im thinking of going down to 11-32 with a 32T front but HP sauce climb may be my only tricky bit.
The rooty path climb up to HP Sauce or actually riding up HP Sauce (great climb!)? No bother on the rooty path, but on HP I have to push up what would be the last rocky section just before the log drop at the end – everything else is rideable. I think I was on the SX Trail when we rode the rooty path in the summer, so it was a 33T front ring. I definitely used the 32T on the cassette, but it wasn’t too much effort. A little competition from Matt probably got me up quicker than I’d usually do it!
There is one technical climb, about 10m long, on the way up to the cairn from the end of the valley, that I just can’t do on any bike. I find myself wondering if I could do it on a granny ring, but I’m happy to just persevere. There’s a climbable line up it, I’m sure, and even if it means mixing some trials-type maneuvers in I’ll bloody well get it one day…