SSMTBs

that's wicked

What’s that? It looks smart! I’m struggling to work out how the chain is being tensioned, some very neat/clever dropouts?

I’m hoping I’ll get my Niner finished in the next couple of weeks and I’ll finally be able to make a contribution to one of these threads!

It's a 2019 Ragley Bigwig. It's got a BSA bottom bracket, and no obvious sign of adjustable dropouts, so it must be using a magic gear

Yeh I reckon you must be right, cracking looking frame though.

I am currently on 32/16 but for the first time in my life I can't get up hills on 2:1 gearing.
I am either having to resort to training, gearing up or getting a rear mech...

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What size wheels? 2:1 gearing only applies to 26"

Even then, people who live near mad steep stuff do gear down accordingly

Yeah 26".
I am going to try and bring a 18T next time I am home. And loose 5-10kg maybe :)

32/20 here on my singular Rooster 29 plus in the mildly hilly Chilterns, which roughly equates to 32/18 on a 29er. Id happily put a bigger cog on the back if needed though.

I've always found 2:1 quite a bit too big for offroading and given my taste for rigid bikes and cantilever brakes I've not really found running a lighter gear to affect my descending very much.

Geared down two teeth to 34:19 on the Kona and apart from being a bit trickier to spin up to jumps it's great. Much more relax

True

But I used to power of everything on 2:1 on my 29er Karate Monkey.

I feel fat and old :( and I will just have to accept that

32:18 on my 26" SSMTB was perfect.

Sweet

Ah!

32/16 is what I’ve plumped for on the 29er I’m building, although my local trails are Thetford so I imagine that commands a taller gear than most places, and I tend to be a pusher rather than a spinner. Will have to see how I get on, might be hurriedly ordereding a 17/18/19 after it’s maiden voyage (when I get round to it). Is 32/18 a more sensible bet for a 29er?

I'd go for a 32/17, 34/18, or 36/19 myself. Something around 54-55"

I am both weak, and terrible at spinning though, so try to find something inbetween :-)

Nice one. I’ll certainly give 32/16 a go as it’s already on there, but I imagine I’ll be taking your advice once I start riding it as I’m almost certainly over geared.

I imagine I’ll be taking your advice

Oh dear

What could possibly go wrong?

What could possibly go wrong?

You end up getting an internally geared hub?

The irony is I’ve genuinely been wondering if a Rohloff is a great/terribad idea on a MTB.. and if they do a TA version.

There is now a 12mm thru axle version, in both 142 and 148mm spacing. Don't know that I'd want to put one on a lightweight Niner