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I ripped the rear derailleur off my "gravel bike"* yesterday. As the drive train was past the end of its life its not the end of the world. But it gives me a chance change the gearing around.
Currently it 40-28 at the front and 36-11. The gear range has been spot on for me round here with lowish fitness and preference for seated spinnin.. Keeping the gearing the same will be less faff than changing it but I could now go lower to allow for hillier areas and or light luggage.
I suspect my bottom gear is on the low side for a drop bar bike with 40mm tyres. But I was interested to know what other people are using
* I apologise for using the term "gravel bike". But that is probably the most applicable term for it. It's a previous generation gravel bike
22/32 and I need it
32/17
Which coincidentally is the unladen ratio as well.
22 / 34 equivalent. for heavy touring
This is on a 650B so a slightly smaller wheel, but ime 28-36 is a pretty good low gear for what I think of as light (5-6kg) loads on road. Really depends on your fitness or what you think a light load is.
I don't find a front 26/38 double combo too low for hilly areas either FWIW. 38-11 is an OK top gear for the 650B wheel and multi-day loaded pace, I'm only freewheeling on downhills anyway.
24/32 on the touring bike
26:32 it's been over the Rockies and many others with 4 panniers on fully loaded
34:40 on mine at the moment. I'll consider 30:40 as an option at some point but that means changing the cranks.
26/32 (i think, mighty be be 26/36) on the tandem
looks good Donald how on earth did its stay in place though?!
Used to be 30:29 but swapped the chainset to get 24:29 when I started towing my daughter in a trailer as well as 4 panniers.
Used all the gears on our summer camping trip to Mull. Have a triple so still have 44:11 top end. Looking at a replacement bike, wish they made a hydraulic triple 105 set of shifters.
Depends where you ride.
On the 2x bike it’s 25/40 up front and 11-32 at the back which is good winching gear. On the 1x it’s 37t up front and 10-42 out back. Not quite the low range but same high range. If I had to pick I’d stick with the 2x.
20-46 on my cargo bike, that’s right 20 on the front!
26inch rear wheel and I’m pretty sure I’ve had actual snails overtake me on long steep hills!
30/40 bottom gear on mine. Sub compact with 11-40t cassette.
38 X 46 on mine. Changed from a 42t cassette earlier this year. It's ok on hills with bikepacking bags but I'd want a lower gear if using panniers or doing something particularly bonkers.
looks good Donald how on earth did its stay in place though?!
Counterbalance
For the people running sub-compacts and big cassettes, any issues running a double with an 11-40t cassette?
I did some extremely light gravel touring last year (basically credit card touring between hotels) on a 31/34 lowest gear, but was defeated a couple of times...
I did the capital trail last summer, not massively laden with luggage but there are some b*stard steep climbs. I'd put on a 30*11-46 and needed every bit of the 30/46 to not be off walking.
Thanks folks. Quite a few low gears about
I had some time to think about gearing as I cycled home with 28 28 as the only ratio I could get to work. I decided that I would no longer worry so much about top gears.
So I think I'll drop to a 24 or 26 smallest at the front with a 36 or 38, keeping the gap at 12
For the people running sub-compacts and big cassettes, any issues running a double with an 11-40t cassette?
I'm running 50/34 and 11-40T. No reason a sub-compact would be an issue. I was actually looking at the Absolute Black 46/30 chainrings last night.
@13thfloormonk I'm using an ultegra r8000 clutched rd with an 11-40t cassette fine. The front is a fsa 30/46 (omega I think) sub compact that came with the bike (topstone). No issues with either.
46/36/24 triple up front with a 11-28 cassette at the back.
I run a direct mount 1x crank set and 11-42 cassette. I swap the front ring as follows
40t - Normal road and gravel
38t - Hilly Gravel
36t - Laden road and light gravel
34t - Mutliday Hilly laden bikepacking
’m using an ultegra r8000 clutched rd with an 11-40t cassette fine.
I’m running 50/34 and 11-40T. No reason a sub-compact would be an issue. I was actually looking at the Absolute Black 46/30 chainrings last night.
Nice, just wondered about all the extra chain, I guess that's why the mechs are so long now!
I wish AB would get their fingers out and develop the GRX 46/30 chainrings they've been promising, wouldn't be a massive improvement over my 48/31 setup but at least they'd be offset inboard a bit (according to AB) which would improve my chainline as an added bonus.
I run a direct mount 1x crank set and 11-42 cassette. I swap the front ring as follows
40t – Normal road and gravel
38t – Hilly Gravel
36t – Laden road and light gravel
34t – Mutliday Hilly laden bikepacking
That's a neat setup, wish I'd gone for DM cranks when I built my bike, what cranks do you have? (I'm eternally prejudiced against all things SRAM unfortunately)
I see Easton and Praxis do direct mount...
Nice, just wondered about all the extra chain
LOL. Yeah, I did need to inset a couple of extra links too 😉
That’s a neat setup, wish I’d gone for DM cranks when I built my bike, what cranks do you have? (I’m eternally prejudiced against all things SRAM unfortunately)
I see Easton and Praxis do direct mount…
Praxis Zyante Carbon, they are lovely.
The Rohloff clad world traveller bike (when I put it back together) is 32T chainring and 16T sprocket. That's a 15" gear or a 30/54 bottom in derailleur speak. That's a enough to spinny winch a lump of a loaded bike up most stuff. At the other end that gives me a 84" gear with in my opinion is more that sufficient for a loaded bike on a tour.
I reckon for any bike intended for loaded touring you just can't go too low. The consideration being is the bike to be used in other modes and if the setup would be too limiting (i.e. lots of unused bottoms gears with great big jumps between the used gears or too low a top gear) and if you are inclined or too spanner inept to change a cassette depending on what you are doing.
I run a direct mount 1x crank set and 11-42 cassette. I swap the front ring as follows
40t – Normal road and gravel
38t – Hilly Gravel
36t – Laden road and
I might end up 1x at some point. I like the sound of this. Would a 32 be possible? Do you keep the chain the same length?