So, with a double-ring setup, is it okay(ish) to use the big-big and small-small cogs together?
Er, i have to ask why you'd want to???
Big big is just about OK as its middle to big really - small small is just daft!
Mine is set up so all 9 are useable in the 36, in the 22 I use the bottom 6
Big Big should be fine - it compares with Middle Big on a triple. Small Small is the same as Small Small on a triple, i.e. don't. I run a Chameleon with an SLX double & bash, the 36t is fine anywhere on the cassette. It's been a while since I used the 22t tbh...
What exactly are we meaning by big-big 36t-???
I did warn you it was a numpty Q. The ponderings sprouted from previous chat on here about using a double rather than a triple-ring setup, claiming you can still get a good useable spread of gears.
I have always been in the habit of always using the middle front ring unless I'm already in the biggest/smallest cog at the back and want another jump. Once past that need, the first gear change is going back to the middle ring. (That may be a weird habit, but it's been habit for a long time.)
With a double ring, I can imagine myself forever feeling the want to flip the front shifter much more than I do at the moment, halving the cogs at the back between the two rings. That just didn't sound a similar range of gears, nor a step towards simpler running, to me.
I always assumed the idea of a double is mainly for the bash guard aspect, i use a double 22-36 and rarely use the 22, i dont miss the triple at all. I'm liking the idea of the hammerschmidt too!! Shame its so expensive!
Depends on whether your double is 22/32 or 32/44 type ratios. If it's the former then big/big's ok, if it's the latter small/small's ok, otherwise it's not a good idea.
njee20 - fair point. Generally speaking, a double does away with the big ring retaining the small and middle and may replace the big ring with a bash guard, but ain't always so.
In response to the OP's query, the 36t on my SLX double & bash makes the gearing just a little longer than a regular 32t middle ring on a typical triple setup (normally 22/32/44). Makes climbing in the middle ring just a touch harder, but it doesn't stretch the gearing so much that I find myself diving for the little ring all the time. Obviously, the smaller your biggest ring is, the quicker you're going to start spinning out but as with so many things, it's a compromise.