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Hi all,
Had my Whyte 901 for a few years now and think the chain and ring and cassette needs changing. The front is an 39 - 26 and the cassette is 11 - 36 10 speed. I find the lowest gear could do with slighlty lower gearing also.
What would be the best ratios to convert to 11 speed? Does the derailleur need changed or just the shifter?
Any advice and possible pointers to good deals would be much appreciated 🙂
Are you planning on staying 2 x or wanting to go 1 x 11 ?
If you're wanting to go 1 x 11 and not wanting to spend £££ then take a look at Sunrace cassettes which I believe can go as wide as 11-50, and why wouldn't you get as big a range as you can?
If you've been running the same drivetrain for that long it will probably all be worn out, you will need a new 11 spd derailleur and shifter and likely a new chainring which are 9-10 and 11 spd compatible, something like an SLX derailleur and Superstar or Uberbike chainring. Oval chainrings can help smoothen out your climbing especially if techy slow climbs.
Deore 11 spd is almost as good and a bit cheaper.
Have a look at the german web sites as well as Wiggle/CRC Merlin for the best deals.
So, assuming your Whyte 901 is 27.5 X 2.35...
Assuming you want to go 1 X...
Your current bottom gearing is:
26/36 = 20.0 gear inches
so, to get lower than that with a 1 X system, assuming a 32t narrow wide chainring, you'd need:
32/46 = 19.3 gear inches
32/50 = 17.7 gear inches
A 46 doesn't offer much of a drop so source a 11/50 cassette and or / drop to a 30t chainring.
If your bike is 27.5+ then the gear inches will be a bit higher but the same will be applicable +/-.
You'll be looking at a shifter, rear derailleur, cassette, chain and chainring.
Works Components are restocking their chainrings imminently, SRAM chain, Shimano shifter & Sunrace cassette works a treat for me.
If you want to save some cash, it's worth considering sticking with 10sp. A sunrace 10-46 cassette and a 32 chainring should give you a fair range, though (as above) not much different to what you have now. Get a deore m5100* 10/11sp crank (about £50) and you can get a 30 ring which gives more climbing ease. Saves getting new shifter and mech.
*M5100 is boost but works fine with non boost frame