Another 1×9 commuter here. Mostly flat 4 mile journey so 11-28T with a 41T ring works fine on my hybrid. Only use 4 of the gears anyway so did it to avoid the faff of a front mech. Would go singlespeed but the bike sees the occasional use for family days so needs to have a crawler gear for towing my nephew in a trailer.

1×8, 44T ring to a 11-28T cassette. Edinburgh so there are hills but not massive hills. Never felt that I didn’t have enough low gears

i’m commuting on a flat-bar road bike with 1×10 (44t x 12:36). Fine on all but the steepest hills, none of which occur on my way to and from work 😀

Just finishing off my commuter.
10spd, 11-36 with 36/48 up front.

1×9 here with a 39t ring and 11-28 out back. Does pretty much everything terrain-wise. I put a 11-32 on for off-road/bridleway/CX type stuff. Chainset is 130bcd and I run a Surly SS ring, a thin BBG bash and a jumpstop.

Just get a 38t NW and an 11-32 or 34 cassette surely?

I’m on 1×8 (53 x 11-32t, on 26″x28mm tyres) and my chain drops off the chainring all the bleeding time. I’ve found the solution is to keep pedalling harder.

But really, can anyone explain why the chain drops all the time, regardless of: the gear I’m in; how clean/dirty/new my drivetrain parts are; whether I’m mid-shift; road surface? Seriously, sometimes it drops on perfectly smooth roads, in a gear where the chainline is near perfect and all parts are clean and freshly lubed, just because I stopped pedalling for a couple of seconds.

After a year, it’s become slightly annoying.

My scandal commuter on slicks is running 11 to 23 10 speed, just because I had it in the cupboard. Running a 40t FSA downhill ring from CR for £18 . With a short arm Zee rear mech and Zee shifter. Bit OTT for a commuter, but I keep it in the workshops, so not left outside to rot. Running a pair of deore hubs, which although heavy , set up with phils grease and roll really well. At the moment for the last 7 years, its only 4 miles a day, but hoping a new job pushes it to 10 miles and is good for that ride, as no particular hills.

1×9 here. 51t ring with 11-27 cassette. Get over plenty hills with that though I am a bit of a grinder and the low end of the cassette doesn’t see too much action if I’m honest.

A 50t narrow/wide ring would be nice if I could find one.

1×9 on mine with a 52T front, 11-34 rear (I don’t like close ratio cassettes so it’s a win/win that). It’s a grind on a properly nasty hill but tbh it’s surprising how rarely I want a lower gear. I’d not be happy with a smaller ring tbh, it’s a 30mph top gear dash down to work (and a fair bit slower on the way home!)

There are no alps on my commute but neither are there any flat bits that last more than 10 metres

I use a 36t chainring and find that is fine with a 11-36 for all round

My drivetrain is knackered on my Croix de Fer. Am thinking of going 1×10.

I’m thinking SRAM 10 speed road shifters, 42t Narrow Wide, XT 11-32 and Sram x-9 type 2. I ride over some pretty rough stuff so want a clutch mech.

Has anyone else done something similar?

I’d go 1×9. Cheap parts, and a bit more robust than 10 speed I think (especially if road salt is involved!).

I would too but no clutch mech

I want to get rid of the front mech (my current one is seized.. I don’t like em). I’m not concerned if I spend a little more money I use this every day to get to work – I want reliability and low maintenance.

I’m sure there’s an XT shadow + 9spd mech?

hmm sticky freehub? You stop pedalling and the freehub tries to rotate forward with the wheel and your chain slackens and drops…? just an idea.