Hi guys

My bikes got 24 gears sram shifters that have seen better days.

I quite like the idea of 1×10.

I have one question though. Where I live is a very steep hill that goes on forever. After a long ride the only gear that gets me up that Hill is the lightest gear I have on my bike. I refuse to get off and walk so I carry on albeit at 1mph.

Now the question is I need a gear as close as possible to the lightest gear on my current 8×3 setup. Is this possible with a 1×10 setup?

Thanks

I found that I am loosing a bit of the low gears and a lot of high gears using 32t ring with 11×42. The new 1×11 has a wider range.

Plug your current figures into Sheldon Brown’s gear calculator, then look at 10 speed sprockets with either 40 or 42 easiest gear with 30+ chainring. If the gearing is still too high, try a 28- chainring, but these will need to be 64 BCD (probably like your current middle chainring size).

THe “idea” of it is quite nice. Unfortunately the reality of it is very different; as most people seem to find out sooner rather than later. Hence why cassettes seem to be growing at an alarming rate; to accommodate the physical abilities (or lack of) of your average mountain biker. When will they say “enough is enough” – 50 teeth?! 60 teeth?! 99 teeth?!

Sorry should have mentioned the cassette is a sram pg850 12/26. Front triple chainring is 44.32.22t

You should be able to beat your lowest current gear with a 36 cassette and 32 front ring. Bigger front ring would probably be close enough.

So 22:26 is a relatively long (ie hard) ‘granny’ gear. Most cassettes of that era would be 12-32 or at least 12-28. Anyway, assuming you are correct, a 32:42* ratio would be easier, by about 10%.

*A 32t front sprocket with a fairly standard for 1x 10-42 cassette.

EDIT: This is for 1×11, sorry I know that’s not what you asked..

A 30t chainring with a 11-36 cassette would give you the same lowest gear assuming you were running a 22t granny ring.
you will lose gears off the top though; only a problem if you do a lot of miles on tarmac.
I run the above 1 x 10 setup but have left my granny ring on; I lift the chain onto this if I’ve got an hours climbing ahead of me on an all-day ride in the mountains.

Just used sheldon gear calculator. Sorry it just went over my head. Makes no sense to me at all.

Simple maths, chainring tooth count divided by sprocket tooth count, the lower the number the lower the gearing ratio and the “easier” the resulting gear so to keep it simple:

22/26 = 0.85
32/40 = 0.80
32/42 = 0.76

So you can achieve a lower/similar gear with a 32t sprocket (using your current cranks?) and a wide range 10 speed cassette on (your current hub?) such as a sunrace if you wanted to….

Do what chickenman suggested. Take the front mech off, but leave the granny ring on the front. Just manually switch to the granny (use your finger) for that 1 big long hill you ride. You will probably find everything else will be rideable with a 32 chainring, 11-34 or 11-36 cassette.

Just doing the maths there and 32/36 is very close to the current 22/26 so if you can get up anything in your low gear then it will be just about the same with a standard 10sp cassette

Do what chickenman suggested. Take the front mech off, but leave the granny ring on the front. Just manually switch to the granny (use your finger) for that 1 big long hill you ride

I wish they would come up with something that would save you having to use your finger to move the chain…

So, to recap, what I need to do to restrict my choice of gears and have them wear out faster, is:

a) buy a NW chainring and clutch mech that’ll address the inherent mechanical problems with a 1x set-up, and

b) keep an extra chainring on, lifting the chain across with my finger like my Grandad used to do.

I’m in!

I’d be tempted to go 30T n/w chainring up front with an 11-36 cassette.

Gives you an easiest gear fractionally easier than your current 3×8 (~23.3 vs 23.7 gear inches) and a hardest gear that is a little easier than your current 3×8 3rd hardest gear (~76.4 vs 78.4).

Real world example:
Ratios for standard 3x setup:

Ratios for 1x setup:

In terms of speed, as follows:

(Calculated using Bikecalc).

So, to recap, what I need to do to restrict my choice of gears and have them wear out faster, is:
a) buy a NW chainring and clutch mech that’ll address the inherent mechanical problems with a 1x set-up, and
b) keep an extra chainring on, lifting the chain across with my finger like my Grandad used to do.
I’m in!

If you like, put whatever spin you like on it 1xN drivetrains work for some and not others, keeping an emergency granny ring fitted sans front mech as an extra bailout option isn’t a terrible idea when you think about it…

Not sure where you get the increased wear idea from, but if you say so I’m sure it’s true…

Not sure where you get the increased wear idea from, but if you say so I’m sure it’s true…

There does seem to be some talk of this extra wear on 1x setups, which I can only guess is due to the “bad” chainline from a 104BCD n/w chainring with the large tooth cassette sprockets.

Would be interesting to read some science-based articles with little/no bias on this matter.

It’s another reason, besides wanting a gear to get me up all hills I regularly encounter, why I am being pulled towards a 64BCD 28T n/w chainring if I go 1×10 after the default 2×8 drivetrain wears out.

We all get the bit about “if you need the gears why not just stick to a double”; because you can’t use a NW ring so your chain will fall off on a full susser unless you use a chain guide.