The better beater bike …

[hozn]

So off-road riding is pretty rough on bikes. My first mtb was the cheapest GT Avalanche from performance. $220. It worked “fine”, but the components on that bike did not last very long.

If you’re having trouble shifting on the hills, it’s either just adjustment of the drivetrain or — esp. if “skipping” is a matter of the drivetrain being worn out. In the latter case, most likely chain & cassette, though you might be looking at new chainrings too. That obviously can get expensive. (Start w/ chain + cassette replacement; if it still skips, you’ll need new ring(s).)

If you’re up for it, I would strongly recommend going single-speed as a means of reducing off-road maintenance costs. You can gear the bike easy so that you don’t have to work too hard on hills; you will spin out quicker on the flat stuff, but depending on where you ride that may not be that big a deal (i.e. in lots of places mountainbiking is either up or down so tall gears for flat sections is fairly irrelevant). You can then put steel chainrings and cogs (e.g. Surly) and these will last a lot longer than the alloy stuff. You’ll need a cog, a chain ring (assuming your middle ring is worn), a spacer kit, and a chain tensioner. Problem is that what is going to be nice gearing for off-road is going to suck for commuting. So this may not be a good choice.

So failing that, switching to a 1×9 (or 1×10?) configuration could simplify costs a little. This may be worth considering if you’re having to buy a new drivetrain anyway. You now have less shifting mechanism in play (no FD), a simpler crankset, and for this area still plenty of range (e.g. with a 32t ring in front and a ?-34 cassette in back). I would also recommend SRAM drivetrain components; the 1:1 cable pull proved to be far less maintenance than the Shimano stuff I used to use. That said, it’s been a long time since I tried any Shimano shifting and so I’m sure newer stuff is better. I don’t own a geared MTB anymore, so not really something I think about.

Obviously both of these solutions require buying more stuff. In the end, I think a steel single-speed 29er MTB with mechanical disc brakes is going to be the simplest, lowest-maintenance off-road solution. And the 29″ wheels make a lot of sense for taller folks. But I recognize it doesn’t double as a very useful (or at least speedy) beater bike to commute on.

[Riley Casey]

Thanks for the insights hozn, especially since you’re the guy that got me in this fix loaning me that snazzy mtb of yours and getting me hooked on riding in ways that are only appropriate for a man half my age. :rolleyes: 😮

I’m digesting this good stuff and mulling over some options. I need to get the current set up working properly then move on to the next stage but going fixed on the front chainring is something that I hadn’t even considered and has some serious appeal. The commuting side is less of a concern as the beater bike need is mostly a very occasional bail out when I decide I can’t risk the Coda. I will probably ask some more questions before this is thru.

Wait, it’s never thru is it?

[hozn]

Good luck!

One other thing to mention when going 1×9 / 1×10. You’ll want a chain catcher (so the chain doesn’t fall off the ring); there are numerous of options and can be pretty cheap. I used a bashguard (partly to protect the ring) in place of the outer ring and one of the cheapo ones (I forget the name — it was kinda like the “dog tooth” catcher, but not the same).

I haven’t done any recent research on this, but I think the new narrow-wide chainrings with clutch derailleurs solve the problem of needing a chain guide. If you’re buying the full drive train, that may be the way to go.

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