The benefits of a bash outweighed the benefits of a big ring for me.

If I'm going fast enough to spin out on a double, I must be going down a hill (I'm not fast enough to do it anywhere else) or on a road, in which case, I don't feel the need to pedal any faster. Road is just a way to get from one trail to the next, and downhill, I'll be grateful for the rest.

I now don't have to worry about snagging trouser legs, or cutting myself on a big spiky round thing next to my calf, or bashing a rock or a log, or having a chain too long.

Plus its white with go faster stripes. How cools that 😀

Hi,

Does the SLX double have a narrower bottom bracket or is it just the same as the triple?

Regards

I took the XT double of my Spicy and fitted a SLX double and E13 DRS without any kind of modification, just a straight swap.

Double and bash on an otherwise standard XC bike? = lack of fitness/ in denial about it. 😉

"Double and bash on an otherwise standard XC bike? = lack of fitness/ in denial about it"

How often do you actually need to use those top 2 gears? remember that's the only ones you lose comparing 36 to 44, just the very top 2 gears, everything else is wasted overlap. The only time I ever used those, I was spinning incredibly slowly anyway, so I could've put power down in the highest gear 36 gives me too.

everything else is wasted overlap.

Not quite though is it, always just a bit slower with a 36, but hey, whatever makes you feel better

I wonder what size ring they were running at Fort William today?

lack of fitness? Well yes, probably. 🙂 The setup is perfect for me then.

I cba reading the whole thread, but I've run 26-36-Bash/11-32 on my Stiffee for the 4 years that I've had it. The marks and gouges on the bash ring suggest that it's done a pretty good job of preventing much greater damage to the chain/chainrings. The bike's done everything from gentle canal-side pootles to a fortnight in Whistler Bike Park and the only thing that I occasionally change are the tyres. At no point have I ever really got close to 'spinning out' off-road, so I really don't see any need to go back to fitting a 'big' ring on there.

I also have a Maxlight120 for use at events like Mayhem/SitS/local Challenge events etc, and for that I've specced an SLX 22/32/44. IME the courses are 'untechnical' and don't challenge your riding skills, only your speed/fitness. There's also plenty of tarmac on the local challenges, so it makes more sense to have the big ring on there. It's probably also fair to say that I'm generally more of a 'harder gear masher' than a 'sit and spinner', so my riding style tends to suit being sat in the 36t ring all day on more challenging terrain, and the 44t ring gets used quite a bit in 'race' situations.

christ ive been running 22/36 for ages now cant believe this thread is still going after over a year 😉

Me: "everything else is wasted overlap."

nickc – Member:

"Not quite though is it"

No, it really is.

The concern over each others pedalling behaviour on here is….*wipes tear*…well, it's just, beautiful

Not used a big ring on my last three chainsets as I alway put my trusty and cheap at £10 FSA bashguard on as soon as I get a new chainset.

its taken a few hits but mainly saves my jeans ripping when I use my bike to pop to the shops on.

not missed a big ring at all.