How to choose your mountain bike gears?

How to choose your mountain bike gears?

À MTBit's important to choose the right gears for the right performance. mountain bike transmission transmission that responds to your every need!
Here are a few tips to help you avoid mistakes...

Standards

  • Rear derailleur pull ratio
  • Types of controls: trigger or twistgrip
  • Current number of rear gears: 9, 10, 11 or 12
  • Number of front chainrings: 1 (single), 2 (double) or 3 (triple)

Types of speed controls

Choice of mountain bike shifters is rather limited, with only two players on the market: SHIMANO and SRAM.

For the front derailleur the cable pull is standardized, so you can combine components from these two competitors, simply making sure to respect the gear standard.

For the rear derailleur on the other hand, each brand operates differently. It is therefore not possible to combine components from these brands. (e.g. SRAM controls with a SHIMANO rear derailleur).

SHIMANO's pull ratio is 2:1 (2 mm of cable pulled displaces the derailleur by 1 mm), while SRAM's is 1:1.

SHIMANO : 1 pressure A = 2 mm of cable B = 1 speed C
SRAM 1 pressure A = 1 mm of cable B = 1 speed C

In terms of control ergonomics, there are two models:

  • the triggers (triggers) are thumb-operated, leaving the entire length of your handle free for a stable grip when you're not manipulating the controls;
  • or twist grips which are controlled by rotation, so you don't let go of the handlebars when you operate them.

While only SHIMANO triggers are available, SRAM offers both types in its range.

Depending on the model and range, triggers can be mounted directly on the brake lever collar to free up space on the handlebars. However, this type of mounting requires you to have brakes and shifters of the same brand, or compatible. Shimano's assembly is called "I-Spec" and Sram's "Matchmaker".

Finally, as all drivetrain components are designed to operate under a single gear standardso you can't combine a 9-speed control with a 10V transmission, for example.

Which gears to choose?

Your choice will depend mainly on the derailleurs fitted to your bike: just make sure you choose controls that are compatible with your equipment. If you're starting from scratch, you can choose between the two brands. Riders generally report a smoother, more forgiving performance with SHIMANO, and a more responsive, responsive performance with SRAM.

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