[Closed] Shimano drivetrain chooser - single or double

Based on your results you have an 80% match to riding a single and a 20% match with the double. It turns out you are a strong rider that mainly rides the same trails. Every now and then you explore new trails where you might need a double.

#enduro

lol bull for the trail/enduro bike and the XC bike

Most of the time you will need a double to go anywhere, anytime.

Exact opposite for me 80/20 single. Which is nice because I feel like a single ring is better for me, certainly I'd rather have an easy to hit dropper lever than a front mech, tempted to go 1x on my road bike too.

Edit to add - If you're still riding 26ers you're stuck with 3x9 I'm afraid you filthy luddites.

lol bull for the trail/enduro bike and the XC bike

I wasn't sure what to select there, I must admit 😆

For those who have gone single and are happy, do you ever miss the ability to quickly dump gears? I love that on a double when approaching a suddenly very steep and/or very technical climb that requires me to lose a load of gears quickly. I think I'd miss that.

Edit to add - If you're still riding 26ers you're stuck with 3x9 I'm afraid you filthy luddites.

😆

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For those who have gone single and are happy, do you ever miss the ability to quickly dump gears?

not needed one in nearly 3 years

Just imagine how much better you'd be if you followed their advice then!

just twist and drop half a cassette, fairly easy

This is where I have my doubts. I have always found jumping to a smaller chainring quicker, easier and less likely to miss a gear than climbing up the cassette. I might try it when my current drive train wears out, but I'm not sure it solves a problem I have just yet 😕

80/20 single for me. I reckon they got it right. Although, I just like riding my bike so I'll crack on with whatever I have.

stilltortoise - Member
For those who have gone single and are happy, do you ever miss the ability to quickly dump gears? I love that on a double when approaching a suddenly very steep and/or very technical climb that requires me to lose a load of gears quickly. I think I'd miss that

I haz XTR and it shifts 4 at time (I think), awsumz

Came up 80% single 20% double for me.

I actually swapped for tris year to 1 x 10. Haven't missed the other chainring at all. I tend to mostly ride trail centres - albeit some with large hills. CwmCarn is a fairly big uphill for me.

I made sure when I swapped that I still retained the lowest gear ratio - so I've got a 32f / 42 rear for this with a Sunrace cassette.

I rarely used the large chainring on the double except on bumpy downhills to make the chain tighter so less likely to lose it. If I'm going fast enough to spin out 32/11 then in the terrain I ride hen I probably don't need to be pedalling any faster.

I think I'd feel differently if I rode a lot of trails with fast road sections / long fast fire road downhills. But I don't.

I haz XTR and it shifts 4 at time (I think), awsumz

I've had SLX, XT and who knows what else and they all shift 4 gears at a time, but I've never found it as convenient as dumping a chainring. For the record I did used to ride 1 x 9 and I did miss the gears, but I appreciate the range of ratios on a 1 x 11 is much broader now. I'll try it one day, but for now it's a big cost to solve no appreciable problem; I'd rather spend the money on a riding holiday 🙂

To my surprise it seemed to get it right for me too- 80:20 in favour of single ring. Although I also needed to pretend my wheels are bigger than they are.
I've been single ring exclusively on mtb for about a year now and have t missed the granny much. Perhaps if I rode longer all dayers I might but if I did I'd probably be fitter too. A big ride for me is 20 miles and 1000m of climbing in the peak. Lowest gear is 30x40 hardtail 32oval x42 fs.
If my recollection serves me right dumping a load of gears by dropping to the granny usually made things too spinny and I had to go down the block st the back at the same time. Difficult to do both those things AND operate a dropper at the same time.

80% double, 20% single for me.

80% single ring for me - which is handy 😉

for you lot who are 80% single ring, what do you do on the other 20% of your rides? 😉 😆

No roadie or rigid fork options in questions fail! 😆

Don't bother with them.

I only do 80% of my rides.

stilltortoise - Member
for you lot who are 80% single ring, what do you do on the other 20% of your rides?

E-bike, obvs

prawny - Member
Don't bother with them.

I only do 80% of my rides.

🙂

stilltortoise - Member

For those who have gone single and are happy, do you ever miss the ability to quickly dump gears?

yes, trying to shift a load of gears in one go never seems to end well for me, always seems to settle out-of-position.

but it's not a biggy.