Can You Put a 12-speed Cassette On a 9-speed Hub? (fast answer)
General Knowledge As the number of speeds grows, the width of bike cassettes doesn’t increase dramatically. The goal is to make rear hubs compatible with the widest number of cassettes out there so...
View ArticleDo I Need a Clutch Derailleur For a 1x? (fast answer)
Condensed answer: A clutch derailleur is not obligatory for a single drivetrain (1x), but it certainly helps with chain retention when using a large cassette and riding off-road. What is a 1x...
View ArticleDo I Need a Clutch Derailleur On My Road Bike? (fast answer)
Condensed answer: A clutch derailleur could be helpful when running a 1x drivetrain. In all other cases, it wouldn’t play an important role when it comes to road bikes and is therefore not required for...
View ArticleFront Derailleur Only Bikes? (Are 2×1 and 3x drivetrains viable?)
A bicycle can successfully operate in front derailleur-only mode with a few modifications. However, the practical use of this setup is questionable. Hence the lack of popularity. The Problems With...
View Article50/34 Crankset With an 11-32 Cassette (good or not?)
A 50/34 crankset and аn 11-32 cassette are an acceptable combination providing a number of benefits such as: The highest gear of this drivetrain would be 50/11 and has a 4.54 gear ratio. The term gear...
View ArticleCan I Combine a 50/34 Crankset With an 11-36 Cassette? (fast answer)
A 50/34 crankset can be combined with an 11-36 cassette provided that the rear derailleur of the bicycle has the needed capacity to reach the largest cog. The combination is not common but offers the...
View Article2×11 vs. 1×12 – Drivetrain (Comparison & Analysis)
This post compares the advantages and disadvantages of 2×11 and 1×12 drivetrains. The Advantages of 2×11 Drivetrains 2×11 comes with 2 chainrings offering all the gears that most people will ever need....
View Article2×11 vs. 3×9 Drivetrains (Comparison & Analysis)
This post compares the advantages and disadvantages of 2×11 and 3×9 bicycle drivetrains. The Advantages of 3×9 3x drivetrains offer the greatest number of gears and the widest gear range. The largest...
View Article1×10 vs. 1×12 MTB Drivetrains (Comparison & Analysis)
This post compares the advantages and disadvantages of 1×10 and 1×12 MTB drivetrains. The Advantages of 1×10 The main advantage of 1×10 is that all the parts cost less than those designed for 12...
View ArticleCan I Use a SRAM X5 Shifter With a Shimano Derailleur? (quick answer)
Condensed Answer: SRAM X5’s rear shifters are designed for 9 and 10-speeds. The cable pull and rear shift ratio of SRAM’s rear 9 and 10-speed MTB products do not match those of Shimano’s 9 and 10-speed...
View ArticleSturmey Archer vs. Shimano Nexus (Internal Gear Hubs Battle)
This post compares the advantages and disadvantages of Sturmey Archer and Shimano Nexus internal gear hubs. Introduction Sturmey Archer and Shimano Nexus are the two most popular mid-range internal...
View ArticleCan You Use an 8-speed Chain On a Narrow-wide Chainring? (fast and concise...
Condensed Answer: An 8-speed chain is usable with a narrow-wide chainring, but the combination isn’t ideal because 8-speed chains are wider both internally and externally than 9/10/11/12-speed models....
View ArticleCan You Use a 12-speed Chain On an 8-speed Cassette? (fast and concise answer)
Condensed Answer: A 12-speed chain and an 8-speed cassette are NOT an ideal combination. The chain is too narrow internally and externally to operate sufficiently well with an 8-speed cassette. The...
View ArticleCan You Put a 9-speed Cassette On a 7-speed Hub? (fast and concise answer)
Condensed answer: If the hub is 7-speed specific, installing a 9-speed cassette on it is impossible because the freehub body is too short. If the hub isn’t 7-speed specific and uses a spacer along...
View ArticleCan You Use a KMC Chain On a Campagnolo Drivetrain?
Condensed Answer: KMC chains are compatible with Campagnolo drivetrains when the chain and the cassette are designed for the same number of gears (e.g., 11-speed chain + 11-speed cassette). It’s also...
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