Advice on Gearing for Stigmata Gravel Bike

[gallant]

I just purchased a Santa Cruz Stigmata CC Frameset from my LBS. Super stoked! I'm planning to use this as my commuter bike and also for doing mixed road and dirt rides. I'd like to be able to do Grasshopper Series or Belgium Waffle Ride Type Events. I don't plan to ride Cyclocross races.

I have an existing Shimano Ultegra 6800 Groupset I'm planning to use to build up the frameset. It includes a 52/36 mid compact crank and a 11-32 rear cassette.

My question is will the mid compact crank and 11-32 be low enough for long gravel ride climbs? Or do I need to swap my chain rings to go 50/34 compact? Any advice folks have is much appreciated!

[TBLS]

Nice!

My two cents is try whatever gearing you have and modify as needed. Of course this is coming from a cheapskate

[gallant]

Thanks TBLS. I'm going to have my LBS help build it up. So prefer to change the chain rings now (if needed) rather than to do it later.

[Hilltopperny]

You should be fine with a mid compact and 32 in the rear. I run a 46/36 front with 13-29 on my all road/gravel bike and haven't ever had an issue.

[velomateo]

Having completed the Belgian Waffle Ride just yesterday, I would vote 50/34 compact. I don't think I could have managed with anything less. But I'm old and slow.

I did see many with 1X gearing, and it seemed to be working very well for that particular event.

[Ralph]

I like low gears to power thru the occasional soft stuff. And the occasional steep places. Top speed don't matter much to me on dirt or gravel. Would be happy to swap 10% or so of my top gears for 10% or so lower gears. Doing competitive events....would assume you would regear the bike each time for the ride or course.

[Mzilliox]

If its dedicated to dirt, id go with lower gears. No amount of power can push you up loose gravel at 10%, you need gears and a weight shift for that.

[John H.]

Gear it as low as you can.

Go with 34/50 chainrings and also use a SRAM (Yes- SRAM) 11-36 cassette and mid cage Ultegra rear derailleur.

When you ride long offroad climbs you will be thankful for this combo-

[pbarry]

I'm going with 46/34 x 11/32 on the new gravel bike, after checking Sheldon Brown's gear calculator. Top end at 46/11 is more gear inches than were available in 1980 with a 53/13..

[DrSpoke]

Originally Posted by John H.

Gear it as low as you can.

Go with 34/50 chainrings and also use a SRAM (Yes- SRAM) 11-36 cassette and mid cage Ultegra rear derailleur.

When you ride long offroad climbs you will be thankful for this combo-

This is what I, and most of my buddies, use here in SoCal - including yesterday's BWR. It seems to have the range needed for both up and down, road and dirt. A couple of the stronger riders use an 11-32.

[Miller76]

I have 46/36 and 11/32 on my gravel bike and I think it works a treat!!


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[type2sam]

I just went for a shakedown ride on my new (to me) cyclocross/gravel bike yesterday. 50/34 with an 11-40 out back. Using a vintage Deore rear derailleur and a Roadlink. Covered all sorts of terrain with ease - from pavement to rocky, rooty New England single-track to mud bogs. So much fun just ripping around in the woods with these low gears.

[commonguy001]

When I'm totally gassed I like a lower gear like I get with a 1x 40 front 42 rear. A 34 small up front and a 36 rear would give you the same gear.
Seems dumb 98% do the time having it back there but when you're shelled at mile 1xx or whatever and hit the base of a 12% gravel climb that just keeps going a bailout gear is a lifesaver.

If that never happens then a 34/32 makes a ton of sense or better yet get a praxis crank and run 48/32 up front.

[ColonelJLloyd]

52/36 with 11-32 and 700x37 is 130"-31". You know the terrain you'll be riding and I don't. You can get the low gears you need by changing the cassette and RD, but you'll still have top gears you may not use (I wouldn't) all while increasing the gaps between gears (not a benefit). If it were me I'd switch the crank and FD and leave the rest.

[geordanh]

Building my stigmata up 44t front and 10-42 in the back. For longer PNW gravel events will swap a 42 up front. As mentioned before, I've found 36-32 to be a total killer on steep, loose ramps when you're shelled near the end of a long ride. I was stubborn and didn't want to swap cassette or chain ring and have always regretted it by the end of long rides. Getting out of the saddle isn't usually an option on the loose stuff, so it's either big watts and cursing while seated or walk (usually the latter after 100km). Good luck!


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