Originally Posted by
big john
Mine came with a 32 on the front and a 46 big cog. It wasn't low enough so I put a 28 on the front which helped a lot. Newer drivetrains have a 50, 51, or 52 in the back.
If I had a lightweight XC bike like pictured above I could probably use a slightly higher low gear.
That's Emily Batty's bike and the article says she runs 34T up front. I can't tell by looking if that's a 45 or 51 big cog in back.
I like to be able to crawl up steep stuff occasionally so after a couple years with the single 34T x 11-46 I decided to go for a double 24/34 up front.