[Closed] Talk to me about 2 x 10 gearing ratio

The bigger the sprocket the lower the gear.

In any setup you're bound to get duplicates - in a 2 x 10 setup (20 speed) you've probably got 18 usable gears (i.e. no small to small or large to large) and of those 18 usually 3 or 4 are duplicated or as close as makes no difference.

If you're running an 11/32 cassette, changing it for 11/34 or 11/36 without changing the chainrings will give you lower gears at the bottom end and a broader spread, so fewer ratios are likely to be duplicated. Your higher gears will remain largely unaffected.

26 or 29 or 27.5 wheels?

Surely different sized wheels, or circumferences, require different gear ratio's, depending upon your preferred riding cadence?

Do you have a long cage rear mech or medium - if medium your right on the edge of its capacity so id stay with the 32. But yes the bigger the cassette the easier the peddling.

Iv just done the same as you but bought some 10 speed rings (22 and 34)

Surely different sized wheels, or circumferences, require different gear ratio's, depending upon your preferred riding cadence?

The OP's not changing wheel size, just gear setup. I expect.

11-36 on a 22/36 double does give you a stupendously low bottom gear... But it has the plus side of giving the widest range in your 36, I reckon you'd find you spend most of your time in the middle. Some people like narrower gaps but on an mtb I like decent size gaps and as few ring shifts as possible.

Its for a 26er full suss. I havent brought a rear mech yet, whether to go medium of long was going to be one of my next questions.

So if I've got this right going with a 11/34 or 11/36 will give more options with the gearing i.e. a wider spread with less duplicate gears?

My point being that a 22/36 will incur higher leg RPM with a 26 over a 29. He may well want to reconsider the options available and opt for 22/34 or 24/36? I haven't done the maths, but hopefully you get my point?

My experience from this comes from when I was motorsporting in Hillclimbs; with a 4.11 final drive and 13" rims would accelerate quicker than when I used the 17" rims in the wet. Likewise, top end speed was similarly affected. Okay, there are tyre profiles to be added into the mix too, as it went, the aspect ratios of slicks and the wets were very similar.

Overall, it may be a mute point, however it seems one that is missed when looking at bike gear ratio's.

22 granny and 36 sprocket would be so low as to be pointless. 28 granny and 36 is more or less the same gear as 22-32.

I'd stick to 11-32 personally

i'm running 2x10 with the 22/36-11/32 it's brilliant, no need to go lower with a 22 granny.

11/36 is aimed squarely at 1x10 running IMO

Wheel size does have a 10% theoretical impact, in reality I think it's slightly less because the bigger wheels do roll slightly better on rough ground, which when translated to rough, slow speed climbs, I find the bigger wheels don't hook up quite so much when to have to get up and over a root or small rock.

I run 26:38 on my 26er and 24:38 on my 29er, both with 11-36 at the back. (I'm going to change the big front for the 29er to a 36 just so I can stay in the big ring for more stuff, but in reality 38 works fine)

I've had 24 on the front of the 26er for big days out in the past but I think that I only used 24:36 when it was an option because it was an option. I could have survived on 26:36 just fine. IMHO, 22:36 on a 26er is overkill, and while you would use it because it's there, you don't need a gearing that low.

So if I stick with an 11/32 cassette & 22/36 rings will I want a medium or long cage mech?

I'm still somewhat confused by the whole ratio business, I'll try do some reading on it at work tonight to try & get my head round it all.

I found this very useful:
[url= http://forums.mtbr.com/drivetrain-shifters-derailleurs-cranks/when-use-long-cage-vs-short-cage-derailleur-205890.html ]MTBR Thread: When to use a Long Cage vs Short Cage Derailleur?[/url]

stayhigh - Member
So if I stick with an 11/32 cassette & 22/36 rings will I want a medium or long cage mech?

Medium (GS)

I shall get reading tonight 🙂

22-32 on 11-36 I need it for the hills. 😳

On my 26er hardtail I was running 26/36 x 11-32 now on my full suss I run 26/36 x 11-36 the full suss originally came with a triple 22/32/42 & the little ring was too low IMHO...

would a 24/34 , 11-34 make sense?

mattyboy89 - Member
would a 24/34 , 11-34 make sense?

Possibly - things to consider
How fast do you tend to spin?
I went to 36 as I'm better at lower cadence (can't handly much about 85/90 comfortably - very personal)
How many hills?
I still use 22/32-34 (depending on the bike) on the steeper longer stuff - especially so in the lakes and when I'm completely blown up. 24 wont be much of a step up there.
What frame? BB size, pivots and all that...
My current heckler (and some orange 5's I believe) are very tight around the pivots for some ring sizes when changing, I have a ground off area on mine from using a 36 which is just too big, I would space it across but it's a 73mm BB and there are no space for spacers.

As for mech probably a med if they still do them, also consider a guide for extra security on the rough stuff or at least a bash.

A factor to consider is what type of riding you do, I pondered tjis for a while and settled on a 10 speed Ultegra cassette 12-30
Gave low enough with granny
High enough with big ring and closer ratios