Don't currently own an MTB but..

[busb]

...feel they are under-geared? I don't have a RV or even a car so would need to cycle on road from anything from 1 to 20 miles before reaching the rough. Those of you with newish bikes with either single or double chainrings care to set me straight?

[al_yrpal]

They do have very low gears but the highest gear is about the same as you will find on a touring bike. You often have to cycle on roads to reach the off road bits and to cycle between them. Its not a problem.

Al

[Heltor Chasca]

22/36 at my lowest end. I can crawl up little rock gardens fairly easily. Would be too low for anything I’ve done on my tourer (26/32) but perfect on a MTB.

[busb]

Thanks both! Logic rather suggests that if they were too low geared, reviews would have put prospective buyers off. I'm rather relieved by your answers - I was beginning to wonder if the reason for such a radical change was the industry’s desire to boost sales by making previous gearing obsolete, rather than genuine progress. My off-road experience is rather dated in that my last S Works steel-frame bike had V brakes & a triple chainset with closer ratios than off-road riding strictly required.
Both my hybrid & newish so-called endurance bikes both have hydraulic disc so at least I’m benefiting from borrowed MTB tech without owning one!

[drossall]

They tend to have pretty wide ranges, especially on the cassette, and triples. This gives a very low bottom but still allows a decent top. By contrast, sports-oriented bikes will have narrow cassettes, and may only have double chainsets.

[busb]

They tend to have pretty wide ranges, especially on the cassette, and triples. This gives a very low bottom but still allows a decent top. By contrast, sports-oriented bikes will have narrow cassettes, and may only have double chainsets.

I keep a weather eye on MTB technology. Visit a large LBS & you will see pretty standard triples on sub-£500 MTBs but the more you pay, the more likely you will see 40T on the rear & less than 32T on the front that's just a single chainring. Giant's 2018 27.5" full-sus Reign 1 has a 12sp 10 - 50 with a 32 on the front. The differences in ratios will be coarse with just 12 of them but you are on the rough & not time-trialing so the chance of loosing the chain is minimal. A typical 29" hardtail would be 11sp 11 - 42 with 26 - 36 double chainrings.

[pjclinch]

The current trend seems to be 1x11 and I wouldn't be surprised if that leaves you wanting bigerg gears for a long road spell, but mine (a couple of years old, low/mid range Cannondale hardtail) has a triple and I need to be going down a pretty big hill to worry about spinning it out. Do bear in mind everything needs to be a bit lower because you've got knobbly tyres to suck out energy.

Pete.