2011 – The Year of 10 Speed Mountain Biking
Component Reviews, Reviews | 198 | February 9, 2010 at 7:21 am
I’m sure you have already seen the spy pictures and specs. Shimano and SRAM are both making a push on the new 10 speed platform for 2011. So…it begs the question…do we really need 10 speed mountain bike drivetrains?
First off, I completely agree with a 2x setup on the front. I have been running this setup on my 9 speed stuff for a long time with the aid of a bashguard. There are a lot of benefits to running this setup when you go with a slightly larger middle ring unless you are riding a lot of forest service road where you need the big ring to keep momentum. So…simpler is better up front and I am completely on board. Bring on the two rings up front for production component groups…I am ready for it!
My Thoughts On 10 Speed Mountain Bike Drivetrains
Well…we are introducing another standard in mountain biking. With the industry moving towards the tapered headtube, we are now tackling the idea of all of our high end component groups making the switch to 2×10. My issues with the move are really several fold, but here are the highlights.
10 Speed Mean Tighter Tolerances
We are asking for adjustment issues on the trail with tighter tolerances between gears. Some would argue that 9 speed is actually too many, so why the move to 10? With tighter spacing between gears (remember, frame widths and cassette bodies didn’t change), any bump on the rear derailleur or gunk in the shifting cable can have more of a dramatic affect on your shifting performance on the trail. This is not a road bike. We are going to hit things along the way and we are going to run into dirty as hell trail conditions. It is just part of mountain biking.
With many riders still fiddling with 9 speed drivetrains, I believe that making the jump to 10 is asking a little bit much of the average rider. Do I think it will shift like a dream and perfect every time when setup correctly? Sure! Every drivetrain setup on a mountain bike works great on the stand and with the absence of debris and cable stretch. How is it going to do after I throw it into a tree or two in not so satisfactory conditions?
Price Is Through The Roof
The X.0 10 speed cassette is over 200 dollars and that is a wear item! All of these components from the chainrings to the chain and finally the cassette are all wear items that we are used to replacing for a reasonable cost over time.
With the introduction of the 10 speed drivetrain, we also see a drastic increase in price on parts that we are going to have to eventually replace. I don’t know about you…but I do not want to drop over 200 dollars to replace a cassette. That seems a little extreme…even for top of the line mountain bike components.
Once Again…Not Backwards Compatible
The industry is introducing more parts that are not compatible with each other. While we are pretty used to brands not being compatible (SRAM’s 1:1 vs. Shimano’s 2:1), now we have a whole host of new components that are not compatible with our current systems. Hopefully, both SRAM and Shimano will release 9 speed versions of their new components so you can go purchase a new x.0 derailleur if you want to without having to replace everything you own.
I am all for progression in the sport. I am even a parts whore who will justify even the smallest purchase because I just hope and pray for the UPS guy to show up early to my house. I am just starting to get confused on the thought process of going with 10 speed drivetrains on mountain bikes. Of course, we could probably rewind time and listen to everyone say the same thing about the switch to 9 speed. I might be eating my words several years down the road, but there are going to be growing pains in the process.
What do you think of the new 10 speed drivetrains for mountain bikes?
Did you know?
By clicking on our links then shopping at JensonUSA, Hunk N Roll, Chainlove and Amazon, you are helping Bike198. We use them and LBS's for our gear. Thank you for supporting the crew at Bike198.
Tweet This
Digg This
Save to delicious
Stumble it
RSS FeedSIMILAR ARTICLES
SPONSORS
Tags: deore, mountain bike components, shimano, sram, x.0, xt, xtr
Want to contribute content to mountain.bike198.com? Gain access to thousands of mountain bikers and be a part of a growing community by submitting guest tips and reviews on Bike198. Hit up the contact form to get started!
The backwards compatibility shouldn’t be an issue. They could make it work – if they don’t, it’s only so they can force you to buy all new stuff.
If they only changed the cable pull distance in the shifter (less distance in the 10spd obviously), it would make mixing and matching possible. To upgrade to 10spd all you’d need is a shifter, cassette, and chain. But you could also use the new derailleur with a 9spd system.
Either way…I’ll be sticking with my single speed!
Looks like we won’t see 2×10 X0 until 2011 (wow that’s a lot of numbers in a short amount of space) but we will see a 9 speed version of their XX Power Dome cassette this year, including the replaceable aluminum big ring.
Technically & personally, I don’t need 10-speed cassette on MTB.
Running 2×9 myself, I need lightweight 11-36T 9-speed cassette, in order to maintain compatibility with the exiting products.
I think you’ve hit the issues on the head. I ride everything but paved roads on my one and only mountain bike – FS and country roads, double track, single track, rocks, roots and small drops – so I like the 3×9 setup just fine. No problems with either Shimano xt/r derailleurs.
I think they are going the wrong way with this.I would like to see a 4X7 or 4X8 or 4X9 system. Tighten up the chain ring ratio’s for smoother shifting up front, with more reliability at the rear. Just a thought.
You are probably going to run into weird spacing issues with a 4 ring setup up front. I don’t even like running a 3x setup typically.
I agree that a quality 2×9 system would be better than a 2 x 10. We need a lightwieght 11-36, 9 speed casette and 26 tooth and a 38 or 39 with ramps and pins.
I agree with Clopez. I alos would like to see improvement of IGH systems. I am curious about Alfine with 11 gears and I hope that Rohloff will release new lighter speedhub.
And match that with a Hammerschmidt and you have a SS chainline with gears. Talk about a dream setup.
I agree whole heartedly. Even the 9 speed setups can be tricky on a very bumpy trail. I’m all for progress, but it has to make sense, not just be another way of increasing the money extracted from dedicated riders.
Robb,
I suppose that you have ridden this SRAM XX???? I don’t think that you know what you are talking about. The cassette is designed to dramatically shed mud. The cassette is designed as an open design and mud is pushed through the cassette body and becomes a non issue. You are running a 10 speed road chain and not a 9 speed chain so the chain is thinner, again a non issue. The shifting is spot on whether caked with mud or dry as a bone. I advise you to ride a group before putting your opinions out there as EXPERT. FYI you can check my FB page and look at the pictures and see what kind of conditions I have ridden my XX group in and have never experienced an issue. For those not my friend I have ridden this group in the most nasty of conditions. Give me a call sometime and we can ride together and I can so you what this group is capable of.
A replacement cassette on that group is over 200 dollars. You are kidding me right? Yes…they designed it to shed mud…but at what cost?
AND you moderate you comments???? BS.
They require approval because of all of the spam comments there are on the web.
The Cassette is made of hardened steel. The chain rings will wear out before the cassette will. So have you ridden it?
Doug,
I haven’t ridden it. These are just my observations as I said in the article. I have no doubt that the system shifts like a dream. I am a huge fan of the SRAM 1:1 actuation ratio and actually use SRAM on my personal rides. If you re-read the article, you will see that mud is not the only thing I am talking about.
Also, not everyone works on their own rides and adjusts on the fly like you do.
Me thinks Doug is rude. The article was simple and clean, what is the gain in 10. I dont know. Having been through all the multi-speed systems and now I have 5 bikes and only one has gears. To be honest I think I shift about 10 times +/- 1 gear on a 5 to 6 mile ride. When I noticed that I went and built my first SS. Now I rarely ride the multi speed.
I thought cassette pricing was getting out of control at $80. I worry about the tolerance on the shifting but then my 9 speed shifts better than my 7 speed did when I started racing 20 years ago.
With the steep climbs and screaming descents in Colorado I’m having trouble seeing a 2x working for me. Of course even when I’m lean I’m heavy for a mountain biker and need lots of gears to get up a climb and love to use my weight to fly on the descents.
Personally, I would leave to see modern technology and materials applied to building a bomber 2×8 system. I currently run 2×9 and *rarely* find that I need more range or more steps within the range.
^love (not leave)