How many gears does a mountain bike have? We explain it

Bikes are technology products, accordingly an evolution always takes place. This is particularly evident in mountain bike gears. We summarize the development.

Progress: Current mountain bikes have twelve gears in just one cassette.

The gear shift, along with all its elements, is largely responsible for propulsion. In this respect, the mountain bike has completely different requirements than, for example, a road bike.

Mountain bike: How many gears are in today?

If you look at the bicycle landscape as a whole, it is noticeable that gear shifts exist either 1x-fold, 2x-fold or 3x-fold. Thus, bikes with 24 gears have a rear derailleur consisting of 3 x 8 gears; with 18 gears, it is usually 2 x 9.Especially in mountain biking, a clear trend has emerged in recent years:

• Practically all new MTBs are manufactured with only one cassette with twelve gears (1 x 12). A few years earlier, 2 x 11 was still widespread, before that there were even 3x-speed gears.
• The twelve-speed system that is in vogue today is advantageous because it requires fewer components. This means less weight and one less part that needs to be maintained.
• For the driver, it is also convenient not to have to operate a front derailleur.
• To still be able to deliver a certain range in the translation, the jumps between the gears feel a little larger.

Nevertheless, 1 x 12 has established itself as the absolute standard, as can be seen in all price categories. Since mountain bikes are not intended for rapid top speeds on the straight anyway, the advantages mentioned clearly outweigh. For this, it always goes uphill with a suitable gear ratio on the slope, while the higher gears are effortlessly suitable for fast descents in the terrain.