I've put a modren drivetrain on my old 26'MTB but the wide range it's now given me is too spinny for the work it'll do.
It's a 1x 30 tooth, is 36 tooth the sweetspot?
I find 36t is the smallest I'd want to go for 26"
34t coupled with 11-46 cassette for me (living in Calderdale). Not really meaningful to discuss chainring size without mentioning the cassette.
The 32t I run on the 29er, coupled with an 11-51 cassette, gives me a bit more range at each end, but I wouldn't want to run a cassette that size on 26" wheels because of the size of mech it'd require (and how close to the ground it'd get).
I find a 36 ring and an 11-34 cassette works ok on a 26er. I run my bikes 2x, with 26-36 up front. I only use the small ring for very steep off road sections.
If you know the cassette range, chain ring and wheel size on a bike that does feel right, the maths is pretty easy to translate to a different wheel or cassette size
There are loads of free, easy to use gear calculation apps. The one I use doesn't seem to be available anymore but still works on my phone. Handy to have when you're sorting out drivetrains on bikes with different wheel sizes.
Depends on where you live, terrain and how fit I guess. Used to have 32 or 34t on my soul. I’d go for cheap rings from Ali express for £5 and experiment
Not really meaningful to discuss chainring size without mentioning the cassette.
Apart from too spinny being an indicator of which end of the cassette we are talking about and most likely 11t on a 26" wheeled bike being the smallest size...
Yes, but there's no point just increasing the chainring size without considering the effect it'll also have on the low end. Coupled with tyre size, it's a good reason to be plugging numbers into a gear calculator and finding out what compromise works best for you.
Probably won't be an issue, but check there's enough clearance between the crank & the chainstay as well before going up too many teeth.
As others have said a lot of it depends where you live, what you normally ride and also if you are a sit and spin climber or a power up hills climber. I run 30 front with a 50 cassette in the Peak District on a 29er (i'm old,unfit and would rather spin up a climb than "thruch" up it!).
