Do 12 speeds still make sense for full powered EMTB's?

It depends where you ride and how you use your ebike. I’m using it like a regular bike, just extra power, usually trail mode so I need all the gears. Ps. Linkglide got lot better now with new shifter, only thing I dislike it in emtb. On commuter I didn’t mind.
 
⚡ EMTB Pro Go Pro — Living Intelligence Reports, exclusive discounts & ad-free Up to 25% off Peaty's, PEMBREE, Magicshine & more · Ad-free browsing · Pro badge See the deals →
This is may be what you are looking for:

via Google Gemini:

SRAM 8-Speed Drivetrain

SRAM EX1 (E-MTB Specific)
Designed specifically for e-bikes with mid-drive motors, the EX1 system re-engineers how drivetrains shift under massive motor torque. [1, 2]
  • Cassette: The SRAM XG-899 E-Block Cassette features an 11-48T range and is machined from case-hardened tool steel to prevent extreme wear from motor torque. [1, 2, 3]
  • Derailleur: The SRAM EX1 Rear Derailleur uses an X-Horizon design configured for high-torque, low-cadence shifting. [1]
  • Setup: Because the system limits you to shifting one gear at a time, it reduces component-snapping double shifts and protects your battery life. [1, 2]
 
On tight, techy climbing switchbacks, the advantage of a large cassette chainring is the ability to go slow, while having a reasonable cadence, which, for me, helps with balance. On the high end, a small ring for speed is also great. The two extremes are useful, but I don't need ten gears in between.
 
SRAM seems to be sticking with only 12 speeds for their MTB Transmissions - why?
Sure, roadies want more gears to maximize human performance but with higher power motors today I see no benefit and several downsides to 12 speed.


Downsides vs 11 speed
  • Thinner chain with less bearing area so will wear out faster
  • Thinner cogs with less bearing area so will wear out faster
  • more expensive cassette

Upside
  • more gears

I have never ever wished I had an extra gear on my 11 speed Whyte E160!
Can anyone truly say they can tell and want slightly closer gear ratios given the downsides?
I am running a jab derailleur with the medium cage, a shimano cues 10 speed 11-43 cassette and a cues shifter - with the gear indicator window! It shifts great with light action and limited noise and few rough shifts - far less than with transmission. I could probably go 9 speed by this is great.
 
This is may be what you are looking for:

via Google Gemini:

SRAM 8-Speed Drivetrain

SRAM EX1 (E-MTB Specific)
Designed specifically for e-bikes with mid-drive motors, the EX1 system re-engineers how drivetrains shift under massive motor torque. [1, 2]
  • Cassette: The SRAM XG-899 E-Block Cassette features an 11-48T range and is machined from case-hardened tool steel to prevent extreme wear from motor torque. [1, 2, 3]
  • Derailleur: The SRAM EX1 Rear Derailleur uses an X-Horizon design configured for high-torque, low-cadence shifting. [1]
  • Setup: Because the system limits you to shifting one gear at a time, it reduces component-snapping double shifts and protects your battery life. [1, 2]
This is a solid concept, but I suspect the £380 for a cassette explains why it never went mainstream
 
It depends where you ride and how you use your ebike. I’m using it like a regular bike, just extra power, usually trail mode so I need all the gears. Ps. Linkglide got lot better now with new shifter, only thing I dislike it in emtb. On commuter I didn’t mind.
What shifter did you have that was subpar, and what shifter did you switch to, that improved the situation?
 
Upside
  • more gears
For me that's the greatest drawback to 12sp - way too many gears!

All those gears take too long to cycle thru, and with only 14% difference between cogs there's rarely ever a reason to shift just once. Certainly we need the 10-50T range, but divvying that up across 8 gears instead of 12 would vastly improve the riding experience and performance of any bike in high power mode.
 
What shifter did you have that was subpar, and what shifter did you switch to, that improved the situation?
I had 10-speed linkglide on my Levo, there was only on option (same with 11-speed…there was also the ones with gear indictors but those are for the childrens 😆), the one with the clamp. Ergonomics didn’t work with Sram brakes and the paddle throw was too long for my taste. Now they released you 11-speed shifter and you can get one without clamp and seems better otherwise too: https://www.pinkbike.com/news/shimano-launches-cable-actuated-xt-drivetrain.html
 
I would be all over a ~10-42t 9 speed t-type with a shorter mech.

Noone has mentioned chain line, how bad it gets in the big cassette sprockets on 12 speed, note this as a negative.
 
I have an Avinox motor, and I use all of the gears!
We live in the swiss alps, with a lot of very steep trails in the mountains. For longer trails, you cant always use turbo for the climbs, so I definetely use the smallest gear a lot.
I had a gen2 Levo befor, with "only" 11 gears, and I struggled a lot, by not having a real small gear...
Daily trip around 1000m of elevation by 20km distance
Weekend trips 1500-2000m of elevation, 30-40km
 
I have an Avinox motor, and I use all of the gears!
We live in the swiss alps, with a lot of very steep trails in the mountains. For longer trails, you cant always use turbo for the climbs, so I definetely use the smallest gear a lot.
I had a gen2 Levo befor, with "only" 11 gears, and I struggled a lot, by not having a real small gear...
Daily trip around 1000m of elevation by 20km distance
Weekend trips 1500-2000m of elevation, 30-40km
11V whould not mean "small gear" mandatory. you can have 11V with 11/51 and 30 teeths front
 
Nope, it’s completely not fit for purpose on a high powered ebike, and I’d even argue it’s fairly pointless on the current generation of mid powered bikes.

My full powered bike I run 10spd (XTR/Saint) with an 11-36T cassette & a thick ebike chain. I still don’t need all the gears. The only negative is I’ve lost the auto shift feature on an Avinox, but it wasn’t life changingly good.

I’ve gained lower weight, a fraction of the cost, more suitable (better clearance & reliability).

On my TQ60 bike I’m not sure I’ve ever used the top two gears on the cassette, rendering X0 T-Type also, utterly pointless. It’s hardly like it’s game changing over other high end groupsets 🤦‍♂️
Hob Nob . is that a Saint derailleur and XTR shifter ?

 
11V whould not mean "small gear" mandatory. you can have 11V with 11/51 and 30 teeths front
You are right. I think the 500% bandwith is perfect.
Of course, you could spread that across just 11 gears, or even just 10. But the cage would then remain the same length as on the 12-speed version...
 
Hob Nob . is that a Saint derailleur and XTR shifter ?

I use an XTR shifter & XTR mech with a lower Saint cage. I think the Saint mech will do a 36T cassette in the ‘FR’ setting. I have a Linkglide Deore mech I was going to see if it would work at some point as well as they are super cheap.

The other option is SRAM X01 10spd DH with the medium cage. That will run up to a 36T cassette
 
I am running a jab derailleur with the medium cage, a shimano cues 10 speed 11-43 cassette and a cues shifter - with the gear indicator window! It shifts great with light action and limited noise and few rough shifts - far less than with transmission. I could probably go 9 speed by this is great.
Yeah i love the indicator window and wouldn't remove it if it was an option!
Since i can no longer turn my neck too far its super useful to know im on the 13t when pedalling off the start ramp at the bikepark.
 
12 speed cassette rings are thin and therefore weaker
the missus folded over the metal on her lowest (most used rings) Shimano SLX level - so not a bad cassette at all
so less longevity I'd say
Ditto, I folded a ring on my SLx cassette some weeks ago, luckily I hat already bought a Deore cassette as backup, so no downtime.

I am considering switching to di2 Linkglide (11 speed)
 
Shimano 11 speed linkglide costs me at least 1/3 of the price to run on my Kenevo compared to any of the SRAM T type transmissions which are usually spec'd on the Avinonox bikes and works great. The Orbea Wild is one of the first Avinox bikes I've seen that has the Shimano wired groupset instead making it potentially £100s per year cheaper to run.
Which one has a Shimano wired groupset ?
 
I'm running Zee/Saint M771 "freeride" 11-36T 10 speed cassette. Light, it used to be cheap, it has a small mech cage and has all the range I need. I run it with an XX1 11 speed chain, because narrower outer chain dimension results in less plate load differential during a shift and better longevity.
Still haven't found anything to beat it, which is a shame because it's ancient. Hoping that someone will make a modern freeride DH cassette.
 
RideShimano and loving the even dozen. the number represents harmony, balance and the cycle of time. More specifically, Yin and Yang because it multiplies 2 (the Yang principle) by 6 (the Yin principle), representing a perfect cosmic balance. It's also the reason chain links are never odd numbers .
RideShimano too, but you see, 11 is a prime number, I'll stick to that. I would have gone for 13 but it brings bad luck. Rather a simple choice.

How about a mid-drive with 2-3 speed internal gearbox coupled with 11 speed rear cassette? Or 7 speed. The final number of gears won't be a prime number but it's a product of them. Will a 7 speed (flat top) chain hold longer than a 11/12s one? Did God make it cheaper? Would the (potentially) added pedal resistance disturb Yin/Yang transformation/harmony in any way?
 
Sorry, by "Wired Shimano" is this referring to cable operated rather than wired to the motor ?
I'm seeing -12s Shimano XT M8200 SGS Shadow Plus.

yes, cable operated. The Ebike (cable powered) di2 12-speed RD is the M8260
 
What really matters to me on my e-MTB is having the right range, meaning a low enough gear for steep climbs and a high enough one for speed. Beyond that, the number of gears in between is relevant, but secondary.

In fact, having too many gears can be a problem: it takes longer to shift through the range, and when the trail suddenly gets steeper, I end up losing momentum, sometimes coming to a complete stop before I find the right ratio.

I don't know what the optimal number of gears would be for my riding style, but it's probably well below 11 or 12.
 
“Gears…… Where we’re going we don’t need gears”

back to the future flux capacitor GIF
 
yes, cable operated. The Ebike (cable powered) di2 12-speed RD is the M8260
Thanks, it's tricky with Shimano !
E-bike Shimano (cable powered) stuff doesn't work with Avinox (?yet?). Shame as Linkglide 11s medium cage would seem to be a good option.
 
In 2020 I assembled my Dengfu e10 gen1(switched to cef50) with 9-speed 11-50 Box components, box2 ver. Also a compatible cassette is a Sunringle 11-50

Prove me I am wrong :)
13383.webp
 
I could see going down to ~10 so I can still ride with friends on analog bikes.

Last weekend on a 14-mile, 4,000-ft climb, I rode mostly in a much larger than normal cog (don't recall which one) so I could stay even with the analog bikes. Incidentally, that route usually uses 65% to 80% of the battery but this time only used 40%.
 
Keep reading
    Browse all

    Similar Threads

    Community Stats

    Since 2018
    674K
    Messages
    41,736
    Members
    Join 30,000+ Riders, it's free!
    Back
    Top