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Any reason not to?
Looking at going 1x10 from 1x9 and the current top gear 32x32 is sufficient for my riding at the moment.
Guess I'd have minimal weight savings and a smaller compact looking drivetrain??
30x12 is a very spinny top gear.
according to sheldons calculator,
the difference of 32x11 vs 30x12 at 80rpm is 16.9mph vs 15.5mph
hardly much more spinny...........anyway, I'm wondering if anyone else has done this or if I'll brave it and be a hero pioneer 😛
I used to run a road cassette in a 3x9 setup....I found that the ratios were too close together for offroad use, and I was often double shifting.
'Only 15% slower', that's quite a bit. I'm an unfit fat git and even I can pedal 15.5mph on a flat smooth track.
Might be an OK top gear on a 29er, but it's still pretty low, 11-36 would be nicer. If you restrict the range then you'll spend too much time in the gears at the end and wear them out much quicker, especialy at the 12t end, a 12t (if it spins out like I think it will) will get twice as much use as splitting that same use between an 11 and 12t (ditto having a 32 and 36).
Not sure why you'd want to narrow the available range beyond what you've got now, as Tom says you'll be double/triple shifting on the back.
If its purely a weight saving exercise your not going to notice any difference at all. It would be cheaper, you'd gain more performance and you'd save more weight by spending your money on lightweight tubes, assuming you run them.
I used to run a road cassette on my 'fast blast' bike back when I was fitter. No daft steps in the gear range so, extremities aside, you can always be in the right gear. No mega climbs in the Chilterns though.