Hi all, i'm currently running what seems like a terribly old fashioned 3x9 speed set up on my mtb at the moment and after the claggy Vittoria mtb marathon this year laughed at my front derailleur and clogged it repeatedly i have seen the sense in 1X set ups.
In an ideal world i'd have loads of spare cash and parts would be easy to come by and i'd just upgrade to a fancy 1x11 Shimano set up, however we do not live in an ideal world, i'm skint and parts are hard to come by. Also if i'm honest I only ride mtb 3 or 4 times a year being mostly a roadie these days so I've thought about moving to a 1x9 set up as a sort of compromise.
On Aliexpress I can get an 11-40 9 speed cassette, a hanger extender, chain, and 1X specific 32t chainring for the princely sum of £30 delivered. For that sort of cash it almost seems worth it to just try it out, but thought i'd ask on here to canvass opinions before pulling the trigger.
Current set up is an old swap drop out On one Scandal, the crank set is a Shimano XT 22/32/44 with a Sram X9 rear mech long cage. Should i be able to use the rear mech with the extender and the crank set the chain ring without too many dramas? The cassette should fit on fine and i expect the chain is a bit meh, but can be swapped out when it wears anything else i should consider?
This is the listing btw:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32840566369.html?spm=a2g0o.placeorder.0.0.7cb3321eUHSQ3w&mp=1
Doubt you'd need the hanger extender, try it without first. Maybe a bash guard, mainly to help stop the chain dropping off the outside. I had 1x9 on an old mtb, worked OK. Did use a bash guard and a seat tube mounted chain stopper, just to be doubly sure. NW chainrings are pretty good at keeping the chain on, but without the clutch you do get a fair bit of chain flap.
I did this, didn't use a hanger extender but I was using a normal 34t cassette. I I did need a chain guide though. I eventually went 1x11 cos I'm too fat to pedal up steep hills in 32/34.
I have something similar on my hardtail. Sunrace 11-40 cassette, X9 mech, Gripshift (old skool cool!), etc. Works fine. I have a narrow wide chainring and other than lots of clattering noises the chain doesn't really come off, but some sort of chain keeper wouldn't go amiss.
EDIT - I did need the mech hanger extender, but I think my mech is a mid-cage.
I have one of these cassettes mines a zrace 11-40 (sunrace are higher quality and more £).
The chain it came with was junk, really floppy sideways kept falling off the chainring. Replaced with a KMC.
Shifting is OK, but longevity is the big question, I don't expect it to last anywhere near Shimano, but the bike gets little use.
So yeah give it a go no reason not to, maybe budget for decent brand chain though.
Well that all sounds promising, thanks. Good point about the clutch or lack there of. I do have a couple of seat tube mounted chain guides in the spares box so may be able to cobble something together if needs be, however i don't ride gnarly stuff really and am very much a wheels on the ground xc bimbler😃
If you can find one of these:
you'll be laughing. Keeps the crud out of the front mech.
APF
Should work just fine for your 3 or 4 rides per year, you won't need a bash with the narrow-wide ring.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTM3GoKCNPS-e2-iWwsze4IkZMzC66t65k8vw&usqp=CAU
I ll get my coat
I've got a couple of the kids bikes running 1x9 with and 11-42 cassette and an extender works fine with just a NW chainring
I did a very similar conversion on my On-One Parkwood. NW 34t chainring, Microshift 11-42(?) Cassette, Sunrace extender. Works ok, but not perfect. Sometimes drops chain (non clutch mech), sometimes skips on smallest cog. Chain climbs onto bigger cog when I reposition the pedal to move off. I've fiddled about with all the available adjustments but can't get it any better 🤔.
Pulled the trigger, thanks for everyones input.
Could you just run a 9speed 11-34 cassette and fit a smaller chain ring up front? I spent years riding 1x9 followed by 1x10 (11-36) with a 32 up front. Mainly because I hated chain noise and dropped chains and back then chain guides for 2x were not great.
AS far as not having a clutch, the narrow/wide does most of the work (as everyone that got early shimano clutch mechs learned when they inevitably broke and we didn't even notice). But a little top guide is still well worth adding- if you have ISCG mounts then you can get them for around £7 and they're as good as anything on the market.
I've done some 1x9 miles on Road, MTB and gravel bikes, it worked just fine.
One thing I found improved chain retention strangely enough is using 10 or 11 speed chains, they just seemed to stay on N/W rings a bit better, dunno if it's because they bend sideways better for less than ideal chainlines or somehow mesh with the teeth better but that has been my experience...
Otherwise yep it's a cassette and a ring in the same position as your 3x setup's middle chainring, it should be able to hit all the gears by default. Plus it does tend to shed mud a bit better.