Big gear range... Yay or nay

illuminaught · #1 08-11-2020, 12:22 PM

Got a CX bike that I'm planning to only use on the road... With big tires because the roads suck.

So, I've got a rival 22 setup with a medium cage sram x9 rear derailleur...
I'm planning to do 36/46 x 11-32, but I could fit the 36...

Anyone doing something like this... My worry is that the chain will be pretty slack... But IDK.

Should I go 36 or 32... I really don't need the extra leverage... But. I'm thinking why not...

Dired · #2 08-11-2020, 12:28 PM

I'm running a 31-48 with an 11-44 on my wolverine for gravel as well as paved. Not sure that I need the entire range, but the extremes are definitely useful. No issues with the chain.

[Edit] To clarify, I started with full 105, then went to a 1x and 11-44, and just recently picked up a double grx crankset.

kppolich · #3 08-11-2020, 12:59 PM

With the double do you think you'll need a 36T back there? With the riding being mostly on road I'd say stick with a 11-32. The value of that 36 and spinning might only ever be used on the steepiest/rocky terrain and not pavement.

benb · #4 08-11-2020, 01:03 PM

I have a 34/50 on my All City Space Horse.

My experience is that with the compact it's pointless for me to have a narrow range cassette on the bike with those rings. If I do that it impacts switching between the two rings too much. I.e. you're always stuck switching back and forth between the two rings too often and when you switch you have to switch a ton of cogs in the back.

I'm not exactly sure what cassette I've got on it.. but it's pretty wide. 11-30, 11-32, or 11-34.

The wide range is pretty useless on the road.. it comes into it's own on gravel or light MTB trails.

For carrying loads my setup is not wide enough/low enough... e.x. pulling a trailer, which I've done with the bike quite a bit. For carrying luggage the 34/34 is low enough for short rides (commuting) in relatively flat areas.

jtbadge · #5 08-11-2020, 01:06 PM

Your chain won't be slack, that derailleur is designed for this much range and the clutch will keep it from slapping around. With the 36 small ring I would definitely use an 11-36 cassette to get you down to the 1:1 ratio so you can stay seated climbing loose terrain.

GregL · #6 08-11-2020, 01:28 PM

I'm running an Ultegra 6800 crank (46/34), an HG800 11-34 cassette, and 5800GS rear derailleur on my gravel bike for hilly, off-road terrain. Zero issues encountered with shifting or a slack chain. It just works with no drama.

Greg

benb · #7 08-11-2020, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GregL

I'm running an Ultegra 6800 crank (46/34), an HG800 11-34 cassette, and 5800GS rear derailleur on my gravel bike for hilly, off-road terrain. Zero issues encountered with shifting or a slack chain. It just works with no drama.

Greg

Yah this.. as long as you stay in the capacity of the derailleur it all works fine.

XXtwindad · #8 08-11-2020, 01:37 PM

I’m building up my Ti gravel bike. It will have a GRX (31/48) in front paired with a e*thirteen 9-36 in back. I’ll give a first ride report shortly. It should be great for the road. I have my doubts about some of the dirt climbs (as you know being another Easy Bayer) using a 36t. We’ll see.

bigbill · #9 08-11-2020, 01:41 PM

My gravel bike has an 11-32 with a 36/46. I have two sets of wheels, one for gravel and the other for road with 30mm tires. The double means the 32 is all I need for off-road while the 46 gives me a nice range on the road.

prototoast · #10 08-11-2020, 01:51 PM

50/34 11/32 is my default for road riding.

It's not hard for me to find roads where I wish I had something easier. I recently bumped my wife's bike from a 32 to a 36 in the back, and she took full advantage of it.

190 lbs, 250-300W threshold power, live in California Bay Area where big climbs are easy to find.

palincss · #11 08-11-2020, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by illuminaught

Got a CX bike that I'm planning to only use on the road... With big tires because the roads suck.

So, I've got a rival 22 setup with a medium cage sram x9 rear derailleur...
I'm planning to do 36/46 x 11-32, but I could fit the 36...

Anyone doing something like this... My worry is that the chain will be pretty slack... But IDK.

Should I go 36 or 32... I really don't need the extra leverage... But. I'm thinking why not...

Well it's not like 27" is really all that low a low gear.

As for the chain being too slack I'm using a 9 speed Shimano Deore XT rear derailleur (M 751 SGS) like this

with a (custom) 13-36 9 speed cassette on a couple of bikes and have no issues with either chain tension or handling the 36T. This dereailleur is rated at a 34T maximum but I didn't even have to adjust the B screw to get it to work. What's that SRAM rated to?