I’m sorting out converting my 3×9 setup to a 1×11.

At the moment my bottom gear is a 22 chainring to a 28 sproket. I’ve run this for years and it’s fine for me.

The closest I can get to this is a 32:42 setup giving me a 3% higher bottom gear and a 32:40 a 2% lower bottom gear.

Can you actually feel a difference of 2%??

Sorry if this has been covered before.

No.

For reasons of clarity… Are you asking should you use an 11-42 cassette or an 11-40, and will you feel the difference?

Highly subjective I’m afraid to say, some will, some won’t. Personally I see no reason not to go for the 11-42 setup, the gear ratios are spread nicely and nobody ever wished their bottom gear was harder to pedal!

Not really. Do you notice when you change tyres because there’s plenty of variation in how big they are.

if you can then go 30t on the ring. The only end it matters is at the bottom.

`No. You don’t miss it, you just get on with it.

mboy; yes that was the question, you just phrased it better.

My current setup roughly equates to an 11-41 cassette and I was wondering which way to go.

You’d probably not notice either in terms of difference to your current setup, but you might notice the 5% difference between both new options, and therefore I’d suggest getting the 11-42.

After a few rides you just get used to it and realise how much easier/neater it is having only one shifter to worry about.

if you can then go 30t on the ring. The only end it matters is at the bottom.

Eh? Why? I wouldn’t want smaller than a 32.

Go for the bigger range, it’s a no brainer really, then you can run the bigger chainring if you want.

That was my thinking having gone for the 11-42. The jumps are fine (for me at least) so the wider range means no loss of top gears in order to get lower ones. Admittedly, I didn’t really have that much of an issue with an 11-36 but the 42 means on a bad day or at the end of a long ride, I’ve got that bail out gear if necessary which can make everything a lot more enjoyable.

shimano?

The 11-40 is designed for 2x set up and the 11-42 1x.

dunno why?

Presumably on the basis that a wider range is needed if you have a single ring though I’m not sure how well that logic really holds.

I rode 3 x 9 for years (22 x 28) on my hardtail. I then moved to 2 x 9 (22 x 28) on the same bike, obviously no change and rode that for a couple of years too. I did notice when I did an el cheapo 1 x 9 (32 x 28) conversion on the same bike which I rode for six months but never enough to really bother me.

I then went to 1 x 11 (32:42) in June when my YT Capra arrived. I can still get up everything I did when I had the hardtail in it’s various guises.

do it.

Eh? Why? I wouldn’t want smaller than a 32.

Alright for when you live somewhere flat…

Or you’re fit…

Or like big gears…

I doubt njee struggles on a 32 regardless of where he’s riding (within reason 😉 )

32×42 is a low gear it’s only one or 2 of the end of a modern double. I did have to give up on mine but it was steep and at 3000m where carrying was easier…

But it’s personal preference, on the 40t for doubles maybe as you can go lower gears with a double and doing that on the 42 would only give you a super crawler.

Fwiw getting a 10t makes much more difference to the range.

nemesis – Member
Or you’re fit…

Or like big gears…

I doubt njee struggles on a 32 regardless of where he’s riding (within reason )

Exactly what he was fishing for!

I’m about to do the same as the OP and looking to go 32 up front and the 42/11 cassette. I’m sure they’ll be compromises at both ends but i really like the look and feel of the single ring set up.

Thanks for the help, I could get up anything on the old setup so I’m sure I’d have been fine on the 11-40 with a 32 on the front.

I’ve ordered the 11-42 anyway, on the grounds of why not.

Can’t think you could spin a 30 ring fast enough to stay on!!

Been pleasantly surprised using a 30T chainring with a 12T as smallest sprocket for the last month.
Spending way more time in the top two gears than ever before and still find myself clicking the shifter for a higher gear at times but haven’t actually needed it. That’s riding everything from local XC to steep borders trails to trail centres and local DH to Ft William DH with a good few road miles connecting trails.

The benefit of 1×11 with a 30 ring is that you’ll be turning it up to 11 regularly which is bound to be better 🙂

Can’t think you could spin a 30 ring fast enough to stay on!!

You’d be surprised… On a couple of rides recently, I’ve wished I was running a 28T ring up front instead of my 30. Some of these gradients were well over 20% inclines though, and I am on a 29er which effectively overgears you by 10% compared to a 26″ wheel (or about 6% compared to a 650b) anyway. That said, some people get up the same climbs on singlespeeds, it’s all relative, but I’m a sit and spin kind of guy. VERY rarely use the 10T cog at the other end of my SRAM 1×11 setup too…

I ran a 30t with an 11-36 for a bit, gives you a bottom (easiest gear) ratio roughly the same as 32-40 so if you need a 32-42 ratio you must be a complete Jessie then… 😉

Of course wheel size does have an effect on which you should also consider the same ratio between Crank and hub, will be quite different to pedal on a 2.0″ tyred 26er compared to a say a 3″ wide 29+, Comparing extremes of course…

Thinking of moving from SS to 1 x 11 possibly, although I could probably convert an older xt chainset and go 1x 10 a lot cheaper. Whats the deal with mech cage lengths? I see the 1 x 11 bundles ask you to choose between medium and long?

Long cage is for 2x set ups, medium for 1x with the 40/42 cassettes. Short works fine with 36 (but isn’t available in 11 speed IIRC)

I found this article whilst looking into going 1X11:

Single Ring Set Up

I think it’s pretty helpful, basically gone and done all the Sheldon Brown gear calculating for you!

I must be in the minority in that im going to 11 speed for the extra top end gears and not for extra climbing gears.

I’m more than happy with a 11-36 and 32t for climbing but often run out of gears and/or would like a better chainline more often and more chain tension. So i’ll be going 11-42 with a 38t ring. 🙂

Started reading that article then read this…

While the 30 tooth offers the lowest gearing, it also offers the smallest range of gears for single ring set ups. As you increase the size of the chainring, you also increase the range of gears available using the same cassette. See graph & table below.

I really don’t think the guy writing it has much grasp of mathematics! If your cassette ratios are a constant, and all you’re doing is changing the chainring for a bigger one, you’re not increasing the range of gears available at all, you’re merely moving them higher up the range. This is where his use of “gain ratio” as an absolute is very misleading, it is merely proportional in each case. The available range of gears from a 10-42 cassette never changes from 420% no matter what chainring you use.