Cross chaining..

[IceCreamMan]

When I first started cycling in the ole days my ole man who is a moerofa clever ou told me about cross chaining and should not be on big rings on both sides at once or small rings etc....

 

When I do events I see a lot of ppl doing this, is cross chaining still relevant with modern drive trains?

 

Thanks

[T-Bob]

I'm not sure on he longevity of modern kit vs old but I've always been told to avoid it. Problem is that I actually love riding in the ratio of my big ring front and the 28 at the rear. I know that if I have a ratio calculator I can work another combo that is the same but it works for me and I haven't replaces my chain or cassette or rings because they're poked for a long time. 

[velomonatiCT]

that's because most 'mountain bikers" don't really know much about bicycles and don't really care to learn - they just take it back to the shop and pay up when it breaks

road cyclists still don't cross chain

[David Marshall]

I ride a compact so spend a lot of time cross chained.  My logic is that if they made it like that I can ride it like that.  My legs tell me when to shift and I don't look down while racing. At worst you will wear your chain a little faster.  I think most mechanics say don't cross chain so that they can get away with poor gear settings.  I've even heard the term "illegal gears".  On MTB's you may have a case to limit cross chaining if you have changed gear sizes to the extent that you are pushing the limits of your FD or RD.  In such cases your chain length may also be sub optimal at the extremes. You then have to set the length for one of the extremes and remember not to ride at the other.

[T-Bob]

that's because most 'mountain bikers" don't really know much about bicycles and don't really care to learn - they just take it back to the shop and pay up when it breaks

road cyclists still don't cross chain

 

Which mountain bikers... I'm talking about my roadie. Good sweeping generalisation though for a Sunday!  

[velomonatiCT]

Which mountain bikers... I'm talking about my roadie. Good sweeping generalisation though for a Sunday!

 

the millions of middle age ex golfers that have seen mountain biking go from a slightly fringe sport ten years ago to the biggest money spinner in the sports industry today -- THOSE "mountainbikers"

pick any day of the year and go stand on the side of a dirt road and watch them 'race' by in their hordes all covered in camo and camelbacks leaving a trail of gu packets behind them !

 

    flame suit on  

[JA-Q001]

Modern drivetrains have evolved a lot! Cross chaining isnt as relevant anymore as the drivetrains are made to work in all ratios, thats why SRAM has named their newer groups Red/Force/Rival 22 or even XX for mtb, they even state that you can use all gear combos. For climbing they brought in wifly, letting you stay in the big ring and ride a cassette with up to a 32 gear at the back. This has even led to the newer 1x setups, but there the cross chaining sortoff is eliminated.

 

So, especially in racing, go ahead and use any combo you want.

[Butterbean]

Ya I think with the small width and massive flexibility of today's 10 and 11 speed drive trains, it shouldn't be much of a problem. Maybe some noise, but no wear that would be significant.

 

That being said, I still try to avoid cross changing.

 

Set your gears right and you're okay. I like to set my front derailer so that it rubs slightly on the "crossed" gears, so I know I'm wrong without having to look down. It works for me.

[Lone Rider]

Even though my front derailleur is setup correctly, I've had a couple of bad experiences when switching between chain rings, so I rather cross-chain for short periods i.e. the last 200m to the crest of a hill, rather than risk my chain jumping off.

 

Otherwise I try and avoid cross chaining as much as possible. In addition to a slight (probably negligible) increase in wear, I suspect it also robs you of a little power...and I don't have that many Watts to spare!

[tombeej]

Modern chainsets not much of an issue anymore. But what I have found when racing and going hard up a climb, if I'm in the big ring if I go to the 25T (my largest on my cassette), the excessive angle on the chain line makes it very prone to pulling the chain off the big ring when under such heavy load. Not what you want when you're trying to hang on when the break is going away.

[JXV]

Mtb based experience ....I find that cross chaining creates more friction than using the right combo

[myveonix]

Once (accidentally/did not notice) was on the large chainring and shifting, rear, towards granny when suddenly the quick link disengaged and the chain fell off the front. Something here tells me that there are limites to cross chaining. I have 3 x 10 and my FD is set in such way that the middle ring can engage any of the 10 rear sprockets, the large ring, the bottom 4 and the granny the top 4. Any other combination makes the chain rub the FD cage plates.