I’ve got a 2010 Superlight with XT stuff and i’m toying with the idea of trying 1 x 10. I just wondered if anyone had tried it on a short travel full susser and if you regretted/loved it, or would do anything different.

Also, any recommendation for a good chainring/device? I have an XT chainset that i wouldn’t mind keeping, and just putting a new ring on if possible.

Thanks, Neil

I only ever use 1×9 on pretty much every ride. 36 at front and 11-34 on an xt chainset with an e13 xcx chain devive. Does me everywhere I’ve been so far, no chainsuck and lightweight with a good chainline.

I too have a superlight and tried 1×9 11-34 cassette and 34t up front it was good for local ride but not so good for big days out, wales …quantocks etc . The plus side was saving weight and no dropping the chain …depends where you live really ?

go for it i love 1×10…..

i’ve been running 1×9 (36×11-32) for a while – found it just a it too narrow for riding a full range of trails.

i ride a road bike too a fair bit, and prefer spinning to grinding, but still felt spun out or too near the top of the block a fair amount, and would like something more at the bottom, for spinning up steeps at the end of a ride

i’ve just fitted (but not yet ridden) the next try: 38/26 double by 11-32. i’m a bit afraid of being caught between two stools so to speak, but i can only try it out!

i think it depends where you ride, and if you need to cover much distance on the flat to/from the trails: i think the double will work for me

34t with 10spd 11-36 here. It’s ace.

Yeah as above, single ring is ace, cheap way of making your bike noticeably lighter, you ride more aggressively and your rarely caught in a gear you don’t want to be in.

34t with 10spd 11-36 here. It’s ace.

Agreed. Can’t see me changing (well until 11spd comes out 🙂 )

depends if you walk some of the trails if the going gets tough but I’m not ashamed to be in granny ring better than walking 🙂

I ride 34T chainring with 11-34 cassette (9-spd) on my hardtail and have never had to walk up a hill because of it, but then my legs can get tired on longer rides and I do sometimes wish for just a little more spin
tempted to go to 10-spd 11-36 on the back, wouldn’t bother with a front mech – hate them
the true test will be in the alps this summer 8)

Thanks for all the replies. Really helpful. I ride mostly local trails. 20-40 miles at a time, but sometimes venture out to Cannock or one of the Welsh trail centres. Don’t really like the idea of a double set up because i’d still have the front mech and shifter etc. It was getting rid of those that attracted me to the 1×10.

I might grab a 10spd cassette and shifter and have a go! I assume it’ll fit on a normal Hope 9spd hub???

It will.

I ran 1×9 on my hardtail at the start of last year just to see what it was like. Now run it (properly with a guide and SS ring) on both my bikes. 32t up front and 11:34 cassettes.

I tend to rarely venture out of Calderdale these days due to family commitments (and the fact it has the best riding in the world) and haven’t yet found a climb I can’t do on this setup vs my old triple/double setups. Of course there are climbs around here that I couldn’t do but I don’t do those anyway – easy climbs and mad descents!

Only place its come unstuck was at Kirroughtree the other weekend – the steep climb after McMoab and the other mad steep climb near the end. I was walking both those but they’re horrific with a granny ring so not bothered about that.

One thing I will say is that I was a long time non-believer of running a top only MRP/e13/Superstar style guide. But after a night ride the other night with one of Superstars XCX guides and a proper SS ring (On-One stainless jobbie) I couldn’t quite believe the chain stayed on. Reccommended… Only running an MRP G2 with tacco on the full sus as I tend to ride that thing ‘into’ stuff!

A lot of 1×9/10 depends on the riding you do. Wouldn’t want it if I lived in the Lakes etc.

I’ve just ditched my front mech & shifter currently running a 34T front & 11-36 back. I did a little experiment for the last couple of months of not using the inner ring to see if I could get away with it & so far I have been fine.

Only on the really steep loose stuff have I wished for a little more, but i’m still getting fitter so I can’t imagine that will last much longer.

It’s great. Will be sticking with it an for the Mega later in the summer.

@ DaveyBoyWonder & Hob Nob:

What shifter, cassette, chainring, chain and chain device are you running for a 10spd set up?

Have been running 1×8 (11-32 and 32T) for a couple of years and while it’s OK on familiar territory, I wouldn’t venture further afield with it. There’s a definite knack to getting up climbs and when the ground is unpredictable it’s difficult to maintain momentum/energy. I definitely wouldn’t run those gears if it was my only bike

1 x 9 11-36 (29er) here, good for local and trailcentres

1 x 9 by rOcKeTdOgUk, on Flickr

Neilus,

X9 10spd shifter, XT 10spd cassette, SRAM 1071 chain, Saint 34T chainring & a modified/buggered E13 SRS+ spare from my DH bike.

My bike originally came with 10spd anyway, but I cobbled the chainring & chain device together to work rather than go out & spunk a fortune on what could have been an expensive mistake.

All works fine so far, and assuming I wtick with it i’ll probably retire my chain device again to the spares box & end up with one of the Superstar ones. My bike does get used for DH occasionally which is why I went for the full chain device.

I’m running 1×9 neilus.

Blur 4X: 11-34 PG980 cassette & PC971 chain, long cage XT shadow mech, old XTR shifter, MRP MiniG2 device and 32t Partyring.

456 SS: 11-34 SRAM cassette & chain, long cage Deore mech, Deore shifter, Superstar XCX chain device and 32t On-One stainless steel SS ring.

Like I said, VERY surprised at the setup on the 456.

I think it’s mostly down to where you ride.

I’m running a 36 ring + 11->32 on my BFe. Perfect for the Surrey Hills, fine for trail centres, really hard work in the Peaks. You end up building the ride around the climbs you can get up, rather than necessarily where you actually want to go. A bit limiting.

Being a bit overgeared is fine if your climbs aren’t all that technical, but trying to grind a big gear up a hard tech climb is a real, real, ball ache.

I’m going to be interested by this new Hope cassette though. A 10->36 range with a 32 ring would almost work – especially on an xc-ish bike with a good climbing position.

JonEdwards +1

I tried SS for a a few months and got the hang of standing climbing. Then going 1×9 I find I can climb most of the riding in Somerset without problems. Where the granny ring is useful is spinning up long, draggy climbs on Welsh mountains. So I keep 2×9 on my FS, and 1×9 on my HT.

I want to SS again, but my left knee doesn’t!

Rode singlespeed a lot, so went 1×9 on my xc race bike (36t 11/34) no problems at all with 2hour races at Thetford or 12hour Bonty 24/12. I use an MRP 1x which works fine but I think the Ethirteen looks a bit neater

I had an MRP x1 guide on my Heckler, it worked ok most of the time but it sometimes dropped on the bottom and got jamed if back pedaling to level my cranks on a decent. I think this was mainly due to having to have a long chain to cope with the suspension/ chain growth so if you have a bike with long chaingrowth when the suspension is fully compressed you might be better off with a full on device. It was never so bad I changed it though. The full devices are really expensive.

Last thing – if you get an MRP x1 they have Alu bolts and they aren’t kidding when they say use a sharp allen key, I rounded one of my bolts out, boo.

I’ve been running 1×9 on my 5spot since just before xmas. Its fine with 34t 11/32 cassette on Mendips, Quantocks, Bristol and other local stuff, but I had a sniff of being a bit over geared at the end of a long day at Afan. I do occasionally wish for a slightly higher gear on speedy stuff, and I’ve no facility to be lazy up climbs either, which actually suits me, compensating for my laziness.

I’ve just put a 32T on the front since I will mostly be falling off proper hills in Snowdonia this weekend. I’ll see how I get on up the Llanberis climb…

1×10 on my Top Fuel.

36t ring, 11-36 cassette. Really like it.