Is the front mech dead, what set up are you using?

I run an all mountain / Enduro bike with 160mm, wide bars an a narrow stem. I currently run a 1×9 setup with an 11/32 out back and 34 upfront with an E13 guide, this has been fine and has got me round local trails, Welsh / Scottish trail centres, the Peaks & Lakes.

I’ve since decided to help with the long slogs and technical climbs I’ll make my life a little easier and run a 1×10 with an 11/36 outback and 32 upfront.

I’m just wondering what set up other people use and how they get on with it?

Cheers

32t front 11-36 rear, will probably go 30t front when the current ring wears down. I built up my last bike with a front mech to try it again after a season of 1×10 where I sometimes missed a lower gear, but I hated it – I learned to stand up and pedal for extended periods of time instead.

If I was going away to ride in proper mountains (with the intent to pedal up them) I’d just fit a granny and manually shift the chain depending on ascent/descent rather than dealing with a front mech again.

11-36 back. 28t on front. Zee rear mech. I live near big hills and like a low gear for spinny uphills.

I hate front-mechs. Had an ALfine for a couple of years to avoid them. I think next year I’ll go for a General Sherman cassette and a 30t front ring.

11-36 with 36 up front can ride up almost everything locally been this way for 4 years before that 11-34 34 upfront 9 speed.

I’m guessing the front mech haters are the ones who can’t set them up.

Note: I run 1×10.

..I can set them up fine. It’s just that they get clogged up with very sticky clay-like mud round here. The chain gets jammed and leads to chain snaps/drops/dropout snapping.

I like to ride up big steep hills here and in the alps. Can’t see me ever going 1×9 or 10 for that just not low enough for an hour plus grind.

Running 2×9 (inner and middle +bash)

on 29’er

-ran 33T x 11-36T for first year

-replaced with 32T x 11-36T

slightly easier getting up bigger hills in wet, and cadence seems more suitable from the 1T drop in front chainring size, the 33T always seems mismatched with rear?

recently tested new SRAM 11-speed with the huge 42T cassette and 32T front, and was seriously impressed with ability to spin up steep muddy climbs, which is the only situation my 10 speed lets me down.

My last bike came fitted with 2×10 and it was my first ever front mech. I planned to ditch it the minute it dropped the ball but it worked perfectly for 2 years. The granny ring came in handy when spinning uphill in winter slop.

Now that I’m building a bike though I’m going 1×10 for mainly aesthetic reasons. If I don’t like it I won’t be scared to fit a front mech.

I just find running a single up front has really helped with my riding as it forces me to ride properly uphill rather than taking the easy option and just spinning up in the granny.

Also like the idea of no front mech, cable and shifter, much prefer the clean look of my bars without all the clutter.

Would love XX1 but the cost is inane, I’ll just stick with a move to 1×10 for the mo!

What ever is cheapest… All six Oab bikes are 3×8 and 9 speed and will stay that way

Yeah the front mech’s as dead as the 26 inch wheel 😉

The granny ring came in handy when spinning uphill in winter slop.

Was loving having a granny today, proper sloppy, greasy conditions so keeping a decent cadence going was pretty much crucial to stop the rear wheel spinning up.

At nicely manicured places like trail centres I don’t need a granny, but as it’s doing absolutely no harm it’ll be staying for the time being.

2×9. 24(I think)-36 front, 11-32 rear.

11-36 10 speed Shimano cassette with a SRAM thick/thin 28 on a 29er.

Before that, ran a 11-36 10 speed Shimano cassette with a Hope 32 on a 26er.

The 29er setup is marginally lower geared than the old 26er gearing, but I chose it for very long days in the hill with bikepacking gear. A 30 tooth up front on the 29er would give me marginally higher gearing. I ran it with the 32 to start with, but found the low wasn’t low enough for ‘bale out’ gearing.

The SRAM XX1 cranks and chainring are great. I am considering going 11 speed at some point, but no way am I paying £250 for a cassette, that is going to need to drop down in price a lot, and remain competitive weight wise. before I’d go with that.

Front derailleurs are the work of the devil. Horrible horrible Heath Robinson things. Ugly, mechanically questionable, impractical, unnecessary.

I run a 1×9 hope/sram setup on my mini-dh bike. I wouldn’t say that double ring set-ups are dead just yet though.

28t XX1 on the Krampus
32t XX1 on the TallboyC

its a flawless system so far, TallboyC setup has been on a year with zero adjustment, plenty of miles in the peaks, chains never been off

just building a budget Highball for my brother, thats got 30t Works SRAM on X9 Cranks, with 11-36 out the back and an X9 Clutch mech, will be interested to see how the setups works in comparison

Common consensus is that front mechs may be a thing of the past then?

I remember on my Enduro how it used to get clogged with mud and have issues shifting.

With the vast array of cassette sizes and front ring combos. I just can’t see the point in them anymore?

32,11-36 (x2)
33-17
38,11-28
42-16
32,11-25

I wouldn’t say that double ring set-ups are dead just yet though.

Always going to have a place for riding in the big hills

On my Mmmbop I’ve got a 1×10 set up, 11/36 cassette with a 32t ring. It’s OK but I miss the lower gears for steep/tech climbs and spinning out on the road can be a problem.
Gearing on the full suss is 2×9, 11/34 cassette with 22/34 rings, bash and Stinger. I prefer this combination to the 1by10.

XX1 looks interesting and I’d like to try it but it’ll need to trickle down the range before I can afford it.

i run a 2×10 on my full sus and a 3×9 on my hardtail. Is it me or is 3×9 becoming old skool? 😀 Definately seeing less front mechs out on the trails!

I run 1×9, 2×10 or 3×9 depending on what bike I take. The 1×9 bike had its front mech removed due to clogging issues, but the other 2 bikes seem ok.

Is it me or is 3×9 becoming old skool

There’s no point in it for the riding I do but I guess if you have one bike for everything it’s probably useful.

3×9 has been old school round my way for years, double and bash is very much the norm.

2×9 – 36/22 with 11-32. I imagine changing to a 1×10 will only yield a minimal weight saving which won’t make climbing as easy as a 22t, nor as fast on the flat as a 36t.

1x would suit most people for ride up bomb down style. These days I climb much faster not having a granny ring, cadence same as it ever was.

XC you might want a double.

XX1 30t up front. I would go 32t but the 2 teeth lower are a life saver on longer climbs with the missus where if I were on a 32t I couldn’t pedal slow enough to stay back with her 😆

Im still running 3x some days i ride up stupidly steep hills or am just being lazy so granny is usefull. Some days ill need to do a long road section to get to trail or a long fire road descent and a big ring is handy.

The front mech is a thing of the past for me, either singlespeed or XX1 on my two bikes.

I run the XX1 with 32t up front but I’m about to get a 34t for it. So far I’ve had no issues with getting up climbs around my way.

I can’t see me going back to having a front mech again.

XX1 has already trickled to X01 – ok the cassette is the same

XTR update will surely have to be 1×11/12? – that will trickle

front mechs will be the domain of BSO within 5 years

1×10 30×11/36 on the xc race fs and 3×10 on rest. I can barely get up long greasy chiltern climbs in 24×36 so it’ll be staying for me.

9sp 11-32 and 22/36

I suppose I don’t use the bottom gears loads so could go to 24/36. Problem for me is that with 1×10 which I have considered I can get a low enough gear maybe with 30/36 or similar but a 30 or 32 front with 11 on the back just isn’t high enough. I moved to a 22/36 as 22/32 was too low and would seriously consider having a 24/38 or something if it was doable.

1x is definitely harder work than a 2x setup. I love it, but I don’t think it’s for everyone by a long shot. Beginners, casual cyclists, unfit, lazy people will all hate it, and certainly some perfectly-fit people will prefer to sit and spin. So I don’t think it will ever conquer all. But I have it on both my mountain bikes and there are no plans to change.

Superficial, I think you hit the nail on the head. I find 1×9 harder but so much more rewarding as I feel as if I’m putting in so much more each and every time I ride.

Will still make the move to 1×10 to help with the climbs but for me, front mechs are dead and buried.

I’m guessing the front mech haters are the ones who can’t set them up.

It’s not about that at all for me (never had a problem setting them up). The main thing for me is just that the actual riding is more fun when there are two levers left to worry about. Might sound a bit daft, and maybe I am, but I do find it makes a big difference and I’m just happier overall on the trails. 🙂

Surely gearboxes should be the future, do away with derailleurs completely?

I’m not the fittest but run 32t on the HT and 30t on the FS both with an 11-36 cassette. It’s hard work at times on some climbs but my problem is always that if I have an easier gear I’ll end up using it, so quite often with a granny I felt like walking would be faster. 1x makes me push harder.

I run 11-36 out back with an x9 type 2 and an x9 crank with Wolftooth 28t spiderless thick/thin ring with bash guard up front. Runs great and gives me ratios suited to the riding I do.

I’m really loving the look of the Pinion gearbox and am considering one for a hardtail build, but it ain’t cheap, seems to me to be the gearbox solution. Though I’m not sure I need such a wide gear range with 18 gears. It would be good if they built an 11 or 12 spd lighter and more compact box.

1×9 on my dh bike, singlespeed on my hardtail and bmx, and will be back to 2×9 on the road bike whenever I can be arsed to fit a new lever and mech. Probably not til after winter now! 1×9 on the road is fine though. So yeah almost dead for me, I hate the bloody things. Don’t really do much in the way of climbing on mtbs anyway, it’s all about the dh!

Not on my bikes. Properly set up they are almost a “fit and forget” component. The only issue I seem to have is in icy snow whereupon they may freeze up. Chances are that the rear mech freezes up first though. Hence I run an Alfine on my fatbike(and even then it’s set up as 2×11).
You’ve got to remember that this is STWland. i.e. it’s not representative of what’s going on across the UK as a whole.