Newbie advice on bikes and gears 1x11 vs 1x10 vs 3x9

[HeebyGeeby]

My wife and I are about to buy our first bikes since we last cycled, 30 years ago.

I'm going to be cycling around the suburbs where I live (Dublin), hoping to cycle some of the greenways we have here in Ireland, maybe up to 50km but all on tarmac and not looking to win any races.
The (fitness fanatic) wife is muttering about the Ring of Kerry next year but it's over 100 miles so she's clearly gone stark raving mad.

I have it narrowed down to three flat bar hybrid bikes, in order of preference so far...
Boardman Hyb 8.8 - €900 - 1x10 Shimano Deore
Boardman Hyb 8.9 - €1,200 - 1x11 SRAM Apex
BTwin Triban 520 FB - €500 - 3x9 Shimano Sora

I've been puzzling over the 10 speed vs 27 speed thing, I love the simplicity of only having one range of gears and not three, both mentally and mechanically.
I've worked out the gear ratios of each and reckon that the "easiest" gear ratio on the Hyb 8.8 is 1:1 (42 teeth front and back) whereas on the Triban 520 it would be 1 : 0.83 (30 teeth front, 25 back).

Finally my questions...
So the Boardman 8.8 will be easier than the Triban going up hills in its slowest gear, right?

Is the 10 speed spread of the Boardman likely to bother me, vs the more granular 27 of the Triban?

How much difference will a novice cyclist like me notice between the SRAM, Deore and Sora gears, aside from the double tap thing on the SRAM?

Thanks in advance

 

[Drago]

How well its set up and the quality of the cables will make a bigger difference to shift quality than any labels stuck on them. All should provide reliable and effective function.

The only way to reliably determine which you will find 'easiest' is to go ride them. The easiest to pedal up the hill may not be the nicest, most comfortable, most stable machine, so you really need to go ride them.

 

[I like Skol]

The Triban is a good bike for the use you have described. The Boardman 8.8 is almost twice the price so if you buy two of those and then don't really get into cycling it will be a lot of money to have paid out!
Each bike has its merits. The Triban is much cheaper so not such a worry about damage or theft and in reality it will be just as good to ride as the Boardman. Rim brakes may seem old tech now but there is nothing wrong with them and they were perfectly acceptable 10yrs ago before everyone jumped on the disc brake band wagon.
The 1x drivetrain phenomenon is now widespread but I expect it will fall out of fashion just as quickly as it has risen once the novelty has worn off and people that ride a lot and in varied conditions get tired of the limitations in certain circumstances. A double or triple chainset gives the best flexibility.
You seem to have got your head around gear ratios and using the correct gear so I don't think the 'simplicity' of a 1x drivetrain will really apply to you but I wonder if your partner has the same mindset? Some people just don't get it with double or triple chainsets and just end up riding the whole time in either the smallest or largest chainring. If this sounds like your wife (and I am not being sexist here, it is just that you sound well clued up whereas I know many people of both sexes that do not know how to use their gears properly or efficiently) then maybe she would be better off with the 1x drivetrain, although your 'fitness fanatic' comment makes me think she might end up spending all her time on the smallest 2 or 3 sprockets with just a 40T up front (42T according to the OFFICIAL website).

If you are concerned about the easiest gear then the Triban gearing can be changed quite easily with the cost of alternative cassettes starting at around 15-20 pounds/euros. The mechanics in Decathlon should be happy to swap this during the PDI set-up. You could easily go to an 11-28 cassette and may even get away with an 11-30 or 11-32 but you would need to discuss this with the mechanics in store.

If it were me in your position I would go for the Triban, except for 1 big problem..... Do you really want matching bikes?

Just another thought. These new Decathlon/Triban bikes look superb value and have great gearing with 50/34 double chainset and 11-32 cassettes - http://www.cyclist.co.uk/reviews/5340/decathlon-btwin-triban-rc500-and-rc520-review

EDIT: Sorry, this new Triban bike range are not available in flatbar versions yet (but should be soon I guess?)

 

[Cycleops]

What @I like Skol said. Best value bike is the Triban, should suit you well. Halfords service can be rather variable to say the least and you get a lifetime warranty on Triban frames and limited one on components.

 

[HarryTheDog]

1X 10 and 1 X 11 gear ranges can be limiting if you are going for extremes of speed. I use 1X11 both for MTB XC and CX racing its so much easier not having to think about which front chainring I need to be on. I need the lower gears to get around the courses and my top speed is only going to be in the mid 20's mostly. On road it can be limiting and with the MTB which I sometimes use as a winter commuter in extreme conditions my legs have to go 10 to the dozen above 23 mph but that does not happen very often at all, if I intend to use it often on road I change the front chainring for a bigger one which is a 30 minute job ( plus have to run a chain long enough to take it). On my old 3 x 8 MTB I had enough gears to hit 30mph. You have to look at your riding style, if you believe you are going be going hitting speed in the mid 20's + often I would not go for the 1 X option.

 

[I like Skol]

I can't imagine what was going through the heads of the designers when they decided to ship it with a bottom gear of 32". It would be enough for me (personally) to give the bike a thumbs down, unless I fancied ripping it apart as soon as I'd bought it.

I went the other way with my 3x9 hybrid. Before I even rode it I swapped the 11-32 cassette for a more suitable (for me) 11-26. Swapping a cassette on a new bike is no big deal and hardly equates to 'ripping it apart'!

 

[I like Skol]

Maybe not those of us who are used to working on bikes and already own chain whips and cassettey undoey tools (whatever they're called). But for a newcomer to cycling it can be a different matter. Plus it's extra cost (new chain, new cassette, cost of fitting, possibly new mech, and if a new mech was needed, then new cable probably too)

I'm not sure whether it would go as far as 32T. You'd need to check things like derailleur capacity and maximum sprocket size. It's probably OK, it but it could need a new rear mech. I don't know.

Which is why I said "The mechanics in Decathlon should be happy to swap this during the PDI set-up. You could easily go to an 11-28 cassette and may even get away with an 11-30 or 11-32 but you would need to discuss this with the mechanics in store."

Stop trying to scare people! This could be a simple €20 outlay for an alternative cassette rather than an extra €400 for a different bike to achieve the same thing, and all quickly and easily done by the instore mechanic before the bike is even rolled out the door. No technical knowledge or tools needed by the purchaser.

 

[HeebyGeeby]

The Triban is a good bike for the use you have described. The Boardman 8.8 is almost twice the price so if you buy two of those and then don't really get into cycling it will be a lot of money to have paid out!

We have a bike to work scheme here similar to the UK one but it can only be used once every five years so it's probably better to spend the money now, even if the bikes end up on eBay by Christmas. (They won't!).

If this sounds like your wife (and I am not being sexist here, it is just that you sound well clued up whereas I know many people of both sexes that do not know how to use their gears properly or efficiently) then maybe she would be better off with the 1x drivetrain, although your 'fitness fanatic' comment makes me think she might end up spending all her time on the smallest 2 or 3 sprockets with just a 40T up front (42T according to the OFFICIAL website).

I think she'd struggle, like I think I would at times. Even if you know you want a lower gear, figuring out what to do without grinding to a halt isn't something I figured I needed to learn.

If you are concerned about the easiest gear then the Triban gearing can be changed quite easily with the cost of alternative cassettes starting at around 15-20 pounds/euros. The mechanics in Decathlon should be happy to swap this during the PDI set-up. You could easily go to an 11-28 cassette and may even get away with an 11-30 or 11-32 but you would need to discuss this with the mechanics in store.

I hadn't thought of that... the same goes after a few months and want a little more or less I guess...

If it were me in your position I would go for the Triban, except for 1 big problem..... Do you really want matching bikes?

Hmm. Visions of Howard and Hilda...

 

[raleighnut]

I'd go for a triple, a closer range of gears (smaller gaps) and components are less expensive to replace when they wear out.

 

[raleighnut]

I'm not trying to scare anyone. The OP asked specifically for advice on the gearing. IMO the Triban is over geared for the purpose the OP describes, unless it is modified post sale.

We get so many threads in here beginning "I have bought an X bike and I want to know whether I can fit lower gears". It's a common problem, so when someone asks a specific question about gear ratios it's only fair to warn them.

Easy to drop the entire gearing on a 9x triple though you just swap the crankset to a Deore (BB is the same) and the 48 tooth big ring version should be fine with the same front mech.

 

[I like Skol]

It seems a nonsense to me that they're shipping it with a 50/39/30 + 12-25 in the first place.

Sounds perfect to me for an about town hybrid with a bit of leeway in either direction for something a bit hilly or a suicide high speed descent.

 

[raleighnut]

Sounds perfect to me for an about town hybrid with a bit of leeway in either direction for something a bit hilly or a suicide high speed descent.

True but a 12-28 would be better.

 

[HeebyGeeby]

One bike I liked the sound of but rejected was the Vitus Mach 3 Metrea.
It has a single 42 tooth crank like the Boardman 8.8 but an 11-32 cassette, so an identical top gearing but quite a bit different in bottom gear.
I may not be the target market for this bike.

 

[I like Skol]

Cool, 11-32 it is then. That will climb cliffs, whizz down Alpine passes and everything in between. We have a winner

 

[raleighnut]

Cool, 11-32 it is then. That will climb cliffs, whizz down Alpine passes and everything in between. We have a winner

Quick bit of googling suggests that the HG50 (Sora) can be got in an 11-30 to give slightly narrower gaps.