Mountain Bike Gear Ratios For Climbing

A sram 10 42 cassette has a very similar gear range but with a 32t chainring the lowest gear has a ratio of 32 42 0 762 and the highest gear has a ratio of 32 10 3 200.

Mountain bike gear ratios for climbing. I am 53 now so i m old and set in my ways. Gear ratios for climbing by todd maui hawaii howdy kris i ve been a mediocre mountain biker for 20 years. Know that this value does depend on wheel size. Climbing a mountain is hard enough without.

To keep things simple let s look at just 29ers. If he posted a ridiculous 38x16 on a thread that is specifically about climbing and gear ratios then don t you think he s trying to make it seem like he spends his time climbing on 38x16. If you had to change to 30t chainring on the sram drivetrain you would achieve similar gear ratios as the shimano xt of 30 42 0 714 and 30 10 3 000. For one revolution of the pedal your bike will travel a certain number of inches.

If you re a downhill mosher with a big rig bike then it s unlikely you ll be doing any real climbing. My main passion on a bike is long steep low gear grinding hills think of grinding up the face of aspen mountain on summer read more. I call bs on the guy who said 38x16. I m with jetboy on this one.

Riding style plays an important part in setting up your gear range. An intro to bike. A comfortable pedal power on a 26 wheeled bike will feel considerably easier than the same gear ratio on a 29er. I specifically emphasized climbing.

Using a gear inch chart is one way to compare gear ratios without riding the bike.