SS Cross
- Thread starter D'Oh
- Start date
Are you a spinner or a masher? I am definitely a spinner, so I usually run 38/18. I know plenty of folks who would hate my gear though and can push much higher into 42/16. Best thing to do is throw something on there and go rip around on some smooth singletrack. See if you can snap in and out of corners as well as if you spin out on the straights. Just pick something in the middle, experiment, and remember that cross is fun so don't stress over it 😉
Sound advice here. ^^
If you're standard gear is 34x19 on your 29er, then you probably wont like the 38x18 on the cx rig. You've probably got a 39 laying around already, so that's a good starting point. Throw on a 39x16 (or whatever you have) and go for a ride. Try to simulate some cx type stuff... flat single/double track. tight corners, grass fields, punchy climbs, etc. See how you make out and adjust from there. Since you're a singlespeeder already, you'll figure it out pretty directly.
Jump in some cx practices to test the waters before you actually race it!
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icolquhoun
Active Member
if you run a ss mtb at 32x19 on a 29er, i ran a 32x21 competitively in cat1 ss on a 29er, so i'm a bit more spinnier 😉
ran 39x18 in b men cross very competitively at places like hillbilly and westwood, if anything, i would have prefered maybe a 17 or 16 out back at hillbilly
your going to be going much faster on your typical cross course than mtn.
like others said, use whatever you have now and go to a few cx practices. adjust accordingly.
you'll see that over a 30-45 minute race youll want different (easier) gearing than what feels good for three laps equaling 8 minutes 😀
ran 39x18 in b men cross very competitively at places like hillbilly and westwood, if anything, i would have prefered maybe a 17 or 16 out back at hillbilly
your going to be going much faster on your typical cross course than mtn.
like others said, use whatever you have now and go to a few cx practices. adjust accordingly.
you'll see that over a 30-45 minute race youll want different (easier) gearing than what feels good for three laps equaling 8 minutes 😀
Yeah, that too... towards the end of a cx race, it'll be a death march - or crawl - if you go too big!
Been racing SSCX for about 6yrs on and off and the advice I received to start was one gear bigger than 2x1. So I used to use 34x16 as I had a 34T inner on a set of road cranks I built it with. Now I'm on 38x18, because my sweet King SS hub came with an 18 cog. It gets the job done.
Please remember, you will never have the "right" gear for more than a few seconds in SSCX, especially if you are racing geared guys. I found a lot of it came down to the pre-ride and deciding what I would stand/run/spin and just be done with it. The good thing is it's just fun.
Keep cross stupid! Good on ya!
Please remember, you will never have the "right" gear for more than a few seconds in SSCX, especially if you are racing geared guys. I found a lot of it came down to the pre-ride and deciding what I would stand/run/spin and just be done with it. The good thing is it's just fun.
Keep cross stupid! Good on ya!
D'Oh
Member
OK, thanks for the advice I think I am going to start with 38-19 and see where I go from there. Thanks guys. I do spin up, and mash, but I like what you said about the end. I did not think about a bike covered in mud and cold conditions. This is going to play a big part in gearing choices....
Steve Vai
Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
I think you'll quit cross pretty quickly if you start on a Single Speed. A) You'll immediately get dropped at the start and spend the first lap riding at 160RPM trying to catch back on. B) If you run a gear bigger than that you'll end up burning too many matches punching out of corners or going uphill.
SS is probably OK for someone who's gotten time in and is used to the efforts otherwise...:drooling:
Having said that. I've been running a 42x18 or 17 on my Nature Boy. While I haven't actually raced it, I have done practices on it and find my lap times are about the same as a geared bike. I've even done 4 lap sets on the HorseShoe Scramble course and it seems OK. With the SS you work A LOT harder during the hard parts and A LOT easier on the easy parts. IE, The back climb at HorseShoe was a max effort to hit at speed, but then the rest of the back you'll coast because you're going faster than the gear will catch...
As long as you're out there having fun is all that matters.
-Jim.
SS is probably OK for someone who's gotten time in and is used to the efforts otherwise...:drooling:
Having said that. I've been running a 42x18 or 17 on my Nature Boy. While I haven't actually raced it, I have done practices on it and find my lap times are about the same as a geared bike. I've even done 4 lap sets on the HorseShoe Scramble course and it seems OK. With the SS you work A LOT harder during the hard parts and A LOT easier on the easy parts. IE, The back climb at HorseShoe was a max effort to hit at speed, but then the rest of the back you'll coast because you're going faster than the gear will catch...
As long as you're out there having fun is all that matters.
-Jim.
D'Oh
Member
Thank you for the vote of confidence Jim! I am purposely doing SS (ALSO on an ALL-City) to get my ass kick. What fun is it if it is easy...
So bring it on :getsome:
So, your saying it would be easy if you were running gears?
Dusty the Whale
Mr.Chainsaw
i find it much harder to shift gears on my SS.
michael.su
Master of the Pawpaw
D'Oh
Member
You guys are to funny! I am running a 42:19 and it feels good right now. I put on a couple of miles tonight, but not enough to say I love it, I don't know if this is going to be the starting gear but we shall see. I will be putting sometime on her on Saturday at Ben class. I am going to bring a 18 & 20 with me also.
jnos
Well-Known Member
My cross bike is set up as a 2X10 and I usually only use 1 or 2 of those gears. I'll switch to dedicated SS one of these days since my 1FG mountain bike has taught me that shifting is for minds stronger than mine. Gears or no gears, you'll still probably get dropped hard in that first race, but will love every second of it.
Steve Vai
Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
No problem, I'm here for you. At least it'll be nice to see another moron on an SS 😀
-Jim.