[Closed] How much real world difference does 26/36/48 make?

ITs what you get used to - when I bought my Clockwork in '91 it came with 48/38/28 and a 12/28 cassette.

Big difference. You'll be cursing on the steeps.

22/36 11:34 for the win. all the gears you ever need offroad.

TandemJeremy - Member
22/36 11:34 for the win. all the gears [s]you[/s] [b]I[/b] ever need offroad.

edited to take into account that your post is based on the anectdotal eveidence of one rider, albeit a 24hr solo superstar 😆

I see no point in going for a 26/36/48 off road personally, I used to use it on an M950 XTR chainset, but the 48 is so rarely any use!

I prefer 28/40 for XC riding, but it depends really how strong you are/what the bike/intended terrain is!

Hilldodger - why dont you grow up - plonker.

Many folk on here use that set of ratios - its always the most common set up when folk ask about twin and bash.

Still - its easy to sit and snipe in a negative way from the sidelines isn't it.

My you are big and clever.

Edit - and read the OP

No bash for me but 24/36 and 11-34 works brilliantly for me.

Watch out for TJ though, the thought of voting/not voting for nulab seems to have made him even grumpier than normal 😉

Just tired of the tiresome childish sniping from hilldodger. I suppose I should be flattered that he wants to pay me that attention.

to be more relevant though, I'm kind of guessing that the OP is asking because that's the chainset he has for a build so discussions about whether that's the best ratio are irrelevant - the answer then is that it's perfectly useable but you may find yourself shifting into the granny more and if you find your normal setup marginal on the steeper (uphill!) stuff, you may find it hard work.

don't a lot of mtb front mechs have a 44 tooth max chainring limit?

Yes, but they can usually be made to work passably well with a 26-48

22/36 11-28 (8 speed) FTW! works better than 9spd and is way cheaper to keep running.

22 granny with 34 sprocket is walking pace and personally I'd rather walk than ride at walking pace. 😉

Using TJs ratios here 🙂 (ok 11-32 ont back but close enough)

Havnt missed the big ring at all since going all double 'n' bash. I have even put that setup on my Dog bike which does some miles on the road

22/36 11:34 for the win. all the gears you ever need offroad

What happens when you actually want to go fast down a hill, rather than rolling it?

i used 26/36/48 on an mtb commuter with 1" slicks. you can use most normal MTB mechs. i used it off road a few times and it was ok.

don't a lot of mtb front mechs have a 44 tooth max chainring limit?

Thats a good point. Best check if my sram gen front mech can handle 48

coffeeking - 11/36 is enough for my DH bike on any track I've ever ridden here or the alps, I'd like to see where off-road you think you need more?

Personally I don't like TJ's ratio, I find there's a gap. Would rather have a 24 granny I reckon.

I'd have said the 48 too big.

Just take off the big ring and it will be fine unless you find something really long and steep. 44 tooth is pointless offroad - I think a chainset with those rings was meant for touring duties.

As GW said, except on really fast road DHs, I've never found I needed more than 36x11. It also seems to be sufficient for several very fast DHers...

Assuming you're thinking of buying one of these because it's priced at £80 🙂 , I'd firstly check that it's got the bearings included, then buy it and pick up a cheap 22 or 24t granny and fit it. Then you can either remove the outer ring, or pretend it's a bashguard.

44 tooth is pointless offroad - I think a chainset with those rings was meant for touring duties.

Liam Killeen races with a 44T

I have 26/36/48 on my roadied MTB and it's great for the road but i'd say the 48 would be a waste offroad 99% of the time. You could replace the 48 with a bash which would also help with the lack of ground clearance with the bigger ring.

26/36 would get you up most climbs i would have thought, it'll just mean getting used to different ratios than on a standard set up.

Edit - And mine works fine with a standard XT front mech.

In Thetford forest yes it would be handy.

TandemJeremy - Member
Just tired of the tiresome childish sniping from hilldodger.

I thought you were 'Mr peer reviewed objective evidence man' 😛

To say its 'all the gears you ever need' is pure speculation based on [i]your[/i] experience, if you don't want to be sniped at keep your bl88dy head down 😛

Other wise it's open season for McGrouse.......

vinnyeh - thats the one 😀 and good point I will check.

The 'I run x on my DH bike and its enough' argument isn't really valid, as most pedalling is in very short bursts at high cadence, effectively a sprint. There are some places, admittedly not many, but some, where a 36/11 would not be enough in XC racing.

i think youd find your self running bad chain lines alot due to gaps and jumps in the gearing

Don't use the big ring a lot off road (do use it though so I can push rather than spin to gain speed if that makes sense) but there is often tarmac/smooth bridleway connecting the fun bits and thats when it gets used most. So off road, maybe not, but my bike isn't lucky enough to be exclusively off road (and I have to catch up on the road sections).

I had to run a 48T on the Idrive for a very short time, and it scraped on bloody everything. It's not that much bigger but it just seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back.

22-36 for me as well. Might just consider 24-36 at some point but this works well.

I run 24/36/48T on my HT which doubles up as my commuter MTB as well as my off road bike. I also run a 11-34T cassette to help out on the climbs.

Yes, it is harder than having a 22T front ring for riding up hills but as a compromise off/on road bike it is great, you just have to get a bit more fitter which then comes in handy when I ride my other bike with the 22T front ring.

To answer your original question IMHO it depends whether you ride off road a lot on steep hills etc? if yes, then stick to the lower gearing 22/32/44 - if not & you ride on flatter terrain fast, then the higher gearing will help out. At the end of the day it's what suits you that counts.