I've been running the SRAM Rival XPLR group (D1) with a 42 t chainring and 175 mm cranks for the last 1 1/2 year. The system has been flawless. No complaints.
However I rarely use the smallest cog (10t) and when hitting steep gravel climbs I often go directly for the biggest cog (44t). Now I think about upgrading my cranks for the new lighter Rival E1's. As part of the process I plan to opt for shorter cranks, 170 mm, and downsize to a 40t chainring.
I'm 6'3 so going for even shorter cranks will probably not work too well. I know these are minor changes, but my hope is to get more use of the range, and also spin a bit faster.
I would appreciate to hear from those of you who have done similar small tweaks. Did the small changes affect your riding in any recognizable way?
Thanks in advance!
by Klumpegoej
1 Comment
I would probably go with a smaller chainring first. That’s an easy swap and might give you the climbing advantage you want.
I have a hardtail converted to a bikepacking rig and I have a 32t 1x on that. The group I ride with generally averages 15-20kph on a ride, so having a 42T sprinting gear made no sense. I also put a 11:52 11 speed cassette on the rear, and I am happy to have it for a lot of the hills around here, especially with a loaded bike. Swapping the cassette is also pretty easy, if you have the tool and know what style of hub you have.
I have another bike, a 2x gravel setup with Sora 8 speed. I did a little research to find the largest cassette I could reasonable expect to B-Screw adjust my way into (11:40) and picked up one of those for that. It doesn’t have the same mechanical advantage at 32t to 40t as the 32t to 52t of my other bike, but it’s a welcome change.