Gideonw Posted September 14, 2020 Share I'm building a gravel bike. Need to know the best gear ratios to use. From crank to cassette/cog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etienne_jordaan Posted September 14, 2020 Share I think as with mtb gearing it depends on the area/terrain you ride and what your strong points are as a rider. I run 11spd on my 650b trail bike 32 x 11/46. Tried it on my gravel bike ( hardtail 29er mtb) but have now switched to 2x10, 38/28 chainrings and 11/40 cassette. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Boab Posted September 14, 2020 Share How long is a piece of string... I'm building a gravel bike. Need to know the best gear ratios to use. From crank to cassette/cog Steven Knoetze (sk27) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nico van Loggerenberg Posted September 14, 2020 Share For general gravel riding, a 52/36 crankset with 11-32 cassette is perfect. If you want to ride more technical stuff or are not very strong on climbs, 50/34 crankset with the same cassette should have you covered. I run an 11-32 with a 53/39 and am fine on most trails and gravel rides, and can do road riding with that easily as well. Underachiever 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coppi Posted September 14, 2020 Share I run 40 chainring and 11/42 casette LazyTrailRider 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne pudding Mol Posted September 14, 2020 Share For general gravel riding, a 52/36 crankset with 11-32 cassette is perfect. If you want to ride more technical stuff or are not very strong on climbs, 50/34 crankset with the same cassette should have you covered. I run an 11-32 with a 53/39 and am fine on most trails and gravel rides, and can do road riding with that easily as well.You must be a mountain goat - those are my roadbike gears and definitely wouldn’t get most normal fun riders up a gravel pass LazyTrailRider 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monark Posted September 14, 2020 Share Agree with Wayne - road gearing wont cut it when adventuring. I have a 38 oval single up front and a 11 - 40 on the rear. Happy as. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinmug Posted September 14, 2020 Share Surely WHERE you ride (over WHAT you ride) is the more pertinent question? peetwindhoek and Steven Knoetze (sk27) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monark Posted September 14, 2020 Share Tinmug I agree, this thread needs more pics... Steven Knoetze (sk27) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideonw Posted September 14, 2020 Share Im building a gravel bike from a le Jeune steely. Have 9 spd Sora group set. Need to know if I should get a compact crank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jewbacca Posted September 14, 2020 Share On a gravel bike, my rule of thumb is generally '1 bail out gear with less than 1:1' Si 1x a 42 and 11/46 or a 40 and 11/42... 2x 50/34 and 11/36 (I found this the sweet spot) Got over Swartberg pass 42 ovval - 11/42 last year but it was a grind. I felt 1 gear light tinmug 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Boab Posted September 15, 2020 Share Good point...1 less than 1:1. I ride 50/34 and 11/36 which is good for all I've ridden this far. But perhaps add in if you're touring/bike-packing, in which case 2 less than 1:1 seems more prudent (I'm about to go to 11/40 for this reason). On a gravel bike, my rule of thumb is generally '1 bail out gear with less than 1:1' Si 1x a 42 and 11/46 or a 40 and 11/42... 2x 50/34 and 11/36 (I found this the sweet spot) Got over Swartberg pass 42 ovval - 11/42 last year but it was a grind. I felt 1 gear light Jewbacca and ChrisF 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne pudding Mol Posted September 15, 2020 Share On a gravel bike, my rule of thumb is generally '1 bail out gear with less than 1:1' Si 1x a 42 and 11/46 or a 40 and 11/42... 2x 50/34 and 11/36 (I found this the sweet spot) Got over Swartberg pass 42 ovval - 11/42 last year but it was a grind. I felt 1 gear lightAnd you weigh nothing For those a “little” heavier and in hilly areas, a bailout gear is essential - I have a 42 on the front with a nice big 50 at the back - I don’t use it much but it’s handy to have It’s all about what and how you ride plus what you’re carrying up the hill but no shame in granny gears ChrisF and Jewbacca 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jewbacca Posted September 15, 2020 Share And you weigh nothing For those a “little” heavier and in hilly areas, a bailout gear is essential - I have a 42 on the front with a nice big 50 at the back - I don’t use it much but it’s handy to haveIt’s all about what and how you ride plus what you’re carrying up the hill but no shame in granny gearsThis is also very, very true. It is the main reason I prefer the 2x as I can run a more tightly spaced cassette. I'm currently building a spare parts Drop bar tourer that will employ 42/27 up front and an 11-34 out the back, so a 'similar' bail out gear under load. But OP, to answer your question, get a compact crank. It is a lot easier to get good ratios than with a 53/39. Big road cassettes or small mountain cassettes as opposed to playing with massive gears. LazyTrailRider 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuliBoB Posted September 15, 2020 Share I am new to Gravel, but what I've noticed on my Trek Checkpoint when I ride on rugged roads/trails, a rear derailer with a clutch would be nice. So what ever you decide gears wise, just keep this in mind.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nico van Loggerenberg Posted September 15, 2020 Share Also depends what tyres you're running - the bigger they are, the lower your gear should be. Check out Sheldon Brown's 'Gain Calculator' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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