My current 2 x 10 groupset has finally given up the ghost and I now want to install 1 x 11 (as I have it on my other bike and love it).
Cash isn’t limitless – my budget is circa £600 – so XX1 is out of the question. Current thinking gets me the following…

Next Raceface SL
XTR rear mech
XTR shifter
XT cassette (big range)

All of the above comes in at around £585 and 1200g. I’d need a BB adaptor and cables, but that’s not going to add much weight or cost.

Am I missing something? Thoughts?

If you want light weight, sram are lighter.

I was just thinking of Shimano durability (and cost)

I’d be looking at a 10 tooth SRAM cassette if I could.

I’d be looking at sram cassette and xt shifting kit to save weight and increase range.

I’m generally a SRAM fan, but there’s no reason you can’t run a SRAM cassette and Shimano shifting gear although you obviously need the XD driver freehub.

I did a bit of a dig though, and you can put together some very competitive hybrid groups :

GX 1x11RD, X1 shifter, XG1150 cassette, 30mm BSA BB, Next SL crank, Absolute Black 32t oval: £559.05 and 1374g.

GX 1x11RD, X1 shifter, XG1150 cassette, 30mm BSA BB, Turbine cinch crank, AB 32t oval: £424.05 and 1559g

The BB and ring are 149g and in the Next SL based group I’ve given, adding them to your XTR hybrid results in almost an identical weight (ok, about +25g for the SRAM stuff)

I’ve priced cranks at CRC and the rest at Winstanleys.

The 10-42 XG1150 cassette is all 4130 chromo (even the big cog) and is 394g. The M8000 11-46 is 434g… If you’re using the lowest ratio a lot the SRAM cassette should outlast the XT by a way, I’d think owing to being all steel. This group (with the Turbines not the Next) is what I’m running on my Solaris and the basic drivetrain combo is pretty much my standard now. I don’t think you can really beat it for price, weight and versatility. You’d probably be wanting to factor in a bigger front ring with the Shimano group, too – which could be getting close to chainstays and will obviously be heavier.

Strong, light, cheap – pick two

SRAM GX, good price and weight, solid shifting and decent lifespan.

Watch out for the wide q-factor on turbines, I have them and find it really annoying.

If you want lightweight then I would stay away from the XT Cassette, sram ones are lighter and have a better range. Can use shimano mech/shifter with them though if you want.

Do you need new cranks? Could just get a chainring for your 2×10

Wiggles – I’m aware of the XT cassette weight but was interested in the shifting range. Also, I have Mavic wheels so wanted to avoid paying for the 11-speed driver.
I’ve discounted the idea of new cranks for a number of reasons: firstly that I just prefer 1 x 11 to ride with; secondly that my frame gathers too much mud on the FD; and finally, I’d like to take the opportunity to drop some weight from the current system (which is quite light).

Cubicboy, The shifting range at the bottom is limited by the 11t top.

Assuming you want to keep a high top gear, you have to add teeth to the front ring, meaning that the ‘lower ratios’ at the bottom aren’t as lower as intended.

Example calculated upper to lower ratios:

29er, 32t front, 10-42 = 3.5>0.83

29er, 32t front, 11-46 = 3.19>0.76

29er, 34t front, 11-46 = 3.39>0.81

29er, 36t front, 11-46 = 3.58>0.86

So, by the time you get to a 36t front you’ve got the same range out of an XT 11-46 that you have from a 32t front and SRAM 10-42, just with a heavier cassette and a bigger heavier chainring that may or may not cause issues with your chainstays depending on the frame and axle chosen. In your stated situation it looks to me like the only advantage is not buying a new free hub and possibly any cachet from ‘xtr’ badges.

Ferals, I don’t find a wide Q on my Turbines… they’re running the standard axle and seem to pass as close to the stays as I’d expect. Admittedly I’ve not measured them 🙂

Not sure what you’re paying for the Next SL, but I would prefer an X01 eagle or XX1 eagle crankset with a hope BB or similar. Cost will be about the same I suspect, and while a little heavier (50g maybe?) more robust.

@vinceinup, turbine Q factor is 10mm wider than the next so for a given axle. I notice the difference every time I jump on the mtb after riding the cx bike (which I think has a narrower Q factor again). Admittedly I stop noticing it after 5 minutes on the bike, but then later find my glutes are sore, not sure if it’s just hte Q factor or the fact much more standing up riding mtb, but the difference niggles my OCD mind 😳

“Am I missing anything”

How about a chain 😉

Nope. I didn’t forget the chain – I was working on the four major components – and had also excluded the BB plus any adaptors (due to differing BBs).

Sram GX with a lighter chainset & BB of your choosing.

That looks a good idea Chapaking. This now includes the bits that are specific to me ie chain, BB adaptor and freehub…

SRAM GX + Next SL
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Rear mech 265g £72
Shifter 122g £35
Cassette XG-1150 394g £95
X1 11 Speed Chain 258g £19
Next SL cranks 425g £335
Freehub (Mavic) – £62
BB adaptor 50g £40
Total 1514g £658

What’s the current 2x crank?

If it’s a SRAM crank then chances are you can swap the spider for a 1x or even get a spiderless chainring that just bolts straight on.

One less cost if it’s a decent crank (e.g. SRAM X0).

You’re going to be losing weight by ditching front mech, shifter and cabling also (not to mention ditching a lot of hassle 😉 ).

New mech + new shifter – doesn’t matter if SRAM or Shimano (and I wouldn’t say Shimano are more durable these days. If anything SRAM is less faff in my experience).

Leaving you with cassette. Pick the system. If you want SRAM you’ll need XD. If you want far more options, stick with Shimano freehub (there are even SRAM 11 sp Shimano cassettes, though they’re the budget end and very heavy).

SRAM 11/12 sp cassettes I’m not sure about. Not keen on proprietary XD nonesense, and the machining on the cassettes makes them look fragile, plus may be why they’re stupidly expensive. Shimano XT/XTR 11 sp are a bit heavier but they are tried and tested same design as 8/9/10 speed.

Oh and chain of course. Personally… KMC (wouldn’t touch Shimano chains with a bargepole). Rocking lighter and colour matched bling version and been as solid and reliable as other KMC. I’m not going to stick with it at £50 a chain though. Plain £10 standard KMC does fine and other ways to lose weight which mostly involves laying off the food and beer 😉

Deadkenny – the bike is an Open and it has the Rotor 3D crankset paired with an X0 rear mech and a SRAM XG1099 cassette. Over the three years that I have had it the whole set-up has never quite gelled and after having a recent new cassette and front chainring I’ve decided that I just want to move on. I have XX1 on my FS and it has been faultless so I’m keen to have more of that in my life. I have spoken at length with the top bike tech in our area and he says that in his experience Rotor cranks can be problematic with shifting. Whatever he thinks, my experience over the three years has been poor and I have no desire to persevere any further (as it has already proved costly).
I initially looked at a Rotor Rex and keeping the 10-speed but a) I don’t like the look of the cranks and b) it would be more of the same.

I had a lot of bad experience generally with 2×10 and that was X0 cranks. Not the cranks really but the chainrings. I concluded the shift from 26 to 39 rings and back again was just too much of a jump. Not smooth, constant jamming and dropping, no matter how much index faffing. Tried a 2x guide (jammed and ripped apart), chain drop stopper (chain would jam behind it).

Got rid of the front stuff, kept the X0 cranks and changed to a 1x spider. All problems solved. If I go 11 speed on that bike, no need to touch the cranks or chainring (except oval rings might be worth checking out).

Actually I quite recommend the X0 cranks. Carbon and tough as. Not sure how they compare to Next SL.

Hi again, another option would be the XTR mech and shifter you mentioned in the OP but with an XD driver and the Sram GX cassette (as it saves so much weight compared to the XT).

People say the two brands work fine together.