I bought an on-one inbred last week, it has a 1×9 set up 34t front and a rear road cassette.
I use the bike to commute an will also be using it to hit the trails with to.
I am having no trouble with the chain on the roads but would I need a chain device once I start hitting the rough stuff, mainly be riding singletrack and trail centres.
I am thinking of upgrading the set up to 1×10 for ease of use on the trails and still have enough umph for the commute.

“Need” , no. Preferable – yes. Try it and see – you won’t break stuff, just drop the chain.

You’ll probably need at least a top guide.

I went from 3×9 to 2×9 (replaced the big ring with a bash) and found the chain still jumped onto the granny when the ground was really rough

Biggest problem was knowing when I was in the granny and when it had jumped – and then knowing whether I had to release the shifter before trying to push the chain back up again

Now I’ve broken the shifter from pushing when I should have released it first. So in answer – I don’t know but it’s likely. Hence why I’m going to try and move to a 1×10 but with the aim of using a clutch mech and an XX1 type chainring

Get one of these, from HERE for your kind of riding shouldnt need a guide at all….I will be trying mine out this weekend 🙂

If your going to try 1×10 then get a clutch mech as thry are supposed to be a revelation , if stopping1x9 buy a bionicon C guide instead of a whole hog chain device, CTBM stocks them on ebay

I was tempted by a bionicon, but it won’t fit a Heckler due to the high chainstays.

Had one on a blur and it was spot on and weighed nowt, full device now for me on a Mega

Will fit OPs Inbred though

I tried my 1×9 as an experiment with no chainguide, an experiment that lasted several hundred feet.

Even with a clutch mech I’ve still found riding without a chainguide to be hopeless, just going to test a works ring tomorrow though to see what that does.

Run 1×9 on my cross bike,never dropped chain an i ride it like i stole it.

Let me know Northwind…if it works ok with a clutch mech on 1×9 that’s what ill be settling on

Righto, did a wee ride tonight with clutch, works ring and no chainguide tonight- full 10-speed (Saint and XT). Chains dropped = 0.

Wasn’t the roughest of rides though so I can’t say too much, but it’s a good start. I’ve ridden the same bike, mech, chain, cassette and shifter with a standard E13 single ring and no device, and it didn’t work too well at all.

Won’t be out on this bike again til next week but I’m cautiously impressed. Plan is basically to ride it til the chain drops, if that doesn’t happen then send Works some more money for more rings and make a lot of noise about it 😉 If it does, then build me a minimalist chainguide and see if that’s enough.