Do I upgrade to 1x46 or 1x50

[Eben Roberts]

which one you go for will be dictated by what derailleur you have. Some are fine with the 50t, some aren't. 

 

As Grease says, though, a change to a 32t ring would be cheaper and less likely to present shifting issues IF your RD can't handle the larger cog. 

My derailleur will be able to handle the 50t sunrace cassette. dont want to go with a 32t in front, dont want to loose topend. 

[Quagga]

My derailleur will be able to handle the 50t sunrace cassette. dont want to go with a 32t in front, dont want to loose topend. 

11 or 12 speed? The 11 speed 11-50 has a big jump on the larger cogs, and the 11-46 it nicer spaced.

[JohanDiv]

11 or 12 speed? The 11 speed 11-50 has a big jump on the larger cogs, and the 11-46 it nicer spaced.

 

I agree, somewhere between the third and fifth gear I always feel like there is a cog missing on the 11-50. But on the 11 speed it is a sacrifice I'm willing to make to get that range

[JohanDiv]

Anytime you remove Sh1tmano it is an UPGRADE !

:-)

 

Haha, spotted you a SRAM Fanboy from a mile away..

[matthieup]

if 11-46, go for the Sunrace not the XT. The Sunrace is better spaced at the top

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

if 11-46, go for the Sunrace not the XT. The Sunrace is better spaced at the top

MUCH better spacing. Gosh, Shimano got that 11sp cassette horribly wrong. 

[Sbloomer]

I bought my bike with a 1x with 42 at back and 32 at front.  But the cassette was toast so went with the Eagle 11-50.  In retrospect I think this was a mistake.

 

Considering 50% of my riding is on the road/gravel, and I'm not seeming to need for the 50 (yet).  I find I'm spinning out, even having changed to 34.  In retrospect I would have gone back to a 2x

[arendoog]

Before 1 x systems ,nobody had these difficulties .I cannot remember us ever have pages of discussions on front derailer problems either .And going Shimano is always an upgrade imo

[ABrooks]

For the average joe that rides with his bike from home to the trails, rides the trails up and down and back home again past the coffee shop, I don't see why a 1x system is optimal. Sure it's the current trend and eagle is all the rage now, but a 2x setup with something like a 28/38 crankset and a 11/42 cassette will cover you at the top end as well as when the climbing gets rough.  

[patham]

This trade-off between spinning out and having sufficient gears to climb every mountain is a perennial problem and one the industry is sure to address with an innovative approach.

 

I suspect someone will come up with a product that will allow you to have two chainrings up front (!), say a 38 and a 26, with the ability to change between them whilst riding.

 

On down, flat or gently undulating terrain you could shift onto the "big ring" and never spin out and on the uphill you drop onto the "inner ring" and climb to your heart's content.

 

If it were me, I'd call it "2x" (pronounced two by) and have 10 or 11 closely spaced cogs on the cassette covering say 11-34.

 

Watch this space, it is sure to come....

 

But this level of technology, which is practically magic, is bound to be too expensive for the average rider surely ? 

[Puncher]

My derailleur will be able to handle the 50t sunrace cassette. dont want to go with a 32t in front, dont want to loose topend. 

So I assume you're running 11 or 12 speed ? Cos if you are on 10 speed - 46t is the limit.

[Eben Roberts]

So I assume you're running 11 or 12 speed ? Cos if you are on 10 speed - 46t is the limit.

 

Yes 11 speed 11x42. But after all the reading here I am not going to go for the 11x50 will get a 11x46 for now. 

[Milosh]

I am currently running 34 front and 1x42 at back. Not struggling to much on climbs,but sometimes I need a bit more help. Do I upgrade to 11x46 or 11x50?

Go with a 34 oval first, leave the rest as is

 

Rapide.co.za  will get you one overnight for a good price  

[DieselnDust]

This trade-off between spinning out and having sufficient gears to climb every mountain is a perennial problem and one the industry is sure to address with an innovative approach.

 

I suspect someone will come up with a product that will allow you to have two chainrings up front (!), say a 38 and a 26, with the ability to change between them whilst riding.

 

On down, flat or gently undulating terrain you could shift onto the "big ring" and never spin out and on the uphill you drop onto the "inner ring" and climb to your heart's content.

 

If it were me, I'd call it "2x" (pronounced two by) and have 10 or 11 closely spaced cogs on the cassette covering say 11-34.

 

Watch this space, it is sure to come....

 

 

this sounds too far fetched to have any truth to it. I call humbug on this propaganda

[dannygirl]

This trade-off between spinning out and having sufficient gears to climb every mountain is a perennial problem and one the industry is sure to address with an innovative approach.

 

I suspect someone will come up with a product that will allow you to have two chainrings up front (!), say a 38 and a 26, with the ability to change between them whilst riding.

 

On down, flat or gently undulating terrain you could shift onto the "big ring" and never spin out and on the uphill you drop onto the "inner ring" and climb to your heart's content.

 

If it were me, I'd call it "2x" (pronounced two by) and have 10 or 11 closely spaced cogs on the cassette covering say 11-34.

 

Watch this space, it is sure to come....

 

But surely that would require a whole new shifting system up front?  And what would stop you then from adding (*gasp*) another ring up front?  Following on the theme, you could call it "3x".  I'm sure it will be very expensive / exclusive, though - you'll never be able to do this on entry level bikes...

[eddy]

  And what would stop you then from adding (*gasp*) another ring up front?  Following on the theme, you could call it "3x".  

 

I did some sketching of what something like that could look like and showed it to my grandmother.

 

She said that the smallest ring would be almost as small as her wedding ring, so were this to be hypothetically possible, we could call this the "granny gear" …..