Hi guys, I have a GT Grade II that I picked up to replace my more touring-oriented gravel ride. I was happy about the find but it's truly a (flat) dirt road bike.
Problem is it'll never survive a rugged climb with its 28/11 cassette. And this Sram Rival 1 derailleur I believe can handle up to 34t, not much of a gear-inch gain. I guess if it got up to 40 I'd be happy but I wanna get the max big sprocket on this thing that I can. I want a pie plate but I'll settle for a saucer.
Advice on a derailleur and cassette that would work with this Sram Rival 11 speed setup? Tryna keep cost down; this'll never be my main ride.
by ACESandElGHTS
3 Comments
See if you can replace the front chainring with a 36t and use the largest cassette, if you have a 36×10-34 gear that’s ok both for top and bottom. What’s the current front chainring size?
Based on the attached image, it looks like your rear derailleur is the 1x version of the Rival or Force RD, which means you can replace your cassette with an 11 speed 11-42t cassette and get a smaller chainring if you want even lower gears.
Switching from 28 to 34 is a huge difference, first of all. And I think you can get an Apex long cage 11-speed that can handle a 42T for less than $100. You could probably also swap out that front chainring for pretty cheap.