INSANE 2x Gear Range! #DoubleMullet

[kymcopyriot]

Pro tip, Russ - if you’re chewing up Phillips screws it’s often not just that the screws are made of cheese, it’s that they are actually JIS (Japan Industry Standard) screws. They look like Phillips but they’re not. Get yourself a set of ‘Vessel’ brand JIS screwdrivers and voila, no more chewed screws! What’s more, the JIS drivers work perfectly well on standard Phillips fasteners. Once you’ve experienced the miracle you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it earlier! (PS, feel free to slap me if you’re already all over JIS) hope Laura is doing well!

[alonzopedrin]

I surely needed this video 2 years ago and will likely need it again in the near future. 2 years ago everyone told me what you just demonstrated was not possible. Desperately searched for an alternative to allow my 190 lb-63 year old body to pull long hills (strangely, I love the grind). Ultimately, I rigged my Salsa TI Fargo with a SRAM GX Eagle MTB drive train (30T front & 10-50T rear) for bikepacking adventures. You just proved a 46-30T front and 10-42T rear with brifters will provide me the low-end range needed to haul my carcass over major ranges in the future. I love you man!

[patrikpfeuti]

I have a nickname for you: king of low gear! Btw, i run 9 speed shimano sora on my gravelbike with 46/30 crank and 11-40 sunrace cassette with a alivio mtb rear derailleur (with no link to extend). Runs flawless for 2 years now👌

[Likelybiking]

I had an idea today. A reverse mullet. Single speed in the back and a 2 or 3x in the front!

[Quevallyn]

This was brilliant. Thank you Russ for scratching those ‘what if’ itches we all have.

[bennorland]

Been running 44/34 in front with 9-46 in the back for over a year with no problems. Love it. Sram Force 11 speed shifters with a GX 11 sp + goatlink in back. Can go fast and pull a loaded for camping trail a bike with a kid in it up hills.

[pleepers]

HUGE thank you for this video and many of the comments. This really helped me get through issues with rebuilding my 2011 Surly Troll.

Due to my lack of knowledge and parts supply issues with 12 speed cassettes, I ended up buying a SunRace 11-50t cassette to mate up with a M8120-SGS and a 2x XT crank. As I was putting it all together, I thought, "no fkkn way this is gonna work." After watching this and doing a bit more research on bike forums, I figured it out! Now this old Troll climbs like a Himalayan mountain goat! Thanks all!

[rivnuts]

1. The info on the S-Ride derailleur was much appreciated as this old man was looking to expand his gear range with my current 105 setup.
2. I love your taking on and presenting out of the mainstream equipment and setups.
3. The moniker “Cave of Bad Ideas” is priceless!

[sebas]

I run on alt bars Shimano xt 11-40 cassette and long cage rear derailleur and shimano GRX 46/30 crank with a downtube friction shifter (all the derailleur trim I need) Runs amazing. I have the clean cockpit of a 1x with the superior range/increments of a 2x. Big ring on flats, small ring on hills. I call it : 1.5X (1 and a half by!!)

[philb]

Love the Cave of Bad Ideas series. Can't believe you are cranking out so much content here lately with all of your other projects. Well done. Thanks for the hours of entertainment and information.

[mikeflanigan]

Thanks Russ. I love the Cave of bad ideas! Not a combination I am interested in, but I love seeing what is possible.

[travischapman]

As a 2x advocate for anything other mtb, I love the front chainring sarcasm. Also, I’ve been curious of using a 1x Rear derailleur with a front derailleur for crazy range. Bike packing Colorado makes you want that range.

[taggreg]

Playing with a bunch of different parts that shouldn’t necessarily go together is what
makes cycling fun for me. So I love to see this sort of experimentation and might even give it a go in the future.
Thanks for the content 👍🚲

[diegoleiva]

Triples are still the king for crazy range IMO. Something like a 44-32-22 with a 11-34 cassette and you have all the range in the world without resorting to exotic parts and wild experiments.

[MuckingMunt]

Nice presentation Russ. Love your sense of devious alchemy here. I think Sheldon would for sure approve. And here's me still experimenting with a lotta old 9sp era kit cast offs and the 'Australia Tax' shipping of any new and/or obscure parts.

[BonnieParrishKell]

Love what you did there, MacGyver! LOL - seriously, really enjoy trying out different components to see what will work the best.

[sometimerving]

"Cave of bad ideas" that needs to be a sticker or at least a sign in your Cave of Bad Ideas area.

[frakafrocka]

I’ve thought about this too. Russ rules for doing this!

[lindathrift]

Give Laura my get well wishes. I got diagnosed in 2017. Soak up all the love and goodness around and stay positive. Love the ideas on ur channel. I’m 72, retired and biking is a great hobby.

[no_Ray_bang]

Love it! I've been rocking a 48/36/26 with an 11-42 on my touring bike. I could see something like this getting me back into a double.