Trawled through a few threads on 1×11 tonight trying to weigh up my options for Project Soul. Thinking of hanging on for the XT version to come out.

It’s not obvious how many 1×11 users are on 26″ wheels rather than 29ers? Any 26″ users want to chip in and advise on ratios and wheel choice please, to try and clear the fog for me. The bike is used mainly for wheels on the ground bridleway bashing and the occasional easy red route rather than anything crazy up, down or airborne.

Thanks.

I’m not on 26 or 29 and use Srams 10-42 with a 32 up front. I know that doesn’t really help but it depends on where you ride and how strong you are. I don’t like to spin so will soon change the 32 to a 34.

I’ve two 26″ bikes, a HT and a FS.

The FS currently runs 1×10 with 30t front and 40t rear, perfect ratios for here (Scottish Borders) while the HT is 3×9.

I’ll be putting XT 1×11 on the HT once it comes out, looking at 32t front and 42t rear.

br – that’s what I was looking at doing, just wanting to reality check it.

On my Mk1 Soul I’m running 1 x 10 with a 34T up front and 11-36 at the back. My riding sounds very similar to yours. Now and again I do think about a 32T up front, but not enough to go out and get one. Wheels are Hope Tech Endure on Hope Pro2 Evo, not the lightest, but plenty strong enough for the riding I do, and didn’t break the bank either.

1×10 on a 26″ Soul, also 34t front, 11-36 rear, similar use

Bear in mind that an XT 11-42 cassette has a substantially smaller range than SRAM 11 speed with its 10t smallest sprocket. To get as fast a top gear as the SRAM with a 32 front ring the Shimano cassette will need a 36 up front and that loses you a load on the bottom.

P.S. I’m running the exact same gearing on my Soul as the two wise men above me! (I also run the same but with a 32t on my 27.5 full-sus).

32×10-42 on my 26″ chameleon here. All the range I need.

I’m stuck in the past with 1×10 but as the question is about ratios I’ll weigh in. 30t – 36 gets my rather heavy orange up the majority of the riding I do. It handles anything in a trail centre easily and any of the pedalling back up bits of the local woody trails. It will and has been winched around longer rides in the brecon beacons but if that was my main riding then I’d be looking at putting some more teeth somewhere.

32T with 11-40T cassette on my 26″ hardtail.

It approximately matches(not quite as easy to pedal but close) first gear on my old triple of 22T smallest front and 32T largest rear cog.

Edit this is a 1×10 setup not a 1×11, if it makes any difference.

2010 Zesty 26″ runs 1 x 11 fine using 32t handles anything

Looking at the prices CRC and others currently show for the (not yet in stock obviously) M8000 1×11 group, it’s very tempting to buy it when available and shove it on my HT despite the 1×10 drive already fitted doing the job more than adequately, the difference in price to 1×10 seems negligible…

I think I may be tempted to try a range extender ring with the 10speed just to see how I like the range, cognisant of the fact that the gear steps may not be “optimal”, and Then bite the bullet on M8000, but you just know SLX/Zee 11 will be out ten minutes after you click “buy”…

The thing is I’d rather spend ~£300 dragging more useful life out of my 26″ bike than say £1k to assemble pretty much the same bike with its axles 1/2 an inch further off the deck when you know filter down and price wars are going to make tweener wheeled bikes and parts better value over the next couple of years…

If you need a new drivetrain soon I reckon splashing a little cash on M8000 would be well worth it, irrespective of wheel size…