jonathanf2

I'm looking at options to get better hillclimbing with my 2x10 GRX 400 groupset currently on my bike. One of the options I was looking at was getting a bigger cassette from my current 11-34t. From previous threads on this forum I've read it's possible to go up to 11-40/42t with the GRX 400, though shifting might not be smooth on certain gears. Besides cassette, I'm guessing I would have to get a new chain to accommodate the bigger gear range? Is it possible I can also size down my front chainring from a 30t to a 28t instead of swapping out the cassette, would that be possible with my current setup? I'd lose some speed with the small chainring, but I'm usually riding solo and I'm mostly on the big 46t chainring when road riding, so I could focus the small chainring solely on hillclimbing.

I'm also open to any other practical suggestions, besides just getting stronger (I regularly strength train with weights)!

Thanks!