road triple with 50, 39 & 26 chainrings. I use a 12-27 or 12-30 ten speed cassette. The 39 middle ring covers the 8 to 25 mph speed range very well. The large chainring is useful on pavement, the small chainring provides a bail-out on very steep climbs, but is rarely used.

Barrettscv 

I have a 48, 36 & 26 triple on my vintage Cyclocross bike. It has a 13-24 seven speed freewheel.

RockiesDad

I have the SRAM Apex group and trying to stay that way. SRAM doesn't make a 11-34 do they? But it looks like you went with Shimano for the 11-34 cassette? I think the 10speed spacing should be the same for both vendors? Also, good to know you can push the SRAM medium cage up to 34T. I can at least stay with SRAM road group vs going to the mountain bike derailler.

Question is now which one to get...

https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-CS-M7...6A6ADZDMSAECKB

https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-HG500...speed+cassette

wheelsmcgee

Running 2x10, 46/34 rings, 11-28 cassette on my drop bar cross/gravel bike. For flat Kansas, it's fine. For hilly Kansas, I need lower. I can say on the DK100 this spring it would've sucked for me on this bike.

On my rigid mtb (running 29x2.2 tires) it's a 2x10 40/28 rings, 11-36 cassette. I'm glad I rode this on the DK100. I used the 28/36 combo, especially as the hours passed and fatigue built up, although it probably wasnt 100% necessary. I almost never use it around here for shorter rides. On downhills I could use higher gears.

IMHO, I'd be fine on either bike with something like a 46/30 11-36 setup, assuming shifting works well and I wasn't dropping chains all the time or something. The spacing on the 11-36 cassette doesn't bother me. I can certainly understand 1x with those 10-42 11 speed setups.

Canker

RoadLink ? wolftoothcomponents.com

Tim_Iowa

Yep, I went with the Shimano CS-M771 cassette. It was on sale for less than the equivalent SRAM (PG-1070). I didn't even notice that SRAM doesn't make an 11-34!

I wanted 11-34 so I could have a 1:1 low gear with my 50/34 crank.

Yes, SRAM and Shimano use the same cog spacing for their cassettes. Even though Shimano calls their CX-M771 a "DynaSys" cassette, in reality there is no such thing. DynaSys uses the exact same cog spacing, just a different cable pull ratio.

SRAM's medium cage 10s road RDs (also called "WiFli", a dumb name) are rated to a 32t cog. Mine does fine with the 34t, but the upper pulley is really close to the cassette at that point.

Your SRAM Apex shifters are 10-speed, correct? SRAM's 10-speed MTB and Road RDs use the same cable pull ratio (Exact Actuation), so they're cross-compatible.
You could use a medium-cage SRAM 10s MTB rear derailleur instead of the mid-cage road (WiFli) RD, and that RD would fully support a 34t or even 36t big cog.
One big advantage of using a SRAM MTB RD is the clutch (aka "Type 2"). The clutch on the lower cage really helps to prevent chain slap on rough terrain (but it is a tiny bit heavier).

Unfortunately, SRAM changed the cable pull ratio for 11-speed MTB (X-Actuation), so their 11-speed MTB and Road stuff isn't cross-compatible anymore.
But, you could use a 10-speed SRAM MTB RD (Exact-Actuation) with 11-speed SRAM Road shifters (Exact-Actuation) for an 11-speed cassette.

$40 shipped is a great price on the XT cassette. I'd grab one (and maybe even a spare) at that price.

The HG-500 will be a bit heavier because less of its cogs are mounted to aluminum carriers (aka "spiders"). Those spiders reduce the amount of steel in the cassette (lower weight) and don't dig into alloy freehub bodies quite as badly as loose steel cogs do.

Tim_Iowa

The Wolftooth Roadlink is designed for Shimano road RDs, not SRAM ones.

From their product site:
"SRAMs Exact Actuation road shifters (10s and 11s) are interchangeable with their Exact Actuation mountain derailleurs- which can easily handle a 36 or 40 (and, for one-by, are available with a clutch)"

RockiesDad

This will not work with a short cage derailler when jumping to 11-34T cassette. Calculations comes out to max capacity of 35T. Too much for a short cage derailler.

So, I think my choices are if I want to go with a road or mountian derailler. Medium cage road (max 32T) pushed to accomodate 34T with Shimano 11-34T or just go with all mountain long cage derailler with 11-36T.

Road briffers should work with mountain derailler according to Wolf "SRAMs Exact Actuation road shifters (10s and 11s) are interchangeable with their Exact Actuation mountain derailleurs- which can easily handle a 36 or 40 (and, for one-by, are available with a clutch)- and the CX1 will go even bigger with a single 'ring. If you already have SRAM, they also make nice front brake-only levers that match their rear shifters too.".

Don't care too much for the look of a long cage so I just might stick with the road medium cage rear derailler with 11-34T cassette. The only bummer is that there are a few overlap gears with this setup...

RockiesDad

How close is close? Any chance of damaging anything if the bike off road alot?


Yup, got a 10 speed. According to SRAM, the say max gearing for the MTB medium cage derailler is 32T. Seems to be the same for the Road derailler. The long cage goes to 36T.

https://sram-cdn-pull-zone-gsdesign....components.pdf

So, road or mountain? Having the clutch feature on the MTB seems to be a plus. To be safe and within SRAMs guidelines, a long cage MTB RD with their 11-36T would be to choice to get. Or push the road RD medium cage to 34T...

mongol777

Although all my bikes are gravel bikes at some point I have 4 mostly gravel riding rigs
Awol - Schwalbe G-One (700-40something), 50/34 - 11-32
Nature boy with Knards - 42-19, SS
Cross Check with 29x2 Schwalbe fat franks - 42-17, SS
1x1 with 29x2.35 big apples, 32x18, FG

vinuneuro

My Diverge has the stock 50/34, 11-32 ratios. For the terrain we have here an 11-25 would be more appropriate, when the chain and cassette wear out.

Richard8655

30/39/50 triple on my 2007 Tricross Comp. Much prefer triple over double in the way I ride my cross, but adjusting the front derailleur can be a little tricky.

jwehman

I had (see previous post of mine) a compact Shimano 46/36 with an 11-spd 11-28 cassette. On Saturday I put on an 11-32 (kept the front the same) with a new chain and I'm glad I did. I completed a Gran Fondo with 9K of elevation gain and that 32 bailed me out a lot of times. With several 15% grades, I would have been walking quite a bit on the 28, I think. As it was - 36x32 was *barely* enough.

RockiesDad

Try swapping your 36T to a 34T. Cheap and easy to do to get to "just" enough...

I think I'm going to wimp out and go for the 11-34T with my 46-34 chainring. Looking for "just enough and a little bit more" just in case for my +50yr old body.

mstateglfr 

I just received an 11-36t cassette that ill try on a 105 mid length rear derailleur. Assuming that cant handle the 36t, ill add a roadlink attachment.
This will all be mated to a 34t small ring.

No shame in getting gearing that works.

MrK.

I just built up a bike with 11-32 cassette and 53-39 double crankset. All SRAM With GX rear mech and rival front der and crankset. After a few rides climbing hills I ordered a 50-34 crankset.

OnTheRivet

This should not be happening if you have the Force Type 2 clutch rear derailleur. If you have the clutch rear derailleur check the cage tension, these will need to be adjusted periodically. Remove the plastic cap and turn the T55 torx clockwise to add tension to the clutch.