1 x 9 setups

[Dreggsy]

Are any other people out there running a 1x9 setup?

I put mine together last night,
Blackspire 33t up front XT Crankset and XT 11/34 on the rear (still worn from last year)
I had absolutely no problems with this at all.

The only thing i am waiting on is the E-Thirteen XCX from DW to hit the country.
http://www.e13components.com/product_xcx.html

At the moment i using the front mech as low down as possible with a piece of cable for tension to keep it over the chainring,
it works and needs a tiny adjustment as when in the 11th I get a bit of rub.

I tested this at manly dam which isnt exactly smooth all the way around and had 0 issues with the chain coming off.

I do have a question though, where would YOU sit the chain-ring?
as in you can bolt it to either where the big ring used to be or where your middle chain-ring normally sits.

I have mine where the middle ring would normally go.
I'll post some pics of it soon

so you can kind of see what i've done.

there is an old brake cable running through a small piece of housing before going into an old xt ferrule.
this is to give the tension needed to hold the front mech in the correct position over the chain ring.
the front mech is as low as it can go on this frame due to the welds, i was a bit concerned about this, but so far it doesnt seem to be an issue, time will tell.
I would prefer to have the mech alot lower to stop any chain bounce.

 

[October26]

Yep been using the MRP 1.X for about 6 months now.
Middle ring for sure.

 

[bear the bear]

Have a look through here for some ideas for front setups. There are some really interesting ones

cyclingnews

 

[Dreggsy]

Yep been using the MRP 1.X for about 6 months now.
Middle ring for sure.

I ride for a different distributer so i am waiting for their brand to come in.

i had been told that Surly chain rings are a little too think to play nicely with a new 9 speed chain, which is why i went with the Al black spire one.

 

[October26]

Yeah there is some strain on the ring. I chewed through my Hone level middle ring pretty quickly.
The Raceface replacement seems to be holding up better. I think it might be a DH ring?
Generally works pretty well but occasionally drops if you backpedal too much. This nearly always happens to me while cleaning/lubing the chain. Seldom drops while riding.

 

[cha_cha_]

I helped a mate set his up. 33t in the middle position, bash ring and an mstop on the inside. Best solution for an xc application we figured because it's relatively light, the 33t is pretty well protected, zero drag and it's pretty much drop proof.

 

[DaGonz]

I helped a mate set his up. 33t in the middle position

I'm curious as to why you guys have gone 33T?

Cheers
Spoon

 

[cha_cha_]

he (terry - spoonie, you met him briefly at the fling) wanted 34 or 36 to reduce the losses at the to end (ie vs a standard 44t). i thought 34 was about right because he would probably struggle too much on the climbs with a 36 but available stock meant he had to go 33. 34 would be best for him i think.

my 29er will be in 1x9 with a 44t for the woodie worlds later in the year...

 

[Dreggsy]

I'm curious as to why you guys have gone 33T?

Cheers
Spoon

It's what they had in stock and the teeth look right

32 to easy, 34 too hard,. 33 just right?

 

[Anti_Trainer]

I'm curious as to why you guys have gone 33T?

Cheers
Spoon

It's what they had in stock and the teeth look right

32 to easy, 34 too hard,. 33 just right?

Odd numbers of teeth wear better than even, I thought that was common knowledge these days!

I'm running 33:17 and I can't wear the things out!

So if you run 33 out front and an 11/13/15/17/19/21/23/25/27 cluster out back you'll never need to buy a chain ring or cluster again.
Well at least for a good while anyways.

 

[FR Drew]

I used a Middleburn Uno (32) on my AS-R with a Rohloff guide to prevent drops.

Uno is a dedicated ring that replaces the spider on the Middleburn cranks, but you'd want the middle ring position for a regular spider crankset definitely, otherwise you'll have alignment problems at the upper or lower limits of your cassette.

 

[sammydog]

I just got the MRP 1.X guide, haven't used it yet as I am waiting for my swingarm to return so I can do my new bike build. Fingers crossed I will be riding this setup for the Sydney 24.

For the time being I will be going with 32 teeth up front with an 11-34 cassette. With time I would like to think that a 34 tooth chain ring would be the go.

The MRP guide certainly looks nice and neat. Doesn't seem to be much to go wrong with it either.

 

[DuncanFG]

I've raced 1x9 or SS/FG for the last couple of years, the only race I put the triple back on for is the Otway Odyssey.

I run an XT crank, 35 tooth surly ring, 11-34 cassette, XT front derailleur as low as it will go and a short cage XT rear derailleur.
I can get the front derailleur in the right place just with the limit screw. The chain very rarely drops but it has on occasion from silly things like low speed passing where you run out of room and hit a tree...

The surly ring is really easy to clean and wears real slow but is really easy to bend so you have to be careful. It does work with a 9-speed chain but it might take a little time to bed in (it's never been a problem).

The best thing about 1x9 is during enduros where you can get your ring shiny clean in about a minute.

 

[Bodin]

Fyi

This thread in the Parts 'n Stuff forum has plenty of useful posts on the same topic.

Another thing to consider if you want greater simplicity and fewer gears is a 3X1 setup that I say on a couple of rigid 29er bikes on Sunday at the Otway Odyssey familiarisation ride.

 

[chuckrockswell]

here's mine, running the MRP X1. 34 up front with 11-34 on rear, piece of piss to set up.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=129964&id=75361843671

 

[Tee Man]

I helped a mate set his up. 33t in the middle position, bash ring and an mstop on the inside. Best solution for an xc application we figured because it's relatively light, the 33t is pretty well protected, zero drag and it's pretty much drop proof.

ooh, that's me!

My 33t is an e13 G-ring. DH specific chainring at about 30g! Would match up nicely with your XCX Dreggsy.

If you're going to go 1x9, you must get a short cage derr. Apart from the more obvious advantages of 1x9, the one thing I especially loved about it when using a short cage was the super duper quick gear changes.

 

[Moggio]

Apart from the more obvious advantages of 1x9, the one thing I especially loved about it when using a short cage was the super duper quick gear changes.

Also the less risk of hanger damage. My friend who converted to 1x9 who has a history of constantly destroying hangers (he is a butcher of a rider) is yet to damage one with the short cage. I haven't damage one either in the months I have used the setup.

 

[Regan]

I've been running a 1x9 for a number of years now on my trail bike. All you guys seem to be running pretty low gearing up front. How do you find a 33 or 34 with an 11/34 cassette? Do you find it pedals out pretty easily on a fast open trail? I've been using a 38 with 11/32 cassette! It hasn't been too bad, I do find it a little hard on stepper tight climbs though. I'm going to try an 11/34 cassette and see how that goes and then maybe a 36 ring but defiantly no lower than that

 

[Dreggsy]

I've been running a 1x9 for a number of years now on my trail bike. All you guys seem to be running pretty low gearing up front. How do you find a 33 or 34 with an 11/34 cassette? Do you find it pedals out pretty easily on a fast open trail? I've been using a 38 with 11/32 cassette! It hasn't been too bad, I do find it a little hard on stepper tight climbs though. I'm going to try an 11/34 cassette and see how that goes and then maybe a 36 ring but defiantly no lower than that

The main reason i used a 33t ring is that I rarely used either the big ring or the granny and that was a 32t middle.
it's comfortable and seeing as I ride the enduro races i find it a good gear to push all day.

And look at the massive weight saving by taking off a whole shifter there must be a good 50gm in that alone!!! t.i.c

 

[MrCove]

i use a 36t/11-34 set up on my "insert genre here" bike with MRP device
using 'old type" Rzce Face Atlas cranks, had to drill the granny ring studs off to get the bb mounted chainguide to fit

always liked the single ring set up
if you manage to ride predominantly singletrack i'd reccomend it

just to note, i'm not saying that it's the best set up for XC RACING