just need to sort out some gears for the wife’s new full sus build.

am tempted by a new SLX groupset. i quite fancy 2×10 as this will save a little weight and complication, but am not sure whether it is better to have 3×10 for her.

she’s not massively strong (although quite fit) and has the cycling skill-set of a stoned goldfish.

if i got down the 2×10 route, should i go for:-

1 – 38/26 front and 11-36 on the back
2 – 38/24 front and 11-36 on the back
3 – 38/24 front and 11-34 on the back

170mm cranks in both instances coz she is teeeeeeeeeeeeenie!

I would say 38/24 & 11-36, gives more long climb breathing…but depends how fit she is.

Im running SRAM 36/24 front and 11/36 on the back

Both my girls are running XT 38/24 and 11/36 with no problems

Got the XTs for a good price from Bike discount

Go lower on the big ring; 36T or even 34T I reckon if she’s diddy and not all that strong, otherwise she’ll be dropping into the grany ring all the time…

Have the 24T inner so she can bail out when needed…

My own never uses the 42T on her tripple so spend most of the time using the 32T middle, I don’t think there’s any danger of her needing a bigger gear than 32-11 TBH…

I agree – I run 36/24 right now and am thinking about going smaller, 34t or maybe even 32t. I just don’t use all those high gears on the trail (on road sections inbetween I really don’t care if I spin a little). Instead I often find myself somewhere right where I can’t decide whether it’s best to shift down to the granny or not, so I’d prefer a more usable big ring, probably.

Not that I *can’t* run the through the whole cassette on the big ring, I just have a little too much OCD in that I think too much about the chainline which distracts me from the trail.

Also, I think the difference between the chainrings makes it hard to maintain a good cadence. Probably mostly down to getting used to it, but still, I’d prefer a smaller gap.

“170mm cranks in both instances coz she is teeeeeeeeeeeeenie! “
165mm XT’s out of the question?

Going off what my sister and mum use/(think they) prefer I’d say keep the low gear. They’re less* likely to sadistically carry on in too higher gear like some blokes might Perhaps getting off and walking could affect confidence in ability?

24/36 is almost (a fraction of a gear in it) as 22/34 though typically that’d have to be 9spd

You might find some 44-32-22 10spd SRAM cranksets, couple that with an 11-36t casette and that’d be about half a gear lower again. Though ime shimano SLX steel edged rings last very well

she… has the cycling skill-set of a stoned goldfish

LOL’d 😆

Triple with 11-36, stick a bash where the big is if she gets a bit more gnarly which adds protection (to her and the chainset) and makes it easier to wallop over things as you probably know. The double shape won’t take a bash due to the spidery bit:

The 24-32 granny and mid will be more comfy to use, she can access more of the gears more of the time without having to stay in the lower cogs with something like a 26-38. Single ring bolts are an option instead of a bash too but the lower gear combinations are only available on the triple. Unless she’ll be riding much on roads I don’t think the big/larger middle ring will be missed.

double and bash.. I can’t think of a practical application for a big ring off-road unless you are racing..

the bashguard will be handy for a beginner in preventing both injury and damage..

I’m only making this assertion, as when I was building Mrs Yunki a bike, she had unfortunately seen one of those gruesome pics that appear on here from time to time, of a chainring/calf muscle interface, and and promptly refused to entertain the thought of riding without a bashguard

Well to offer a contrary view I use the big ring all the time, esp on descents as you can pedal harder and it stops the chain falling off. Frankly if you don’t then you aren’t doing it right IMHO.

I also use the wee gears for spinning up hills. Would second 165mm cranks but they do make the set-up more expensive as not standard with most groupsets.

Ive limited my OH to 1×9 so I can keep up with her!

Frankly if you don’t then you aren’t doing it right

that’s an awful lot of people doing it wrong.. 😕

An awful lot of people watch the X-Factor, doesn’t make it a good show.

An awful lot of people watch the X-Factor, doesn’t make it a good show.

Preposterous!!

It’s not quite up to the standards of Celebrity Big Brother perhaps, but it’s still a damned fine programme.. 😉

…and it stops the chain falling off. Frankly if you don’t then you aren’t doing it right IMHO.

If you remove the big ring you obviously shorten the chain accordingly, so that’s not really a factor. On the contrary, it will lead to less risk of chain drop even if you WOULD descend in the granny for some reason.