Unanswered Why do we need 12 speed on an ebike??

[js71]

Thinking of going down to 11 speed from Shimano 12 speed XT. Any reason not to? No way we need a 51t cassette.

 

[apac]

I need them on my levo SL for sure.

 

[js71]

I need them on my levo SL for sure.

I understand that. I think I could make my Rail a 6 speed and do everything.

 

[Doomanic]

Because it's new and bling. It's unnecessary for most riding.

A wide ratio 8 or 9 speed with a big fat chain would be the optimum I would think

 

[TR5_20]

I understand that. I think I could make my Rail a 6 speed and do everything.

I changed my Rail to Shimano 10 speed.... All good, so far.

 

[Zimmerframe]

Go the whole way ..

Kindernay VII - Kindernay

The Kindernay VII is available in the three most popular axle spacing standards: 135/10mm, 142/12mm and 148/12mm.

kindernay.com

 

[escrs]

Im running 11 speed and can see the appeal of 12 speed espcially near the end of a ride and my legs are tired and ive still got hills to climb and im in Eco as im almost out of battery

A wide ratio 8 or 9 speed with a big fat chain would be the optimum I would think

That's been done by Sram and it was called EX1, it didnt take off, one of the problems was the wide ratio meant big jumps between cogs, a few people i know bought bikes with it fitted, they all changed to 11 speed within 2 months

If i remember correctly the cassette was machined from a solid block of alloy and cost £500!

More info here

SRAM EX1 review

What's it like living with SRAM's e-bike specific 8-speed groupset?

www.bikeradar.com

 

[RebornRider]

As with all things in life, people live in different places, ride different terrain, have different levels of strength and fitness, and have different expectations about how hard they want to work, etc. One guy is gonna say he only needs 7 ratios because of how and where he rides, while another guy really uses all 12.

FWIW, I have 10-42 in the back and 32 in the front on 29ers. On my regular ride I need the 42 and turbo to climb the toughest hill when I'm out of shape, and my cadence maxes out at about 125 in high gear on a tarmac downhill on the way home from the trail. So I make good use of all 11 sprockets on a regular basis. I've thought about going 10-50 with a 36 in front so I could pedal the tarmac downhills. That means I'm thinking about going from 11 to 12, not the other way around.

Horses for courses.

 

[Gyre]

Thinking of going down to 11 speed from Shimano 12 speed XT. Any reason not to? No way I need a 51t cassette.

Fixed that for you.

If you find an 11-speed has satisfactory gear ratio range and spacing, then go for it. That's part of the beauty of mid-drive bikes.

 

[highpeakrider]

I only use part of my 12 speed, next time I’ll be reducing gears

 

[Doomanic]

Im running 11 speed and can see the appeal of 12 speed espcially near the end of a ride and my legs are tired and ive still got hills to climb and im in Eco as im almost out of battery




That's been done by Sram and it was called EX1, it didnt take off, one of the problems was the wide ratio meant big jumps between cogs, a few people i know bought bikes with it fitted, they all changed to 11 speed within 2 months

If i remember correctly the cassette was machined from a solid block of alloy and cost £500!

More info here

SRAM EX1 review

What's it like living with SRAM's e-bike specific 8-speed groupset?

www.bikeradar.com

I'm fully aware of EX1. It didn't take off because it was massively overpriced. Revisit the idea with sensible pricing and it'd be a winner.

 

[Gary]

Who's "we"?

Think for yourself

 

[RustyIron]

Thinking of going down to 11 speed from Shimano 12 speed XT. Any reason not to? No way we need a 51t cassette.

Start riding steeper trails and faster trails.
Soon you'll be wanting a 14 speed cassette.

 

[salko]

Thinking of going down to 11 speed from Shimano 12 speed XT. Any reason not to? No way we need a 51t cassette.

Sure you don't need it if you don't ride demanding terrain ...

 

[ggrin]

Because it's new and bling. It's unnecessary for most riding.

A wide ratio 8 or 9 speed with a big fat chain would be the optimum I would think

Agree 100%, it would save a small fortune on drive train components

 

[steve_sordy]

I would not spend the money to move from 12-speed to 11-speed. You don't have to use that big gear, but one day you might be grateful for it.
What might persuade me to move to 11 speed might be if I kept fouling the big gear on stuff and wrecking the cassette. But a 45-46 t gear isn't that much smaller than a 51t (12% - 10%), so maybe not.

 

[boBE]

I would not spend the money to move from 12-speed to 11-speed. You don't have to use that big gear, but one day you might be grateful for it.
What might persuade me to move to 11 speed might be if I kept fouling the big gear on stuff and wrecking the cassette. But a 45-46 t gear isn't that much smaller than a 51t (12% - 10%), so maybe not.

12 speeds wasn't a concern, the big gaps between gears was. Going from 11-50 to 11-32 gave me a lot of 1 tooth jumps so it is easy to maintain cadence. If the 11-32 was available in 12 speed I would have bought it and saved a lot of work and $$.

 

[Nel]

Any person got a gearbox on there e bike

 

[aviserated]

Most of the time I am cruising on flat terrain, but sometimes I test my skills by pedalling up really steep hills. That is where the larger 51-52 sprocket works best. I like the 12 speed and lube my chain regularly.

 

[veryoldfart]

When I build up my new Gen 3 Levo, I will again be using an 11 speed ( Shimano). I had some new bits left over from my previous Gen 2, plus I found 11 speed perfectly adequate for use in Lake District, Peaks, N Yorks, Scotland and the Alps ie plenty hills, some really quite steep.

Main reasons: quite a bit cheaper for the parts, slightly stronger chain to take all that torque, dont need to go beyond 46T- which is relatively widely available with 11 speed. Plus dont need to buy a 12 spd. micro spline hub converter for my CK rear hub. Finally simpler maintenance.

Never found myself short of the necessary gearing With 11 speed.

 

[Seraye]

I use the 51 when I am towing my friends up steep pebbly access roads, other than that it is there as a bail out gear if I have any electrical failure (battery running out?) on the trail.

 

[jeanmarc]

I would not spend the money to move from 12-speed to 11-speed. You don't have to use that big gear, but one day you might be grateful for it.

That day might next time the battery goes dead... ?

 

[Coolcmsc]

Any person got a gearbox on there e bike

Does that include cylinder shaped gear boxes? Like in the rear hub? Several posts on those in the forum.

 

[Wheels]

I expect im in a small camp for how i use my ebike, im not a high speed rider, nor a strong rider. i use the bike as a trainer and assistance as a support after i lose steam and to keep me pedaling so i dont have to get off and push the bike, it keeps me engaged and enjoying the ride. Im fickle and if im not having a good time i just wont ride. with that in mind, i use all 12 gears Everytime i ride trails or steep inclines before i using the assistance.

 

[Endoguru]

I'm fully aware of EX1. It didn't take off because it was massively overpriced. Revisit the idea with sensible pricing and it'd be a winner.

Box Components Prime 9 fits the sensible pricing. Mountain Bike Action gave it a favorable review. I’m considering trying it on my YT Decoy.

 

[Olof Bike Adventures]

Each to their own, but a Deore 10 speed is in my opinion best bang for the Euro. Plenty of range, durable and it does not cost a fortune to replace parts.

I usually ride 12 speed bikes, but I often find myself shifting 2 gears at a time. So for my type of riding 10 speeds would be enough.

 

[memtb]

I think the OP has a point here. But I dont see it as losing the big cogs. You could have a robust drivetrain and lose the 4-5 highest gears.
Less bend on a thicker chain and more robust cassette of 5-7 gears.
You would easily reach your 15mph with that still.
Im interested in an Ebike for going up hill. I would decend via gravity so rarely use the small cogs at the back.

 

[Zed]

I agree we don't need 12 speed, in fact 10 speed 42-11 would probably do fine I reckon.
My Orbea Wild came with 12 speed Shimano, and because it had a Sunrace cassette I just couldn't get the really great shifting out of it that I know the 12 speed Shimano can do. I had 11 speed XT lying around so I chucked it on to give it a shot, and it's awesome, with a 46-11 XT cassette. Gear changes CLANG! onto the next cog instantly now. I'll wait and see the reviews on shift performance for Linkglide but I'm perfectly happy on 11 speed with XT.
I'm not sure I've even used the 46T, but definitely don't miss the 50 of the 12 speed.

 

[bsquared]

I bought the box 9-speed single shift and love it. Went from an 11-speed mash click.

 

[Zed]

I bought the box 9-speed single shift and love it. Went from an 11-speed mash click.

I did have the the single click SRAM (GX?) on a previous bike, a Levo. To be honest, I don't think it's really necessary. Certainly going down the cogs from large to small there's no need, shifting 3 at a time like my XT does is fine. One can certainly crunch up the chain going up multiple cogs too fast and even lose some teeth on the cassette - but I'm used to it at this point and I go through the clicks slowly, or according to cadence. Once used to it and having some mechanical sympathy I think it's a non-issue.

EDIT: Thought about this out riding today. My XT 11 speed shifter does 2 clicks per stroke down the cogs, and 3 clicks per stroke up the cogs. I think maybe the XTR does 3 each way, and it's probably worth springing for the XTR shifter if buying this stuff.