[Closed] Why is 1x9 so good?

I haven't read all the posts but I guess everyone is saying how great a single ring up front is.
For balance I've never had any problems related to front mechs or shifters but I have experienced rear mechs going in the spokes and snapping off mid ride which is a complete ball ache.
So I can see the point of alfine/rohloff much more than I can for losing the front mech, if preventing mechanical failure is the issue. unfortunately still too expensive for most but maybe one day that is what the majority of mtbs will be like? Obviously running a hub gear means losing the front mech so maybe the 1x9/10 users are just ahead of the game.

@docrobster Too expensive??

Second hand chain guide - £25. You don't *have* to buy a brand new one, at £130..

Pack of single-ring chainring bolts - £5?

25mins of your time - free.

@docrobster Too expensive??

xiphon - think they were referring to expense of hub gears not going single chainwheel lol

Ah, whoops! Too much coffee has given me trigger fingers..

Is 1x9 possible without a chain guide? - just intending to ride XC in the chilterns on it, before I go out & try it without & end up making a fool of myself 😉

Is 1x9 possible without a chain guide?

Just don't change gear at the front... easy

Just don't change gear at the front... easy

Ah well, suppose it was too much to expect a sensible response on here especially on a friday

A 1x9 without a chain guide - 60% of the time, it would work every time, even with a singlespeed specific front chain ring.

Adding a jumpstop, i was still dropping the chain now and again, but not at all with a bash added. I presume though its never going to be as fool proof as a fully caged system.

Horses for courses. Back in the UK, I used to ride Rivington, the Lakes, Yorkshire, CYB (all over, wherever Singletrack or MBR maps inspired) and a 3x9 was just right. Where I live now, the trails are flowing managed singletrack and a 1x9 or 1x10 would be perfect. I won't be riding many other trails, so I'm considering trying 1x9 with a ghetto chain guide (will look in my big box of bits this weekend and see what gaffa tape, miscellaneous round things and zip ties can bodge up). A few severe rock gardens and mean a chain guide is necessary for me (chain jumps occasionally even now).

pretty sure most of us could find you something fairly easily chief.
do you just not ride properly steep or technically challenging climbs or climbs with damp/wet/loose surfaces?

This. I can't work out if all the people who ride 1x10 are extremely fit, or they're riding easier hills than I am, or they're the sort of people I see pushing up hills. Like everything in life there's probably a bit of all three, but I know I would struggle with a few of the climbs in the peaks if used 1x10, and I'm not a believer in getting off and pushing. I broke my small ring at the start of a ride the other day and rode just in the 34t middle ring. 95% of the ride was doable but it really bugged me when I had to get off and walk the 5%.

I'd be interested to give it a go, though.

I'm sure there's plenty of stuff I can't ride up but I doubt I'd be any better at it with a granny ring. I'm miles away from any proper mountains and as long as no-one spinning slowly in the granny ring gets in front of me I've had no problems with all the natural riding I've done in the south east, nor any trail centres I've visited - indeed I sometimes get up climbs when standing up and juggling my position to balance traction and power that those with more gears have failed on. If I rode places with steeper hills then I might do things differently because I don't like getting off and pushing.

I don't see how even lower gears would make slippery climbs easier when traction is the overwhelming challenge - using a higher gear reduces the peak torque at the wheel and thus the likelihood of exceeding the available grip - as long as you can apply enough torque at the pedals to avoid stalling.

you've clearly never climbed a long very steep loose/challenging climb

fair doos.

dunno what you ride in the south east but I haven't ever found a trail centre climb that couldn't be done in middle ring.

I don't see how even lower gears would make slippery climbs easier when traction is the overwhelming challenge - using a higher gear reduces the peak torque at the wheel and thus the likelihood of exceeding the available grip - as long as you can apply enough torque at the pedals to avoid stalling.

The popularity of mountain biking has increased (it is the new golf!)

New genres of riding have been created for the new riders to the sport - "trail riding" and "AM riding" - i.e. bimbling round trail centres (see the "gisburn slab" thread for reference)

For this sort of riding 1x9 is ideal, and hence its popularity appears to have increased somewhat. Obviously people have been using 1x9 setups for years, but they were usually from the dh side of the sport.

The XC riders tended to use the traditional 3x9 setups as these were necessary for proper xc riding out in the hills (when trail centres never really existed)

1x9 is great and bimbling round trail centres on AM bikes is great - its a cooler form of riding than getting lycra'd up and heading out into the proper hills.

to my mind drive setup is as much a personal choice as pedals or bars;

needs to suit the individuals own fitness, riding style and chosen terrain...

nobody's quite the same. clips/flats, wide/narrow, riser/flat, SS/1x(n)/2x(n)/3x(n) does any of it really matter?

just ride your bike....

Any reason you can't use your front mech as a chain device?

none at all if you don't mind a shite chain device that drops your chain

Dickyboy - Member
Just don't change gear at the front... easy

Ah well, suppose it was too much to expect a sensible response on here especially on a friday

To be fair to Messiah, its a fairly obivous solution to your problem.
Stick your front mech in a fixed position on the middle ring if you like, in order to remove the temptation to shift.
Then try out 1x9 for a session and realise that its the way forward.
Then go out and buy a simple chain device, as even the Chilterns will have you coming unstuck at some point.

I rode about 4 or 5 hours without a chain device, then my chain came off twice in one ride. I tried the lightweight superstar device but it was too flimsy and fiddly, im now running their slightly beefier b/b mounted version and its been flawless so far.

cookeaa - Member

to my mind drive setup is as much a personal choice as pedals or bars;

needs to suit the individuals own fitness, riding style and chosen terrain...

nobody's quite the same. clips/flats, wide/narrow, riser/flat, SS/1x(n)/2x(n)/3x(n) does any of it really matter?

just ride your bike

This nails it...I have 1x9 on one bike and 3x9 on another and compact on the other. Different bikes for different riding, all good in their own right...Just ride, it's all just bikes 😉

All of mountain biking is an exercise in making things harder than it has to be, for the sake of enjoyment. Sometimes it's quite nice not having sufficient gears. the appeal of 1x9 to me is part simplicity and lightness but mainly it's just that it's a bit like singlespeeding except less ridiculous.

[b]"All of mountain biking is an exercise in making things harder than it has to be, for the sake of enjoyment"[/b]
eh? :/

and single ring with a spread of rear gears it's nothing like single speed either.

GW - Member

eh? :/

Not a hard concept... Ever come down a mountain offroad when there's a perfectly good tarmac or fireroad option?

And of course it's a bit like single speed 😕 Restricts your choice in exactly the same way.

Missed ya!

To clarify my position, I haven't been riding MTBs in this modern gnarly stylee for that long - I started out on them as a kid in the '80s on the flatlands of the East Midlands but then didn't ride offroad from the mid '90s until 2010. I spend most of my riding time in woods in the south east, trying to be as fast as possible downhill and reasonably quick uphill. I had a bike with 3x9 but hardly used the big ring so getting rid of it helped with getting over logs and suchlike (especially as someone that couldn't bunny hop) and preventing teeth:leg moments. Went 36/22 to avoid losing too much top end. Found myself using the granny more than was ideal and shifting from 22 to 36 was a bit clunky. Went 32/22 and didn't miss the extra 4 teeth but noticed I could stay in the 'middle' ring all the time and that by doing so I got quicker at riding up hills. After a while I decided I really didn't need the granny ring for the riding I do so got rid of it. A simple process of elimination!

About to go 1x10 as I need the 9 speed bits for another bike, so that'll give a low gear of 32:36. For those that remember the tooth counts of old drivetrains, what would the ratios have been on my '80s MTBs? The first was 3x5 non-indexed, the second 3x7 Rapidfire.

I used to be a 1x9er and hated front mechs but just had a weeks riding in Wales and the granny ring came in handy especially going up Snowdon! Not sure whether I'd have got up as many of the climbs without the granny. Even spinning in the easiest gear is still quicker and more enjoyable than walking up.

Aw shucks.. you too honey Xx 😉
I always choose the most fun option TBH, whether that's walking up a fire road or coming down something loose/steep/jumpy/flowy.. wouldn't ever think of it as making things harder (some of the hardest trails to ride are 'cause they don't flow and therefore aren't so fun.

chief - 3x7 would have been something like 11(12)-28 cassette and 24(26)/34(38)/46(48)

I run 1x8 on my FS bike, which I've re-built out of the home parts bin for one purpose...mucking about in the woods / local trail centre. I had the option of a front mech etc in the box but it's not necessary for this bike. 1x8 gives me:

1) c. 3/4 pound in weight saving
2) one less set of cables and mechanical gubbins to initially set up and subsequently keep clean
3) better ground clearance
4) enough gears for the bike's intended use

The bike rode poorly in the granny ring anyway (4bar suspension and out of date platform technology) and I'd rather grunt than twiddle on the way up (and every once in a while I'll be pushing). I could comfortably manage my usual Tuesday evening on this bike XC loop on this too if I felt that way inclined.

By contrast my rigid 26'r, which is for long days out and kiddy seat duties has a full complement of chainrings (although the granny ring rarely sees any use thanks to living in the South). I also have a (still) unridden SS to try out.

Even spinning in the easiest gear is still quicker and more enjoyable than walking up.

No it's not.

1 X 9 (26T X 11-32T)
front mech as chain guide only

[img] [/img]

Always been a 1x man. No idea why, as some bikes have had more gears but they were rarely used. There's the odd time when I could do with a bigger or smaller ring but there's no medals given for cycling to the top so if I can't carry on, i'll get off and walk. It's generally faster but maybe not as cool as spinning away like a mental.

No it's not.

yes it is. more enjoyable could be argued, but it is definitly quicker. anyway, when i go out for a bike ride i go out to ride my bike, not take it for a walk, thus the granny ring stays.

1 x 9, (26 x 11-32)

[img] [/img]

I'm perfectly happy to admit to wanting to lose some weight off the bike, wanting to see if I could still make it work, from a riding perspective with 1x9.

This was partly to do with me being quite a bit stronger (exclusively SSing for 2 years, prior to going back on a sprung geary.

I do appreciate the simplicity of the riding without any front gears and the faff ans embuggerance that they can bring and as some have said you save about 0.75 of a pound.

I've had a whisper from the legs that it may not be the best for big old days in the hills, but its only been a quiet word. Moving to 10spd and a 36T cassette should sort me out on that front.

I'm enjoying the part of this thread which is all about telling other people what they enjoy 😆

I can't work out if all the people who ride 1x10 are extremely fit, or they're riding easier hills than I am, or they're the sort of people I see pushing up hills

Well I've not walked anything since going 1x10, if I had to then I'd change back, can't be doing with that. So I'm obviously in one of the other 2 camps.

you've clearly never climbed a long very steep loose/challenging climb

I know you'll really struggle with this concept, but some people may actually be fitter than you. I'm sure you ego won't actually let you comprehend that.

1 x 9, (26 x 11-32) ?

Surely you must spin out very early ?

If you ride smooth enough, you shouldn't need a train device.

Stick your front mech in a fixed position on the middle ring if you like, in order to remove the temptation to shift.

Doing this won't tell me if I need a chain device or not though will it?

Thanks Cynic-al, I will give it a go without & how I go, choo choo 😉

I'll never go back to a double or triple setup again. I have not misssed either the top or bottom rings at all. Not sure if it's down to improved fitness but when riding up hills I find it easier than spinning in the granny. It just feels like I'm putting in less effort. I have had to get off and push a few times, but I did with the granny in place. Have good and bad days on the bike and if I'm pushing granny would have made no difference. Running a 33 tooth and an 11/36 cassette. 10 speed. I will say that my bike looks better for it, Also had iscg 05 tabs so run an E-13 LG1 chain device. This setup works perfectly for me. This build was allways going to run a single up front anyway.

Has anyone wondered why they call the little 22 tooth ring a 'granny ring'?

I've been 1x9 for 18 months and it's made me stronger, my bike quieter and my life easier (in maintenance). Enough said.

No it's not.

Depends how quick you walk I suppose! I find walking still slower than spinning up a climb. And I also hate pushing up so I even find the climb on a bike more fun. Sort of grown to enjoy challenging technical climbs now. I would maybe consider 1x9 on a hardtail but my fs bobs around too much when stood up to pedal so 2x9 helps a lot.

Back in the early days when 3x7 was the norm your lowest gear was 24 x 28 on our 30lb rigid bikes, and we used to ride much the same forests and mountains as now. 24 x 28 is only a bahair less than 32x34... And if you go 32x36 10speed it's even closer.

I've been running 1x9 since the start of 2003 on my s works enduro and not gone back. Most of my riding is on the DH/jumpy side of things and I just hate noisy rattlng chains and would rather walk for 2% of my riding time to enjoy a better looking/lighter/quieter/more reliable drivetrain for the other 98%. If I lived up north I would have to suffer a front mech and stinger, but I don't.

We are all different and some people are happy to ride with a bike that sounds like a toolbox falling down the stairs, but it would bug the hell out of me.

New FS for away rides set up as 2x10. HT relegated to local trails where I very rarely, if ever, use the granny in a 2x9 34t 11-32. So I'm about to go 1x10 on that, again with 34t up front and 11-36 out the back. A small weight saving, space for remote lockout on the bars, a bit quieter and less spaces to fill up with mud. Sounds like a good idea to me.

I'm very unfit with steep climbs on my local rides but still enjoy 1x9 and 1x10 on both my bikes. I have 30t chainrings so yeah I'm not pedalling the usual 1xX ratio but think I'm just as fast with this setup.

I used to sit in the granny up every hill, 1x10 forces me to keep a consistent cadence and pick smooth lines. It's also nice not to have to think about gears as much.

Plus it's cool etc I also have wide bars, a short stem and steel ht, obviously 😀

If you ride smooth enough, you shouldn't need a train device.

I see this comment every time there's a 1x thread and it's utter bollox.

What is correct is 'if you ride slowly enough' or 'if you ride on smooth enough roads'; but to suggest you're losing your chain when riding down something like Fort Bill because you're not riding smoothly enough is just bilge.