Originally Posted by
Ron Damon
I prioritize climbing so top end gear-inches in the 80s is perfectly fine for my terrain and riding style. Ergo, 50t is as big as I would need and install on a 406er. I once had a folder with 120-odd gear inches at the top. That was a total waste so I went to 1x and a more limited gearing range.
I'm into climbing as well and I live in amongst some high mountain ranges. Right now my Swift is set up with 406 wheels and 56_11-42 gearing. Personally I think that maybe the 11-42 cassette is a bit more than I actually need - I did all the same mountain roads with 56_11-36 last year and it was a little lighter. That said I do like having a big ring in front. These days it's easy to get a very good spread of high to low gears on the cassette, so no need to keep it small up front for the mountain imo.
