Bought an xc bike with 2x10 xtr. Instead of ‘upgrading’ it I gave it a clean up and some new cables and blow me if it doesn’t work better than my 1x11 setups. Loving the gear range and the fact that cassettes and chains will be a fraction of the price of 11/12sp ones.
1 by setups are cool and I love the clean looks but for training for 20 hrs a week on a mix of roads and off road the ability to select the right gear for the task and be able to replace worn components cheaply is a blessing.
Thanks for sharing...
Mike, were you bitten by a front mech as a kid? 🙂
Everyone with a bike was bitten by a front mech as a child.
Nah just ode my 2x gravel/road thing today and as I was coordinating shifting both ends to get the next gear I remembered one of the many reasons 1x is awesome.
I assume the OP with his massive range is only fractionally bigger range than a 10-42 setup and not bigger than a 10-50?
It's like selling VHS these days, tart it up as whatever you want it's still going the same way 🙂
Well yes, fashion is dictating that 1x is what’s happening.
but it stands to basic reasoning, that to get the same range with 1x10* you will have bigger gaps between gears compared to 2x10* as it gives you (something like) 14 usable gears
*this number is variable, but my point remains the same.
ive used my surly as 1x10, and tbh i can see why some people like the simplicity of 1x, but there’s no getting away from it, you have to sacrifice either your low gears, or your high gears, or you will have bigger gaps between gears.
granted, bigger gaps between gears may not bother you, (it does bother me) but 1x is not a fix all solution for every rider on every type of terrain.
if i was trolling, I would say something like ‘I’ve never had any kind of a problem with a front mech, cos i know how to set them up properly ‘
actually that last bit is true.
No, fair play OP. It’s about time we had a discussion about the merits of 1x versus 2x drivetrains. It’s good to see someone finally talking about an issue that mountain bikers have been to shy to mention.
What are your thoughts on ‘long & slack’ geometry, or whether a gravel bike is a new niche or just a posh tourer?
😉
Nah just ode my 2x gravel/road thing today and as I was coordinating shifting both ends to get the next gear
Old School ....them eltrikery etap/di2 things do that for you now wiv auto synchro-shifting so just uppy downy with one hand.
OP’s right thou running cost will be cheaper, I reckon I chew up a 42er cassette every 2000-2500 miles and that’s changing chains an lubing regularly.
Old School ….them eltrikery etap/di2 things do that for you now wiv auto synchro-shifting so just uppy downy with one hand.
Ah yes, it does however add some big ££ into the process, it should eliminate those massive gaps you get in 2x when you have to shift the front ring that everybody ignores 😉
11-36
11-13-15-17-19-21-24-28-32-36
-2-2-2-2-2-3-4-4
10-50
<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 21, 24, 28, 32, 36, 42, 50</span>
-2-2-2-2-3-4-4-6-8
So the only major difference in gaps is at the very low end where you would have to drop to the granny anyway 😉
Just got back from ride on my 3x10 29er with bar ends - I'm so niche 😉
Anyway the gap between gears isn't as simple as the difference in tooth count - it's about the difference in ratios
True but it's a really good indication that most of the time people are clutching at straws as to why 1x is bad 🙂
Maybe it's just me but is the 'gap bewteen gears' thing a bit of a red herring?
I have 1 x 10 on my Rocket with a 32t oval ring and 11-40 cassette. I normally change 2 gears at a time (no reason other than habit) so tend to ride big gaps between gears. Haven't died yet and don't seem to suffer for speed or fatigue against my riding mates. Seriously wondering about spacing the cassette and experimenting with a 1 x 5 setup...
Oh good. Maybe my 2x10 drivetrains are saleable after all!
More seriously, why are people still treating choice of drivetrain as a ‘debate’? It’s a matter for personal choice and right now there’s a better range of choices than ever.
It's all down to personal choice but, if you are going to claim that the gaps are similar, it's best not to clutch at straws which are based on a fallacy 😉
Just got back from ride on my 3×10 29er with bar ends – I’m so niche
I'm still 3x9 (oh yes, and bar ends too).
TBH what I’d really like is a 1x2 for my commute one gear for flats and one for the hill preferably hydraulically shifted 🙂
if i was trolling
hmm?
tbh 1x11 aint great, but it's better than 2x, by a gear/inch. 😀
God I'd forgotten how bitchy some of you guys are. It's not essential to be rude you know.
The gear range thing comes from the fact that I'm doing a long race soon and deliberating whether to run a 28 or 32 tooth chainring on my 1x11 bike. No such dilemmas with the two by.
Triple on the road bike for the win - nice steady middle gear just like a 1x for the majority of the time, then a twiddly gear for the ups and bigun for the downs ☺️
And as for paying £80+ for a cassette and £30 for a chain, that's just depressing. Pity the guys on 12sp though. How much for a cassette!
@Rollindoughnut You think that's bad?
SRAM are trying to get Emtb riders to pay £390 for a steel 8 speed shimano spline patern cassette and a further £200 for an 8 speed mech and shifter. The chain is a bargain at £30.
Behold $RAM £X-1
If that's not robbing the elderly I don't know what is.
Geex - my flabber is truly gasted, makes mental note to keep fit for as long as I can, at least having the triple will keep me at it for longer 😉
Some people just don’t seem to notice big gaps between gears.
i do, but I’m aware that not everyone does.
mikewsmith, to be fair, I don’t think anyone reckons it’s bad, but i just don’t believe it is a solution for everyone’s riding.
i will say though, i reckon by the time we get to 13/14 speed that situation will change.
as I was coordinating shifting both ends to get the next gear I remembered one of the many reasons 1x is awesome.
How do you manage to type?
Or use a knife and fork?
to pick up the point about gaps when running my old 39t big ring the gaps on the majority of my 10sp would have been bigger than the 32 or 34t 1x I'm running now, on the old granny they were smaller but I'd say I just jump between them.
If you could do it double blind I'm not sure everyone could feel what they think they are feeling...
I've got 2x in my gravel bike and 1x on the MTB. I've no desire to change either to be honest
How do you manage to type?
Or use a knife and fork?
Quite easily I could probably eat and type at the same time, though for shifting gears why should it be a 2 handed operation gauging how many to lift at the back to compensate for the drop at the front or vice versa - if your after close shifting it's the exact opposite.
Ah yes, it does however add some big ££ into the process, it should eliminate those massive gaps you get in 2x when you have to shift the front ring that everybody ignores
Ermmm - not if you use it as a low and high range 😉 I run 2x9, 22/ 36, 11-34. I use it as a high and low range - properly set up so I have 9 gears in each chainring. shift chainrings at the bottom and top of each climb
For me and my riding that is a much nicer setup than a 1x
I was very much a 1 by evangelist, still am a lot of the time. Hell I was running 1x9 five years ago for xc racing. However I ride so much now, in so many different situations, trying to use one bike for as much as possible, that I've got fed up with the cost and limitations of 1 by systems (along with all the stupid variations in standards making nothing cross compatible).
Going back a few years in tech solves many a problem.
It's not a biggy, no need for folk to get upset, it's just an observation.
I was considering limiting myself to 1x10 as an upgrade instead of 1x11 since I thought it might save money. But it seems the kit is not much cheaper, if at all. Anyone corroborate this?
On-topic - I'll keep a front mech on my rigid 29er as it needs a large range, from winching a loaded bike at the end of a 100 mile day up a steep incline to blasting down a road descent.
Nah just ode my 2x gravel/road thing today and as I was coordinating shifting both ends to get the next gear
*Prays for Mike*
Appreciates your prayers...
Just an observation as to 1x MTB shifting has made people look differently at how the drive train is engineered, sequential shifting is nice and great it's actually a nice change from the previous ideas of multiple ways to shift gears...
sequential shifting is nice and great it’s actually a nice change from the previous ideas of multiple ways to shift gears…
It has pros and cons, which most folk here seem able to appreciate.
Do 2x setups have to stop at 9, or 10 on an mtb?
If you wanted close ratios and a wide range, you could do even better with 2x11 surely?
Probably, but then they'd call it something fancy and charge £££ for it.
(Yes I know you could do it yourself, I'm just being silly)
Sequential gearing is nice, I use it for racing MTB and CX, but for training it can be limiting, expensive and dare I say it a tad noisy when it gets gritty on those big cassette gears.
All my cycling life setting up the front mech has been my nemesis.
I'm glad they are gone.
All my cycling life setting up the front mech has been my nemesis.
I’m glad they are gone.
There’s not many things on a bike that are easier to set up in my experience. Bolt it on, attach cable, set limit screws. Done.
Bolt it on, attach cable, set limit screws. Done.
Before direct mount.... bolt it on, squint a bit, twist it a bit, back the other way, rotate it a bit more...then take on the limits, work out if you have a 2x or 3x one then tweak it a bit, then trim it...
In fact the old 3x 9 click sram twisties made thing a lot better as you could trim it to sort out the chain line issues you could get with some of them.
But then I got the range I need, drop 2 moving parts and all is good as it's 2 things less to go wrong
Fettling the front mech is one of the few bike jobs I can do!
One of the reasons I haven't gone 1x is that I have enough trouble adjusting for 9 speeds at the back let alone 11 or 12. Actually the main reason is that I am from Yorkshire and am too tight to spend the money
I think we need to ask, who has the most to gain by doing away with front mechs (cheaper) doing away with 2 of the chainrings (cheaper) doing away with machining bolt holes on the cranks (cheaper) doing away with one of the shifters (cheaper) and replacing all that with a slightly bigger cassette (slightly more expensive to make) and charging a fortune for it?
i get the simplicity to use aspect, of course it’s easier, but the main benefit is increased profits. Im genuinely not trolling, but i stand by my personal opinion, namely ‘1x is not a fix all, for everyone’
not yet anyway, i do reserve the right to change my mind when we get to 13/14, which i reckon is the point it will work for me.
I think we need to ask, who has the most to gain by
Ah time for the conspiracy theory
The rider, I have a steel cassette that at 11sp gave me more km than a 10sp and is a resonable price now with GX dropping. I have a better frame design now we don't have to conform to road bike designs
1x is a viable option, if you don't want it then don't use it but get the numbers right also, when eagle 12sp goes fully mainstream why would 2x be the better option?
1x is better if 11* gears are enough for the type of riding you do.
*or 12, if you’re feeling flush.
it’s not for the type of riding i do.
13/14 speed? Probably will be.
1x is better if 11* gears are enough for the type of riding you do.
What range you missing?
im missing several usable gears.
ive got about 13/14 usable different ratios, none of which have big gaps between them.
if i go 1x10, i either have to give up some climbing gears, or give up some mid range gears.
Hence my comment ‘13/14 speed’ probably will work for me.
What range are you missing on 10-42? Whats the spacing you are missing? Which mid range gears are your favs?
