the big ring??

anyone actualy still use one?
thinking more towards the xc/marathon rides
or has it been replaced with the 2×10 revolution?

pics of xc/marathon bikes would be nice to brighten up a gloomy day 😀

Still got one on my inbred. Use it for jolly xc jaunts along the Downs.

Me too, despite it not being fashionable.

I regularly still use the big ring! Here’s a pic of a very muddy Scale to demonstrate 😀

Have to say I am tempted by 2X10 though…

Still got 3×9 on all of our bikes and they’re staying that way. 2×10 and 1×11 are just more ways to rip us off IMO.

I use mine on flat/downhill sections. Otherwise it’s crazy legs spin out time.

i have 2×9 with the access still there to convert to 3×9 when needed but the lack of logs around bristol now is making me second think my bash.

Not used a 44t one for 5 years, don’t miss it.

It’s nothing to do with fashion. I took mine off as I never used it and replaced it with a chain device and bash which I get much more benefit from. Weather you need a big ring will depend on your style of riding and terrain / type of trails. I dont tend not to peddle when going downhill as I’m standing up to absorb the bumps etc. I don’t use the granny ring much now these days but it may as well stay there for now as there isn’t that much benefit in taking it off

Use mine regularly, either on the road getting to where I’m riding, commuting or just doing fast smooth stuff. If you’re stuck on a boring bit of fire trail you may as well go as fast as you can, fast and boring beats slow and boring.

I’m with njee here.

Unless you regularly use 44/11, ie. big ring with the smallest cog on the cassette, there’s no point. The next cog up, the 13T, gives you pretty much the same ratio as if you used a 36T ring with your 11T cog on the back… Only place I ever used 44/11 was on road down big steep hills anyway… I just don’t miss it at all, but having more ground clearance cos I run a 36T with bash setup on my full sus is very beneficial. And with a 24T granny, and 11-36 cassette, I’m not losing out on any low end gears, so my 2×10 setup gives me very nearly the same range as a 3×10 but only losing the very top ratio.

My 32T single ring setup on my hardtail only loses bottom 2 and top 2 ratios so is still useable for most riding too. Big rings on MTB’s are pretty much just a hangup from days gone by, or for serial pedal stompers.

I have a triple on my full-suss, but it’s coming off and I’m sticking a 36 and a bash on there instead. This is because I impaled my leg on it when I fell off the other week, which was annoying.

I couldn’t be without a big ring on the commuter though, that gets used a lot on towpaths and tarmac and suchlike.

Aye, on the road it makes lots of sense, but not off road IMO.

SS for me mostly, but 1×10 (was 1×9 till it wore out).
Haven’t run a big ring for many years.

I’m still trying to work out how I’m being ripped off going 1x whatever.

When I bought my Clockwork Orange in 92 it came with 48/38/28 and 12/28.
That’s pretty much the same highest gear as I have on my current road bikes.

Still got 3×9 on all of our bikes and they’re staying that way. 2×10 and 1×11 are just more ways to rip us off IMO.

You do realise a double is cheaper then a triple, in every way? As in initial cost, maintenance, replacement from wear and tear, etc. etc.

And a single ring even more so?

The big bike brands started selling them because that’s what riders wanted – I went to a double like a year and a half or so before sram xx was even announced, and I definitely wasn’t the first one to do so.

Also, surely the big ring is just whatever is the biggest chain ring of the ones that are on your bike?

I use mine all the time. If it’s flat or non tech downhill I’m in it. I can’t understand how a 36 up front can replace 44 with the same block at the back. I hate spinning out and I’m a lower cadence kind of rider anyway.

Still got a 3×9 set up on my main bike (a Turner Flux) but use a Raceface half bash ring thing – best of both worlds from my point of view. When it all wears out I’ll consider a move to 2×10 perhaps.

. I can’t understand how a 36 up front can replace 44 with the same block at the back.

Genuine facepalm!

Do you shift gears on the rear at all?

And I take it basic mathematics is beyond you then?

Unless you regularly use 44/11, you don’t need the 44T ring. As I stated above, 36/11 gives you pretty much the same ratio that 44/13 gives you (next cog up on your cassette). So unless you live in 44/11, put a 36T ring on instead and just ride in one cog lower on the cassette than you would normally…

EDIT: A 24/36/bash setup with an 11-36 cassette gives far less ratio duplication across the range too, with almost the same spread of gear ratios (barring the 4:1 44/11 ratio).

I use mine all the time. If it’s flat or non tech downhill I’m in it. I can’t understand how a 36 up front can replace 44 with the same block at the back. I hate spinning out and I’m a lower cadence kind of rider anyway.

The point is though that you only lose the very top 2 gears or so. So it’s not like you suddenly can’t ride more than 15mph. How often do you really use 44/11?

I’ve worn out the big ring (44t) first on my last two XTR chainsets, but I do have a 3.5 mile road climb/descent to and from the offroad part of my normal rides on the Quantocks.
I suppose it depends on your riding style, I don’t get on well with “spinning”.

Edit:-
I use 44-11 for most of the 3.5 mile (8 minute) descent on my way home from the Quantocks and spin out (45mph) in a couple of places

The point is though that you only lose the very top 2 gears or so

Top gear only with a 36T njee! So even less reason to keep it…

Even if you go for a 32T ring on its own you only just about lose the top 2 ratios then…

I do have a 3.5 mile road climb/descent to and from the offroad part of my normal ri

Because you do a 3.5 mile road climb in 44/11? Hero.

FWIW I do up to 16 miles to/from the trails on the road, with a 36. Did find the 42 slightly more useful, but the 36 isn’t a hindrance.

I got 46×11 and I use it frequently. Doesn’t anyone ride fast anymore ?

This is an old gear ratio chart for a 10 speed 11-36 cassette, comparing a standard triple to a standard double (26/38). For a 9 speed 11-32 cassette, just ignore the first column.

As you can see, 38-11 is actually bigger then 44-13, so you’re losing less then one gear at the top.

And you only lose about 2 and a bit gears at the bottom which is near impossible to notice, 22-32 is a silly low gear.

There are lots of other advantages to a double over a triple though. It’s lighter, it looks better, it’s easier to clean (less places for mud to get trapped), and it wears more evenly. No more 90% worn middle rings destroying your cassette early whilst your little and big ring are still near perfect. A lot less shifting too, with a double. Big ring for descending, little ring for climbing. Simple.

I use mine, not a great deal. A few courses have fast smooth long sections where a 42 gets used as well as the lock out.
And on on/off road rides like the Bucks Off Road.

In some races I use all three rings, I know the newer 2X10s will cover it, but I’m so used to that ratio that I know exactly where to change.

I got 46×11 and I use it frequently. Doesn’t anyone ride fast anymore ?

As i can get my roadbike into the mid high 30’s on the flat with only a 53×13, and 50+ downhill with a bit of bottle. I would suggest that 46×11 on a mtb is a little bit higher than most will ever need.

unless this is your normal ride

Because you do a 3.5 mile road climb in 44/11? Hero.

Who said anything about using 44/11 on the climb but 44/24 is lower than the gearing on my SS 32/16. 🙄

Right, but still significantly lower than (say) 36/11. So yes, if you want pedal at 45mph, as you’ve now edited, knock yourself out. Depends if you want to set your bike up for most riding, or for one 3.5 section of road? Why not fit a 53/39 chainset?

I spin out on the road descent home, I’m happy to bend my elbows and get a bit aero for a minute. YMMV of course!

44/32/22 has worked for me where I ride for the past 18 years or so, I doubt I’ll change now just because some “know it all” on a web forum tells me I’m doing it wrong.

I use 44-11 for most of the 3.5 mile (8 minute) descent on my way home from the Quantocks and spin out (45mph) in a couple of places

so average speed of 26mph ish. which isn’t really much of a cadence difference going from 44×11 to 40×11.

and 45mph suggests a cadence of slightly over 120, not really spinning out, 40×11 would be c40mph at 120. so yes a bit slower but most of the time not really an issue.

If your happy with 3 rings fine, but 2 or 3 rings there is very little difference in gear range, so don’t bother using it as a reason to stay with 3.

44/24 is lower than the gearing on my SS 32/16.

? i assume that the one is a 29er? otherwise that comment is so wrong.

44/24 is lower than the gearing on my SS 32/16.

? i assume that the one is a 29er? otherwise that comment is so wrong.

😆

44/32/22 has worked for me where I ride for the past 18 years or so, I doubt I’ll change now just because some “know it all” on a web forum tells me I’m doing it wrong.

Yeah that’s fair enough, just might be something you could consider when you’re replacing everything next time. I’d never go back to a triple ever. And if you ignore the abuse you’re getting on here (that man has one more chain ring than what I feel is ideal? How sickening!) and just look at the facts, then a double is quite tempting. But whatever floats your boat etc.

44/32/22 has worked for me where I ride for the past 18 years or so, I doubt I’ll change now just because some “know it all” on a web forum tells me I’m doing it wrong.

Don’t be ridiculous, no one’s telling you you’re doing it wrong. You’re misinformed, and you’ve been corrected. I used to think that I couldn’t live without a 44t chainring, but then realised how little difference it actually makes.

no one’s telling you you’re doing it wrong.

you’ve been corrected

😀

44:13 and 36:11 are not the same in theory or practice. Close enough might be close enough for you but for me it feels wrong. I suspect you’re the kind of guy that spends quite a lot in shaving grams off your bike, you could save a lot of money if you just took the “close enough” attitude to weight.
How often do I use 44:11? Lots. Or 42:11 on my 29er yesterday. Of course, if you’re the kind of person that drives to a muddy field to ride a few laps of it before driving home then you won’t need it but for getting between all the good bits fast a big ring is mandatory in my book. Horses for courses.

anyone actualy still use one?

What a weird question.

A. Yes, lots. If I didn’t then I’d go too slow and wouldn’t fit in as many miles/trails/cake stops.

44/24 is lower than the gearing on my SS 32/16.

44/24 x 26 = 47.666″

32/16 x 26 = 52″

As far as I’m concerned a 47″ gear is lower than a 52″ gear, but it may not be in your world. 🙄

threw 4 in a skip at the tip before I emigrated, had been weighing down the spares box.

36t front and no need for anything more.* For me was an expensive and painful bash gaurd

*where and how I ride, mountain biking still has personal preference and difference in terrain.

44:13 and 36:11 are not the same in theory or practice.

I personally didn’t say they were, I said you lose the top 2 gears. Not gonna argue with anything else you’ve said, perhaps we should just go for a ride sometime, I get bored of driving to muddy fields 🙄

From what I’ve heard you wouldn’t be using any of the gears on our trails, you’d be off walking. 🙂