Stupid question time.

Recently had to adopt an emergency ss setup after snapping the mech hanger, was kinda fun in the singletrack, but don't think I could live with it all the time, might give it a go in the summer?

Anyway, got me thinking about running a 1×9 or 2×9 setup though. I realise that to try it, I could just take the gear cable out for the front mech, or just don't touch it. But beyond that, what do I need to do it properly?

Unless you like mincing, 1×9

It works best if you have some sort of chainguide to keep the chain on the front, probably an e13 or mrp

2×9 is a great setup, you really lose very little in terms of gears compared to 3×9 but you get a bit less weight and a LOT more ground clearance, and you can improve your chain tension a bit. You'll most likely need either shorter chainring bolts, or spacers, otherwise when you take the big ring off the bolts will be too long. If you've got an old chainring you can cut that up for spacers. And, well, that's it. Adjust the front mech's limit screw to suit, and you now have a 2×9 setup.

You may want to add a chain device or bashring but I've had no problem at all with dropping the chain, it'll do it sometimes when I'm carrying the bike but it's not once done it while riding since I got the adjustment right. I'll probably add a bash at some point but I don't feel it's needed at all. Maybe on a full suss it'd be more useful with the greater variation in tension.

I've added a slightly bigger ring, so I've got 22/36 instead of the 22/32 you'll probably have, but even 22/32 is decent gearing for most offroad purposes. Not good on the road though, so I've still got a triple on my rigid but the Soul's not going to go back to 3 ring. Or to 1 ring for that matter, not with my legs, it's doable but you've got to be in decent shape (or live somewhere with less hills)

Oh, ratios. People think you lose lots of gears, but 36/11 is higher than every gear in a 44 tooth big ring other than the last 2- in other words you lose only the top 2 gears. Even with just a 32/11 you lose only 3 gears, though your highest is very close to that 3rd one.

2×9 22/36 is the real mountainbikers gearing of choice. A 44 is only for road use and if you don't need a 22 you either live where there are no hills or you are so fit you should be a roadie.

2×9 set ups are uber cool. I run this on two bikes a 4x and FR bike. I use a dmr dual chainguide. Works superbly.

I'm using 1×9 at the minute and it's fine for all the bridleways round by my house. Haven't tried it on a proper trail though, but should be down at FOD next week to give it a go.

i ride my local stuff 1×9 but thats nothing too steep, and where it is steep its just a quick 30 second grunt.

i also use it round the peak weekly and its fine, never had to get off due to gearing. im not in amazing shape but im not a fatty bum bum either. always pushed a gear rather than spun though,

I run 32 x 28/11 so I can use a road mech. I cant get up all the hills near my house cos its the lake district and some of em are quite steep and loose.

Never had a problem at any of the trail centres Ive been to though. 2×9 would make much more sense too me, cos I do alot of riding on the roads to get to the off road bits, but I cant be bothered with it

after a cable snapped i rode for 18 months with a stick wedged in my front mech which gave 1×9 and it worked everywhere including some of the 7 stanes. pulled the stick out on a couple of Peak climbs. now i use 1×9 'officially' with an mrp guide thing. 36 and 11-34, but will prob fit a 34 unless i lose a stone pronto. using a medium cage XT rear mech.

I ran 1×9 a few year back. 11-34 on back 36 front. it was good all round. Nevr missed the granny. I did miss the 32 though and once went on a long road ride and really missed the 42! Its a compromise for sure. The benefits for MTB of using a single ring are good though. I used a short cage mech, and had a much shorter and tighter chain. Also weight is less and it looks more pure. I'm building my new bike up 1×9. Maybe 32 front-11-32 manly because I have a nice 32 SS ring. I would have gone 36 again I think if I had a 36 in the spares box.

I've been trying out 26-38 on the front with an 11-32 cassette on my hardtail. 38 X 11 is fine for road/fireroad descents. I've not had a problem with the chain coming off. I've not ridden it anywhere mega hilly yet, I think 26 x 32 at the back will hurt so I may put a 34t cassette on 🙂

I've got stuff with various incarnations.

• NS Bitch 1×9 (36 front, 11/26 rear) It's pretty DH biased though.
• PA 2×9 (22/32 front, 11/34 rear) it's the bike I mainly use for instructing on.
• Banshee Scratch 1×9 (34 front, 11/32 rear) Mainly trail centre type stuff.
• 456 2×9 (22/36 front, 12/36 rear) Gets used for guiding duties … the 36 rear is a handy bail out gear just incase 😉

I've got one bike with a big ring, an Inbred that gets used as an off road tourer/workhorse. I'd miss the big ring on that.

Stuart

and if you don't need a 22 you either live where there are no hills or you are so fit you should be a roadie.

Or you just get off and push.

I went from 22, 32, 42 to a 22, 36 and a bash.

Love the new setup a lot . I never used the outer ring unless I was shifting into it by mistake and I had had a couple of cuts from the thing so removing it is all good.

Took a bit out of the chain, too so it all looks a bit neater and works well.

running a 32T up front with a surly single speed chain ring and an MRP 1.X chain cage. The rear cassette is 11/34 with a short cage Ultegra mech….yes a rodie mech!

This has been great for trail centres, with really snappy gear changes.

26-36 up front with 11-32 at the back, the 26 at the front makes the little ring a bit more useable, I never used the 22 when I had the standard 22-32-43 setup now I use the 26 quite a lot.

36/24 on my FS here. Works well – people do say it makes my bike look funny though…

24/36 and 11-34 for my 2×9 and TJ's comments are wrong. I'm not superfit by a long way these days and have found it spot on even for big days on the hills. I suppose that I do ride road though so maybe I'm a roadie… 🙄

I was being facetious I actually surprised myself by getting round GT with a lowest gear of 32 / 34 as I normally use the granny ring a lot. Out in the hills on a 2×9 I use all of the 36 ring and 1-6 on the 22

Edit – like you can never be too rich or too thin you can never have too low a gear

Well I guess there's some truth in that but it's definitely not necessary.

Obviously 10 speed will allow you to have the full range without big gaps though 😉

TandemJeremy – Member
2×9 22/36 is the real mountainbikers gearing of choice. A 44 is only for road use and if you don't need a 22 you either live where there are no hills or you are so fit you should be a roadie.

God forbid anybody being fit enough to use a 44 OFF ROAD!!! I run 2×9 with a 32 + 44 when my leg isn't broken, and the 44 helps me hurt myself more becuase I'm going faster when I fail… 😀

swalesy – you are pedalling at more than 30 mph offroad? with a 36 ring you only loose the top 2 gears of a 44 ring set up and on 36 / 11 I can pedal to 30 mph easily – and at that speed I am usually free-wheeling or braking not pedalling

"God forbid anybody being fit enough to use a 44 OFF ROAD!!!"

It's not just using the 44, like me and TJ have said every gear bar the 11T and 12T on the big ring is covered by a 36, so unless you're using the absolute top 2 gears, you lose absolutely nothing.

I'm exceptionally unfit but still find that I use the 44t off road quite a bit, but only really on my Epic or Zion. I've gone to 2+bash on my heavier bikes (Enduro and Soul) and can't say I've missed the big ring yet.

The Enduro runs 24/36 and an 11-34 cassette and I haven't missed having lower or higher gears so far.