nah man... lots of people run 1 x9 without a chain guide.... i assume you run the chain tension a tad tighter than usual to prevent that possibility
hey ricky. i went thru this same thing when i set my Niner up. i went 1x9 and had the shop put a Rohloff chain guide to keep it from jumpin' off. Mechmann recommended it and i liked that style best because it seems to be the most subtle and unobtrusive chain guide out there.
My vote is 2 x 9. That's what I am going to try to do with my AIR9 eventually. I am going to try to do 20T and 38T chain rings with a regular 11-34 cassette. The hard part might be finding a 38T chainring that shifts well. A 36T or 40T would work ok too, but not as ideal as 38T IMO.
Pretty sure Justin will be running something like a 32/20 on his Lunchbox. He also has a 29T which he may run, I think.
This is a good thread lets keep in going with setups I am converting my SS 29er to a 1x9 very soon. Probably going to keep the 32 up front and run a SRAM cassette in the rear. Right now I am trying to decide on what derail and shifter I want. XT Shadow/Shift or SRAM XO/Trigger Shifts? Thoughts/Opinions?
I'd say go for what you are comfortable using. Justin is using Shimano stuff now, but really likes the SRAM stuff. He got XO grip shift and r. der.
I am running Shimano LX trigger shifters with XT front and rear DR (not shadow) that came with my AIR9. I have been pleasantly surprised with the set up. I was expecting to change it all out, but I like it so much I am not changing anything. I still prefer SRAM X9, but Shimano LX/XTworks nicely.
It takes a bit more work, IMO. The first time I used it, I hated it. But I rode a Behemoth with a grip shift at Interbike and didn't have any problems with it. It's lighter that is for sure!
I'm going to try and run an x9 supershort with an x9 shifter with a 11-34 rear end hopefully I can find a 30t for the front
If you want to build a 1X9 29er Pm me... I have a kick @$$ set on Bonti cranks with a spiderless 29T Boone Chainring, the same chain ring shown above, a Rohloff guide, and a couple of BB's One ti one regular... I was going to 1X9 my DOS and simply changed my mind...
I already have a set of cranks im going to use bought a bunch of stuff today so I'm almost done. I think you were walking out of the path today while i was walking in. They said something about you liking the new intense.
Rohloff guide works well for 1x9... another option that works well is bashring + a Jump-Stop... (Google for N-Gear Jump-Stop).
