I’ve got 1×11 on my do it all bike.

10-42 cassette operated by a Sram apex 1 rear mech.

When pedalling on the work stand it seems like the clutch adds loads of resistance to the drivetrain.

If I just use my finger to push the mech forward to negate the action of the clutch there is little resistance.

Is it possible to reduce the effect of the clutch action? Is this resistance not a problem in the real world?

Have you checked the cables….

I spent many many hours trying to fix a hard to shift similar Shimano setup (and on the kids bike so more sensitive) … I pulled the shifter apart and cleaned/greased etc. and even swapped almost everything over from my bike and finally changed the not very old cable … (swapped for a fully enclosed one) and this suddenly fixed everything!

The cable didn’t feel stuck btw… with the mech pushed in it moved about fine but with the load from the mech and clutch it made it stick.

B tension adjustment required / top jockey wheel sitting on the sprocket?