Question to all you cycling commutist out there

Stearinlys

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 6, 2024
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185
Location
Central Alberta
I want to get back into cycling more often, but I also like to hit the trails and jumps with the kids. I used to have a Specialized BigHit 2 but that's way too much bike for commuting and general trail riding (Tried it once a long time ago, bad idea).

This is more a question about gearing, but for those who do commute and bang some trails, would a 1x9 gearset be sufficient? I don't remember it being too bad with my old one, and where I'm at, I don't have any huge hills and my kids aren't big enough to tackle big hills while out riding.

Should I be looking at 2x or 3x? For what I would be doing a 3x seems almost excessive. Thanks!

For reference, I'm currently looking at a 2006 GT I-Drive 5
 
1x is the way to go now. All current bikes are 1x. Assume you’re looking for a hard tail of your gonna commute and run some trails with the kids? What’s your budget?
 
Been a few places that have "that one hill" despite not being generally hilly. Also any cargo weight is part of the equation. With 4 bags / drinking water on the touring bike, I appreciate the 3x and a 1x would be completely unworkable. Without the bags, a 2x would be generally fine.
 
1X is where it’s at in there are plenty of dinner plate sized gearing to get you up your worst hill unloaded. I agree that 2X with any weight is perfect. Plus, there is a resurgence in 2X with lots of cheats on YouTube to figure out mixing and matching brands.
 
I want to get back into cycling more often, but I also like to hit the trails and jumps with the kids. I used to have a Specialized BigHit 2 but that's way too much bike for commuting and general trail riding (Tried it once a long time ago, bad idea).

This is more a question about gearing, but for those who do commute and bang some trails, would a 1x9 gearset be sufficient? I don't remember it being too bad with my old one, and where I'm at, I don't have any huge hills and my kids aren't big enough to tackle big hills while out riding.

Should I be looking at 2x or 3x? For what I would be doing a 3x seems almost excessive. Thanks!

For reference, I'm currently looking at a 2006 GT I-Drive 5
This bike? Looks like a good basic general purpose bike if it’s not worn out. Are you talking about the front gear set? I can’t imagine anything except flat trails with a single front gear, unless it’s too low for commuting. The very first time you’re walking the bike up a section of trail with a little elevation will make a standard gear set worth it. I’m guessing the bike has been modified after the factory parts were damaged or worn out? The parts to make it right aren’t expensive, but it all adds up. With a properly adjusted high quality derailer setup there isn’t an advantage to a single gear - it’s not saving much weight.

There are some great dual purpose tires that run smooth on blacktop, and don’t forget about a rear rack to keep wet roads from spraying up your back.

IMG_0618.jpeg
 
What about losing the rear shock and sticking with a hardtail? As an owner of an iDrive back in the day it’s going to need constant maintenance. So are the bearings in the linkage.
 
Definitely harder to find a mountain bike that isn’t 1X anymore. I miss old triple chainring XC bikes but I really don’t feel like I’ve given up much with the modern 1X configurations. My new MTB (Epic WC Pro) has a chainring on the rear that’s bigger than the big front chainring (2X) on my gravel bike. You can climb a wall on a 1X with the correct rear.

The GT you’re interested in, being an ‘06, is a 26” correct? That’s a much bigger limiting factor than front chainring. 29” is the way.
 
What the spread, 90 pavement/ 10 trails? Lot of good hardtail options with 1x12 that could do both with the right tire.

If its more trail than commuting I ride a steel frame Kona Honzo with a 130mm fork, if its more commuting than trail its a steel frame Kona Rove gravel bike. If its not super rocky the gravel bike does pretty decent on trails and is way faster on gravel/pavement.
 
I got a Salsa Timberjack several years back, it was the first 1x bike I’ve had. Since I pretty much use my bike primarily for hunting, I really like how much quieter the 1x drivetrain is as well


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I got a Salsa Timberjack several years back, it was the first 1x bike I’ve had. Since I pretty much use my bike primarily for hunting, I really like how much quieter the 1x drivetrain is as well


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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