Drivetrain poll
 

Since I was told I derailed my own thread, how about a specific question. If you wanted a winter or rain bike (not expensive), which drivetrain would you choose:
between these four choices:

- 26/36/48T crankset and 11-32T eight speed cassette (11-13-15-18-21-24-28-32T) #1
small chainring: 22, 25, 29, 33, 39, 47, 54, 64 gear inches
middle chainring: 30, 35, 41, 46, 54, 65, 75, 89 gear inches
large chainring: 40, 46, 54, 62, 72, 87, 100, 118 gear inches

- 30/46T crankset and 11-34T eight speed cassette (11-13-15-18-21-24-28-34T) #2
small chainring: 24, 29, 34, 38, 45, 54, 62, 74 gear inches
large chainring: 37, 44, 52, 59, 69, 83, 96, 113 gear inches

- 36T crankset and 11-38T eight speed cassette (11-13-15-18-21-24-30-38T) #3
25, 32, 40, 46, 54, 65, 75, 89 gear inches

or would you prefer a more radical
-28/40T crankset and 11-32T eight speed cassette (11-13-15-18-21-24-28-32T) #4
small chainring: 24, 27, 31, 36, 42, 50, 58, 69 gear inches
large chainring: 34, 39, 45, 52, 60, 73, 84, 99 gear inches

Your poll is missing a response: None of the above.

Tough to say without some context; are the roads & cycle paths pretty hilly around you, pancake (crepe) flat, etc.?
John
PS Happy Victoria Day weekend!

seeking advice on BF is becoming more and more a test of ones ability to ride out the insults of those with more wherewithal ;) ................................and just to chum the OP I would opt for #1 or maybe #2 or #3

I have no hills. The gearing in my gravel Topstone works perfectly, 105 11 spd. system except for an FSA Gossamer 30/46 crank. An Ultegra (maybe) 12-25 cassette. I tend to park in the 46 and run thru the 17-20 cogs.

None of the above, 11 or 12 speed with 11-34 and a 46-30 you might have something there but with 8 speed and below I am out completely like way out. If we are talking about a winter or poor weather bike I would probably go with an Alfine 11 and a belt drive or a Pinion P.18 and a belt drive or a fixed gear or single speed with some wider tires and good brakes. If Schindelhaur made a titanium fixed gear with a belt I might consider that but gears are nice.

No single-speed or fixie options? No larger front chainrings (50T-53T)? No cassettes that don't go over 28T

I've used drivetrains quite similar to each of those in the winter, and they all work. 1x with a 36t chainring does not give as high of a gear as I'd like. If the bike you are riding does not have proper full coverage fenders, 1x has the advantage, as front derailleurs will get covered in snow, salt, ice, and more and then start to get rusted solid when they aren't protected. But on a bike with good fenders, a front derailleur can last awhile if cared for. On a bike where going fast is a priority, I'd likely go with 46-30 with a 11-34, and consider jumping up to 9, 10, or 11 speed. Otherwise, option 1 with the 48/36/26 crank sounds great.

If you don't have to deal with many hills, single speed/fixed gear is a fantastic choice for winter. Having no derailleurs keeps the chain further from the road, reducing the amount of crud being introduced to your drivetrain, plus you don't have derailleurs, cables, or housing that can freeze up and prevent you from being able to shift. The chain only having to bend around two chainrings instead of two chainrings and two derailleur pulleys means a stiff chain link will not be quite as annoying to ride. The whole drivetrain needs less maintenance, and is more tolerant of neglect.

I will state for the record that all those options have a 15-18 jump in the rear. My personal preference is I will go so far as to change out or build a custom cassette in order to keep gear changes below 18 teeth to 2 teeth or less*, as I find the cadence change personally unpleasant. That being said, if someone is using a freewheel or cassette with such a jump and doesn't mind it, I will not judge them.

* Offer not valid on half-step setups. But you knew that already. :)

Speaking of custom cassettes: I set up a 1x9 recently with a 36 in front and a custom 11-12-13-15-17-19-21-26-34 setup using 2 cogs salvaged from other cassettes. I would have preferred a 36 to create a 1:1 low, but the 34 suffices. This gives me an excellent progression for 7 of the gears for fast group riding, solo city riding, etc, and then two bailout gears for serious long climbs (such as Yarnell Hill and its 7 miles of 7%, or some 15+% grades in my neighborhood). The original setup started with a 11-13-15, but in group rides at 17-20 mph I was sorely missing having that perfect gear in between, so I reset it to start with 11-12-13-15. Even though the sprockets are from different cassettes, the ramps line up more than well enough for shifting easily even under hard pedal load.

I picked 3. I’d rather have the 1x.

Otto

It doesn't matter that much to me. I do have hills but not huge ones, and I'm decent at climbing hills when I don't have super low gears.

Of more concern is how well things mesh together. Triples are typically hard to set up and less reliable, though I do use them. How ready is my bike to take any of the proposed systems? Cost is a factor, too.

OK, well some hills are implied as well as snow as you can imagine.

If there were more votes for the 30/46 crankset with 11-34T cassette though, what do you think of the large jump from 30 to 46? Would you prefer 9 or 10 speeds? Or would you change the large or small chainring?

Sixteen tooth jump on chainrings is pretty standard the last few years with compact 50/34 cranksets and should work without issues. I have bikes with both 9 & 10 speed drivetrains and could live with either. No one has mentioned it yet: Microshift Sword is a 1x drivetrain that has been very well received in the cycling world; strongly suggest taking a look at that. Otherwise, your new idea of a 46/30 chainset & and 11-34 9 speed cassette gets my vote.
John
PS I apologize if I came across as snarky with my first response asking for more info; context figures very prominently in all things and I would never hazard an opinion without understanding the full picture.

I'd go for an internally-geared hub for multiple gears.

For what location?
Are we to assume Quebec where your located?
Do you ride the hills or just stay in the flats?
SS if staying in the flats, like 46 x 16

I voted #1 from your choices, but for winter & rain, I prefer belt drive + IGH, even without as much gear range. For me, the key is having LOW enough gears, esp. in winter. Having the top gear only suitable for 30 mph is fine with me; even that is rare on the conditions in which I ride this bike.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2a382707eb.jpg
Priority Apollo 11

You'd have to convince me why I need less than 11 sprockets on the rear. In my rolling terrain, a 11 speed rear, 11-30 and 2x front 52/36 is more than adequate.

If I lived in a place where mountains made for long periods of constantly climbing grades of over 6%, then possibly a 3x10 might be helpful.

Why give up the extra sprockets on the rear and do 8 speed? Even though some ratio's might be closely duplicated more with the ten speed. At least you have a better chance of finding the perfect ratio to give you the best comfortable cadence when riding with a group where you don't dictate the speed you travel.

I guess for you, "perfect" means you keep your cadence and the level of your effort the same. For me, that's nice to have but not essential. Sometimes I have to pedal hard, and sometimes I don't. I'll go through the hard stretches, and I'll rest when I don't have to pedal hard. Closely spaced gears are necessary if you require keeping up with fast riders who also have closely spaced gears.

I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm saying different people have different bases for these decisions.

I do get irritated when the gears are too far apart such as in a 3-speed hub.

If I'm riding solo it matters not. I can always find a gear combo that is a comfortable cadence when speed can be variable.

It's only when riding with groups where speed is dictated by the group or the person pulling if a paceline, that it's nice to be able have that combo that give the best comfortable cadence for the speed the group is doing.

Not a problem either way. But the OP does seem to be asking about ideals. Not what we can put up with.

I voted #1 since I can find a mtb, stick 26in slicks on it, and go ride for around 100-150usd locally and it would be a perfect beater winter bike. Single speed is my other preference, just with a low enough gear so by friday you feel alright standing up those hills.
I know personally I wouldn't need to change a 3x mtb crank or rear cassette since those are plenty low for me. We don't have real winters here.

hill were not implied nor was snow.... just winter riding which can vary from flat snow and ice to hills to just rain

Define your problem set and it would be helpful to know what your are currently riding.....

personallly I think most people could get by with a 50/34 (or if really hilly 46/30) and 11-34

16 tooth jump is pretty standard when combined with a 11/12 speed cassette

triples are old school (even though I run a campy triple on my de rosa) and hard to find

No, they werent implied.

After years of data collecting from polls and questions like the one in this thread, you seem no closer to starting that bike brand.

If you haven't noticed I haven't even mentioned starting a bike brand in several years.

I had neighbors in the past who were fairly preoccupied about people's behavior and seemed to believe they could "solve the problem" by correcting other people's behavior with criticism. I read studies show you can motivate people's behavior with compliments, not reprimands. Whether this is a pattern you learned somewhere you felt compelled to repeat here is beyond the point. This post seems to wreak of hate and anger and sounds useless to me.
I know for a fact I didn't ask this specific question in the past because it's only lately that I spent more time on the gear calculator on Sheldon Brown's website.

My vote for a rain/winter/backup bike gearing is to match what's on your number one favorite bike.

That way, even if the conditions you're riding in are icky, at least you have some familiar gearing.