Building a fat bike from frame up, primary for snow. I’ve only ridden 26” mountain bikes in the snow (with 21 speeds)
I am presuming you’d recommend single sprocket up front.(what size)
What/how many sprockets on the rear cluster?
30T up front and a 11-51 or 11-52 in an 11 or 12 speed is all you need. Some like to throw a slightly smaller or bigger chainring up front depending on the trails they’re riding.
Unless you are a freak of nature you will never regret having the lowest gears possible. You're never going to cruise fast enough to use the small cog on the cassette.
In snow, agree. If you’re planning on riding year round, may be a different story. I’ve got 28t and 32t chainrings for my Yukon and swap in the bigger one for summer.
I'm a bit different than others. Got 2 Farleys in 2015 and ridden winter since. Have a 28 tooth crankring on both, but have run a 26 tooth on the one with a spider type crank. Speed isn't a concern in snow. Ran only a 10 speed until last winter because I often get into slush that freezes derailleur here and run a friction shifter because you can pull really hard on them if things freeze up. A 10 speed is easier to get into gear with a friction shifter. Went to 11 last year and only over shift occasionally. A 12 is definitely tough to hit the cog with a friction shifter. Would run a 12 speed if using an indexed shifter like others who posted.
I ride 30x20/22 on a 26x4.8 fat bike with studded tires. That gearing can climb, no exaggeration, 99% of local single track in New Hampshire. The industry would love for you to get a 12 or 13 speed electric actuated drivetrain... But anything thats 45t or more is pretty adequate imho. Box components prime9 is pretty great for the price. Shimano and sram are obviously good too.
I decided to go with 11 speed Shimano Cues. Cheap and durable. 24t on the front and 11-51 rear. I wanted extra low gearing for the deep snow and crawling uphill on ice.
I was perfectly happy with a 1x10 setup on my old Fatboy. Gripe shift and all. Rear cassette was a titanium delight with 48T max. I ran a 26T on the front. Current "Outside" bike is 1x11 with 50T on the rear and 28T on the front with 27.5" wheels. I never use the bottom 4 small cogs.
I can punch uphill with a 26T up front, 1x10 11-46T rear cassette. I do a lot of towing but also a ton of trails and some snow biking. Cheap drivetrain.
I've never felt like I've needed higher gears even when I switch to my 29+ wheels for summer riding and or bikepacking. Low gears are always nice to have mostly because it seems to be easier to stay on the bike than get off and try to get rolling again on a steep hill. Go with 12 speed, have a 28t for winter riding and a 30 or 32 for summer. Easy to switch out the chainring in spring or fall for the season.
30t and 11-42 SRAM X1. I can't see myself needing any lower than that. Too low and the rear wheel gets too torquey and on very steep (loose, snow-y) climbs it becomes too easy to spin.
I'd go 11-52 if I was building new, but it's been 11 speed for years and I see no reason to change.
I run a small ring on front either a 28t or 30t. Eagle 12 speed cassette in rear. What works for you will depend on your fitness.
How do you like the SRAM shifter? I've only used Deore/Shimano and now putting a bike together.
I hated the sram trigger shifter. I ended up switching to a sram grip shifter and it’s awesome
It's fine, it clicks & clacks.
They work as they should. Sometimes I feel like being fancy and put one of the AXS derailleur and shifters on.
30T up front and a 11-51 or 11-52 in an 11 or 12 speed is all you need. Some like to throw a slightly smaller or bigger chainring up front depending on the trails they’re riding.
I see very little reason to not go with 12 speeds outside of the internet.
I run a 26T chainring with a 10-52 cassette.
I typically do 1500-2000' of climbing, and don't have groomed trails.
The lower gearing really helps me when plowing a path and climbing.
28 tooth chain ring with a 10-50 cassette. (Or 11-51, whatever)
Unless you are a freak of nature you will never regret having the lowest gears possible. You're never going to cruise fast enough to use the small cog on the cassette.
In snow, agree. If you’re planning on riding year round, may be a different story. I’ve got 28t and 32t chainrings for my Yukon and swap in the bigger one for summer.
I'm a bit different than others. Got 2 Farleys in 2015 and ridden winter since. Have a 28 tooth crankring on both, but have run a 26 tooth on the one with a spider type crank. Speed isn't a concern in snow. Ran only a 10 speed until last winter because I often get into slush that freezes derailleur here and run a friction shifter because you can pull really hard on them if things freeze up. A 10 speed is easier to get into gear with a friction shifter. Went to 11 last year and only over shift occasionally. A 12 is definitely tough to hit the cog with a friction shifter. Would run a 12 speed if using an indexed shifter like others who posted.
I ride 30x20/22 on a 26x4.8 fat bike with studded tires. That gearing can climb, no exaggeration, 99% of local single track in New Hampshire. The industry would love for you to get a 12 or 13 speed electric actuated drivetrain... But anything thats 45t or more is pretty adequate imho. Box components prime9 is pretty great for the price. Shimano and sram are obviously good too.
I'm a fan of my 1x12 SRAM. 30t Chainring, 10-50 cassette. Allows me to pedal at 28 mph and climb really steep stuff.
I decided to go with 11 speed Shimano Cues. Cheap and durable. 24t on the front and 11-51 rear. I wanted extra low gearing for the deep snow and crawling uphill on ice.
I'm on 27.5x4.5 wheels/tires, 28 ring with 10-51 12sp.
Typical ride is 700m elevation gain/loss over every 10km.
I was perfectly happy with a 1x10 setup on my old Fatboy. Gripe shift and all. Rear cassette was a titanium delight with 48T max. I ran a 26T on the front. Current "Outside" bike is 1x11 with 50T on the rear and 28T on the front with 27.5" wheels. I never use the bottom 4 small cogs.
I have six months of snow and ice in Alaska and I agree with the people that have recommended a 28-30t chain ring and a 12-speed cassette
Depends on what kind of conditions you want to ride in and your budget You can get replacement parts for a 10 speed for next to nothing
Run an 28T on my GX 11 speed,
Sram eagle 12x. Cheap and reliable.
I can punch uphill with a 26T up front, 1x10 11-46T rear cassette. I do a lot of towing but also a ton of trails and some snow biking. Cheap drivetrain.
I don’t see the point in 12 speeds. I went with 11.
30-34 tooth for the chainring and 12 speeds in the rear is standard.
I've never felt like I've needed higher gears even when I switch to my 29+ wheels for summer riding and or bikepacking. Low gears are always nice to have mostly because it seems to be easier to stay on the bike than get off and try to get rolling again on a steep hill. Go with 12 speed, have a 28t for winter riding and a 30 or 32 for summer. Easy to switch out the chainring in spring or fall for the season.
30t and 11-42 SRAM X1. I can't see myself needing any lower than that. Too low and the rear wheel gets too torquey and on very steep (loose, snow-y) climbs it becomes too easy to spin.
I'd go 11-52 if I was building new, but it's been 11 speed for years and I see no reason to change.
Yes, single chainring on the cranks and 1 cog on the rear hub… more than that is overkill.
And what rear cog would you put on a single speed snowbike?
30x20/22 as murderqwik posted above that should be able to tackle just about everything.