Originally Posted by
Jarrett2
This is what I went with:
SRAM X-Sync Chainring 48t
SRAM PC-1130 Chain
SRAM Long Cage Rival 1 Rear DR
SRAM PG-1130 Cassette 11-42
I used this to figure it out:
HTML5 Gear Calculator
Just a note on using Dirk Freekin's gear calculator. You can do your gearing and then copy and paste the URL so that people don't have to recalculate your gearing. For your gearing,
this is the chart. It's a handy tool to use. You can also compare two setup and share that as well.
Originally Posted by
SBTurtle
Background:
I've been through quite a few bicycles. One of the bicycles I miss the most from a gear-changing perspective was a folding bicycle with just 7 gears -- no front derailleur. I was able to go up hills really well and yet take on flat surfaces at a slow steady pace. No messing around with a front derailleur.
With my current bicycle and location, most of the time I'm either going up a very steep hill or down a steep hill (so fast that I go beyond pedaling ability). I rarely use the largest chainring. Also, I typically use just a few gear combinations, the others are often in the way or add frustration. Having three chainrings often leads to a derailleur rub -- no matter how much I adjust the front derailleur - stops and cable tension. I feel like I'm spending too much time and energy hassling about the front derailleur.
Honestly, I don't understand why people have so many problems with front derailers. I find them easy to set up and maintain. There are a few...the more expensive Shimanos...that are more finicky but even those aren't impossible. Since you seem to have a mountain bike, going to a Sram front will also solve a whole lot of problems that might be Shimano related.
Originally Posted by
SBTurtle
Questions:
Is it possible to convert to a single chainring in front for uphill to closely match the lowest gear (small front / big rear) gear and the highest gear in the middle (middle front, small rear)?
What kind of front chainring size should I get to replace all 3 with something that matches that combination?
Is there a way to calculate the front chainring size for what I need?
Current Crankset = 44/32/22 with 9 speed cassette (11-34t).
Thanks!
Yes it is "possible" to convert to a single ring but you won't be able to get the same range. Here's your
current triple set up compared to Jarrett2's single. You can see that it has a really tall high but no low range. A more realistic range would be to use a
44 tooth chainring with the same cassette. It's not as high...a 120" gear is really high and probably not that useful for most people. (In the interest of honesty, I have bikes with 120" gears but really don't use that gear much)
If you wanted the same low, you could put a
27 tooth ring on the crank and have the same low but you'll have no high end. Realistically, you are limited to a 32 tooth ring on your crank so the gearing would look more
like this.
Back in the old days before cassettes and 11 tooth cog we used to have to run 14-34 freewheels that had gearing
like this. Don't pay much attention to the gaps but look at the high gear. Essentially this is the range that you can get with the 11-42 and a 32 tooth ring. The problem with the low
high gear (80" gear) is that you spin out at a relatively low speed. It's frustrating to have to coast a whole lot down a long hill. If you have no problem coasting at 20 mph, then the gearing might work.
Single speed are simple but they are also a compromise. If your riding is over a narrow range of terrains, they can work well enough. But if you need a wider range, you have to choose between having a low gear for climbing or a high gear for descending. You really can't have both. For a bike that works in lots of different terrains, you need multiple gears up front to extend the range. For example, if you want to be silly, you could use the same 11-42 that Jarrett2 uses with your existing triple and extend the gear range into
stupidly low gears with a reasonable high gear. Anything that the single speed can do, you can match it...or better it... with a triple