Originally Posted by
Kapusta
Huh. 20 years ago I had already ditched the big ring from my 3x9 mtb setup. Only time I miss anything higher than 32/11 is going downhill on pavement or a smooth gravel road. Otherwise, anytime I am going fast enough to spin out 32/11, it is steep enough that my speed is determined by my braking, not my pedaling. I am sure there have been exceptions to this, but it is not something I would ever make an equipment change over.
Out of curiosity, what size ring and cassette are you running?
I'm running a 30t ring with a Shimano 10-51 cassette. I know most people use bigger chainrings, but I want the low end as I use it a lot on steep climbs, to save energy on long rides, or simply to keep pedalling when my body is knackered after riding for too long.
To be honest, 1x is perfect 80% of the time, but on flat land and fast downhills it doesn't have enough range or a tight enough spacing for my taste. On flat land I'm capable of spinning out my 30-10. With my old 3x10 I always had one or two cogs to spare when pushing at my max on flat land.