“
Anyone who hasn’t felt the need to go 2 ring / bash yet, needs to move to a part of the country where there’s some interesting riding
“

what, like the peaks? yup already lived there, and hopefully moving back soon

ive hit my chainring more times at cannock! Mainly because you pump corners there whereas in the peaks its more foot out cornering or tight switchbacks than berms.

I ran a 38t single in the peaks for a few years, big thick middleburn one. Climbs up most stuff {even poters clough), but as 90% of riding in the peaks involves a road at some point i kept spinning out keeping up with the rest of the group.

OK, here’s the MATHS! 😉
(All worked out in gear inches in the table below)
As you can see a 36/11 is nearly equivilent to a 44/13, meaning you effecively only loose top gear from a 44t ring.
So, to those that say they NEED a big ring, how many times do you select 44/11? Not very flippin’ often!! No telling porkies now! 🙂

At the bottom end of the 36t scale, a 36/34 is virtually identical to a 32/30, so you only loose 1 gear at the lower end: So change to granny earlier. No problemo.

– – – – 44 – 36 – 32
11 – 104 85.1 75.6
13 – 88.0 72.0 64.0
15 – 76.3 62.4 55.5
17 – 67.3 55.1 48.9
20 – 57.2 46.8 41.6
23 – 49.7 40.7 36.2
26 – 44.0 36.0 32.0
30 – 38.1 31.2 27.7
34 – 33.6 27.5 24.5

I think the main benefit of having a triple over a double and bash is that you’re spreading the wear over more teeth, I found, when using a double and bash, I’d go through casettes and middles pretty fast because i was hammering the small sprokets and middle combo for most of my riding, other than that no big difference..

But a steel Deore middle ring is £8. How much is a big ring?
🙂

Sorry, I’ve got to say I’m a total convert to 36t/bash. It makes sooooo much sense to me!
🙂

Yup pod, middles are cheap, but usually the casette goes as well, due to spending more time in the small cogs, then it gets expensive..

Yup pod, middles are cheap, but usually the casette goes as well, due to spending more time in the small cogs, then it gets expensive..

Buy only the small cog then…

LOL at the Llandeggla big ring comment. FFS go somewhere proper if your going to spout off shite.

I like to build trails, latest one is slow and steep with slow drops into corners, you cant ride it with a triple unless you are willing to stop dead and bend your teeth and then fall off onto sharpened spikes. I did that on purpose.

If I get my way some of the new official XC bits on Cannock Chase wont be rideable by these roady type MTBs with no skills weekend warriors unless they want to carry their bike back in a bag.

If I get my way some of the new official XC bits on Cannock Chase wont be rideable by these roady type MTBs with no skills weekend warriors unless they want to carry their bike back in a bag.

Wanna marry me? I am perfectly housetrained.

Yup pod, middles are cheap, but usually the casette goes as well, due to spending more time in the small cogs, then it gets expensive.. [/QUOTE]

I think not.
When using a 32/44 you tend to spend all your time in the middle/lower end of the cassette, because you don’t use the smaller sprockets as you have a bigger ring. With a 36 only, I’m using the whole cassette all the time, thereby evening up the wear!

🙂

EDIT – It’s 6 of one and half a dozen of another, really. We’re both right. And both wrong
🙂

I was in the big ring (44) for about 80% of Llandegla yesterday.

Hardly the best example to use, one of the least technical of Welsh trail centres, all full of smooth, lovely sculptured but completely unchallenging singletrack.

Actually there was a slight lip to the patio outside the cafe that could cause a nasty nip to a big ring, you must be very skilled to manage that section of trail.

I used to have triples on my hardtail then got “gifted” a SLX double
with bash. I looked at the “wear” on the 44t and realised that I never
used it ! I now benefit from increased BB clearance – the Maxlight ain’t
exactly high off the deck :-]

If you keep knocking the teeth on your big ring or keep knocking it on rocks, roots, whatever, lose it and get a bash guard. If you don’t…………………………. don’t.

Simples.

Has anyone mentioned that you can ride to the shop without getting oil on your white Levis? That’s got to be the main benefit for me.

What about my chinos ? will they stay clean too

Has anyone mentioned that you can ride to the shop without getting oil on your white Levis? That’s got to be the main benefit for me.

[shudders]
Thinks of MrA in white Levis
[/shudders]

Aaaaaarrrrrgggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

😉

You’d have to be either blind or out of control to need a bashring in the Peak, Unless you count the two gnarly bits of Wharnecliff as in the peak.

Even honking down the Long Causeway path on Stanage Edge you don’t need one and that’s a real boulder field.

I’m with trailmonkey. If you’re always breaking/bending teeth on the outer ring (or getting oil on your chinos!) then get a bash guard. If not, don’t bother, but I reckon one day you’ll lose/bend a tooth or two…(even you sq225917)

Clearly there are lots of people in this post who do ride in the Peaks (me included) who have knackered big rings and for them a bashguard does make sense.

never looked back.
22/36/bash both HT and FS

shorter chain, short cage rear mech, front mech aligns better, better ground clearance, spin not mash

wears everything more evenly IMO (32/11)

To resurrect this thread – with a 24/36 setup, is a short cage mech required for chain tension?

Wow some strong opinions on this thread…I run a triple + bash so must be a complete freak

Why do people fit them to bikes to ride round smooth gravel loops in the woods??

Stops the chain bouncing off the outside.

double + bash is a great setup for me. Never dropped a chain since, it's actually more reliable than 1×9!

And yes a bashring looks better to me than open chainring.

What length mech cage tho??

IMO this really doesnt matter. Most folk have convinced themselves what they think is best, nut it really doesn't matter for most. How many have injured themselves with a big ring?

racing_ralph I'm going with a medium cage rear mech with a double specific up front on my new build…. when all the bleedin parts arrive that is 👿

Al i am currently using 24/36 with an 11/34 cassette and it feel right. Only issue i have is the chain bouncing off on downhills unless its in the middle of the block at the back. I am trying to ascertain a method to stop this. Short cage rear mech/long cage rear mech and bash/double specific front mech or any other combo. Using a double as it is 1 less ring and the ratios hat i want, not fashion. If its was fashion i wouldn't be riding a Giant!! lol

if your buying a new slx chainsett its worth noting that the double wont retrofit a 44 ring as he tabs on the arms are slightly different and a file bodge is needed to make it fit, but you can fit an aftermarket bash to a triple slx no probs,and the 36 ring on a double slx isnt a composite one anyway, i got a deore 36 ring and a fsa bash from crc for peanuts and now have a spare 32t composite and a 44t spare for one of the other bikes
worth thinking about if your not sure about a bashring setup and may go back to a triple

I tried double and bash for a while and just didn't get on with it. I like to push big gears when riding dh and if you do that using the middle chainring and smaller gears on the cassette the chain tension is lower and I kept losing mine. So I went back to 3 rings and fitted MRP XCG bash rings which are quarter sections mounted from the BB. I prefer to have a bash on as it means I don't have to think about rolling off/over things and worry about catching anything that will dig in.

I've been running my Enduro with 2+bash since I got it and it seems to suit it, and I've not found the lack of high gears to be a problem. I started with an old Deore with 24/36 but I'm back to an XT with 22/32 as, given the bike is quite heavy, I find the lower gears useful on occasion.

I ran my Soul with 2+bash for a while as well and might do so again – it'd suit 24/36 better I think. My Epic and Zion get ridden in the big ring a lot (and pretty much never in the granny) so I don't think 2+bash would suit them, although I'm tempted to try 28/40 on the Epic.

I don't just ride round smooth gravel loops in the woods! The 44 on my TranceX was losing teeth so put a bash on instead. Given that I'm a slow pedaller and avoid roads like the plague, I can't say I've missed the 44. I also have a 22+36+bash on that HT and that's good too.

In reality I've only caught the bashes a couple of times and could probably do away with them, but they help keep the chain on. Raceface do some rather lovely anodised cosmetic thin ones – a black one would look nice with all the other anodised Raceface kit on the TranceX.

Cosmetic – perhaps, but still not to be sneered at IMO.

I went from triple to double with bash but found I was dropping the chain all the time on fast rocky decents despite having shortened the chain, fitted a med cage rear mech and lowered the front mech so I went to double with bash and chain device. That was fine but having tried a triple again I prefer it. Big ring on the decents keeps the chain on and the gearing suits the speed beter. Its much easier to add a bit of speed with a few turns, double was just too spinny.

I went for a double and bash on my '06 Enduro and convinced myself it was great and that it was the way forward – especially seeing the big chunks missing out of it.

In reality I missed taller gears, so went for a 36t but still span out occassionally. The jump between a 36t and the small granny I tended to use (can't remember what size) was bloddy big and caused a few problems dropping down.

I went for a triple again when I built up the '08 Enduro and haven't looked back – oh and guess what – no teeth missing.

If you want one have one, if you don't, then don't – it's not hard is it, or worth getting exited about really?

What length mech cage tho??

I think mine's a long one. Dunno really, it's a Deore XT or something. Definitely not short though.

A bash allows you to get up and over fallen trees, I've found trying to do that with a 44 removes a couple of teeth…and yes there is one on my regular loop so I use it minimum twice a week.

Also a bash won't put a cut in your calf that needs 22 stiches!

I'm sold. 26/36 on the XC HT and 22/32 on the 6" full sus.

Only miss the big ring on the road.

Sorted it all 🙂

24/36 removed, 22/32/44 back on 🙂

It's really pretty simple, as's been pointed out you lose very little, only the very top gears, due to overlap. You gain ground clearance, which on a lot of trails is very useful, especially for rock steps etc. Also you can improve the chain tension as the range needed is smaller.

Not everyone needs a bashring of course, it depends on your bike and your riding but I think more people benefit from getting rid of the big ring than from having it.

Just bent mine today 🙁 It's only officially on the XC bike as a chain catcher rather than a bashring so I chose a skinny lightweight one, then spent all day at kielder whacking it off things…

"djglover – Member

99.9% of bashguards are fitted for fashion. Fine on a DB bike but not for XC surely. Why do people fit them to bikes to ride round smooth gravel loops in the woods?? "

Obvious troll is obvious.

Never used the big ring, unless by mistake. Swapped to a 22/36, took a bit out of the chain and fitted a bash for fun.

Only becomes a problem on one section on the way to work when I spin out. If I ever need more gears off road, I will be damned chuffed with how I have come on!

*actually I dont spin out..just cant be bothered to pedal faster

racing_ralph – Member
Sorted it all

24/36 removed, 22/32/44 back on

It's the way forward

I went from triple to double with bash but found I was dropping the chain all the time on fast rocky decents despite having shortened the chain, fitted a med cage rear mech and lowered the front mech so I went to double with bash and chain device. That was fine but having tried a triple again I prefer it. Big ring on the decents keeps the chain on and the gearing suits the speed beter. Its much easier to add a bit of speed with a few turns, double was just too spinny.

Front mech set up – You're doing it wrong!

I have gone back to 22:32:Bash BTW since I posted on this thread a year ago.
Generally spend 99% of my time in the middle ring and just use the 22T to bail me out in Wales/Peaks/etc…

It's weird, you would have thought with all the advances in bikes, shox, suspension, tyres etc., people would be going faster.

ooOOoo – Member

"It's weird, you would have thought with all the advances in bikes, shox, suspension, tyres etc., people would be going faster."

Er, we are. Or alternatively we're using the new technology to ride harder stuff. Well, not everyone is but most enthusiasts are.