Front derailleur on a new mountain bike?

Are there any new mountain bikes that can have a front derailleur mounted? Preferably of the FS XC race flavour. It looks like Shimano still make front derailleurs for 12 speed setups, but I can’t find anything that looks like I can actually run one on.

I know people are going to say that 1x is fine and front derailleurs were the devil’s own work – but I’ve been on 1x for a while, and while I don’t mind it for some applications, I’d still like a double for others.

Go and sit in the corner and think about what you’ve just said.

gravel bike? only 2×12 on google i can find is double pack vinyl.

worth messaging Scott and asking if they have recently done a 2×12 / 2×11 , likely some deadstock from 2020/21/22

Childrens bikes or bicycle shaped ojects. If your budget is £300 then you will find a new ‘mountain bike’ with a front derrailleur.

Wont be 12 speed though!

I knew I’d seen one…. the On-One Whippet has a front derraileur mount, but thats because its a ~10 year old design they are still passing off as recent:

https://planetx.co.uk/products/on-one-whippet-sram-sx-mountain-bike

Are there any new mountain bikes that can have a front derailleur mounted? 

You’ll probably have to look at an older model for that, most have now “optimised” the ability to use a front derailleur out of the frame design.

I’ll be hanging on to my current, front derailleured, XC bike for as long as i can!

Some predictable responses.

I have 1x, 2x, and 3x bikes – I ride them all, I do kinda know what I want, even if it’s unconventional.

1x is great for trail centres, but for multi-day, all-day, mixed terrain things, I kinda want the range and efficiency of a front derailleur setup.

I think you’ll stuggle a lot in the full suss XC race category, those bikes are optimised to be light and stuff, and front mechs are a distant memory for that sort of thing. Something steel and more touring oriented would maybe have a better chance with FD compatibility,but sounds like that’s not what you want

If you’re running SRAM, can’t you fit a band on axs front mech to pretty much anything with a seat tube? No need for cable routing.

If you want a complete bike I’d be looking at the trekking end of the market from the Germans. It might be that gravel has killed that off though

If you’re running SRAM, can’t you fit a band on axs front mech to pretty much anything with a seat tube?

Maybe.

Chainstay clearance is an issue on some. Profile of the seat tube is an issue on others. Direction of the seat tube can be an issue as well. FS hardware is usually in the way too.

Probably none in the FS XC type. Mine has, but it is 10 years old now. If you really want it, then probably hunt out a secondhand frame and build it up with new/used parts. Likely looking at non-boost too from that era. Eg Pivot ran a front mech mount on the 429SL up to 2016. When that was replaced with the Mach4SL then it went 1x. So you are likely looking at an 8 year old bike at best I think.

The canyon neuron only lost front derailleur compatibility in the last year. Some one will be selling a bike with a frame that can take a front derailleur because they haven’t up dated their carbon mould. The problem is finding out who

You may have more joy with a hardtail. My understanding is lots of FS designs are 1x as it allows them to do different/clever/silly things with the suspension design, without having to worry about the pivot point in relation to a chain that can change diamater around a larger or smaller chainring.

Whaaaat ?

Asking for a front mech is like pointing out in public that the emperor is stark bollock naked around these parts.

I’m selling a 2016 Ibis Mojo HD3 green/medium. That will take a front mech.

If you’re running SRAM, can’t you fit a band on axs front mech to pretty much anything with a seat tube? No need for cable routing.

Perhaps, but I think a lot of things have weirdly shaped seat tubes (particularly at the bottom bracket junction), or seat tubes in an odd position.

5lab

If you’re running SRAM, can’t you fit a band on axs front mech to pretty much anything with a seat tube? No need for cable routing.

No way to shift a front mech with MTB shifter on ACS, and no MTB AXS front mech, road only

Is the range really much better compared to 10-51?

I’ve just been gathering enough stuff to replace my gravel bike front mech.

As for bikes – Sonder Frontier or Cotic  Solaris….?

2x isn’t dead…

No way to shift a front mech with MTB shifter on ACS, and no MTB AXS front mech, road only

I think you can use sequential mode or assign a blipper or extra button to shift the front mech. This thread agrees with me

SRAM AXS flat bar + 2x chainrings?
byu/alisdairSH inbikewrench

Regarding front mech, there are only road ones available, but rival goes down to 43/30, you can probably blag the front mech onto smaller rings than that, say 40/28, which might be what the op needs

Is the range really much better compared to 10-51?

Yes.

Chainstay clearance is an issue on some. Profile of the seat tube is an issue on others. Direction of the seat tube can be an issue as well. FS hardware is usually in the way too.

Yes, I think you would have to physically measure up frames to see whether they have the space to fit bigger chainrings and a front derailleur. Keep in mind the derailleur has to clear the rear tyre as well as the frame and suspension linkages. A Shimano E-type derailleur might work if the seat tube isn’t round.

The Cotic Solaris Max (not the current latest model) can take one, I run it 2×10.

Is the range really much better compared to 10-51?

With a regular MTB 2 ring and 11 speed block I reckon you could get to 600% without silly combos, It’s probably the nicer more regular changes that are most beneficial if you’re doing longer distance stuff though.

But, as other posters have suggested, you’re probably having to browse the 2nd hand market for a FS, a more regular shaped HT would be much easier.

Would a classified rear hub and 1x give the gear range the op wants?

^ there’s an idea.

Save money and just buy an old mountain bike?

Is the range really much better compared to 10-51?

Only at the top. And sometimes the bottom. And sometimes both.

But apparently the ” cockpit” looks much cleaner, which trumps everything else ..

Would a classified rear hub and 1x give the gear range the op wants?

Yeah, it’s something I’m considering. But I really want the efficiency of larger sprockets, especially over the drag of an internal geared hub.

The problem you’ll have is modern derailleurs are designed to move the top jockey wheel away from the cassette as you move into bigger gears. This requires the chain length to be set well. If you drop down to a small chainring, the chain length is too long and the mech hits the cassette. This is why GRX mechs are two quite different designs, 1x for large cassettes and 2x only work with close ratio cassettes.

The problem you’ll have is modern derailleurs are designed to move the top jockey wheel away from the cassette as you move into bigger gears.

Shimano make 2×12 MTB groupsets, so I don’t think that’s so much of a problem as finding a frame that’s compatible.

With a regular MTB 2 ring and 11 speed block I reckon you could get to 600% without silly combos,

But would it actually work, thinking about the chain length needed for big-big and where’d all the ‘spare’ go when in the small chainring?

But would it actually work, thinking about the chain length needed for big-big

If you don’t shift like an idiot you don’t actually need enough chain for big-big, not do you need it all absorbed when in small-small.

Not outrageous…Not 600% admittedly, but close enough…592%

But you’d still struggle to find a full suss to put it on.

I still run 2×9 speed on most of my bikes, with 22-36 Deore front rings. If you matched those rings with an 11 speed 11=42 cassette, you’d have a 625% range. The 22-36 setup is a bodge and won’t shift as cleanly as rings that are designed to work together, but I find I only shift once or twice per ride so it’s not a big issue.

https://www.gear-calculator.com/?GR=DERS&KB=22,36&RZ=11,13,15,17,19,21,24,28,32,37,42&UF=2328&TF=90&SL=2.6&UN=KMH&DV=teeth

As others are saying, going 2x on 11 speed makes more sense than 12sp surely?

Stick with HG freehubs, less finnicky setup, rear mech not so low-dangling.

As others are saying, going 2x on 11 speed makes more sense than 12sp surely?

2×10 FTW.

We have it on one of our mountainbikes and two of our ‘do it all’/gravel/hybrid bikes.

Perhaps an option would be to buy an old xc frame, like a Talkboy, and get some one to build you a custom front triangle for it.

or go full custom. Waltworks would probably be willing to make you what you’re after.

Sycip, too. They use ventsna suspension parts that don’t appear to have changed since the advent of 1x. Ventana themselves may also be able to help.

3×5 on friction shifters is the logical end to this thread.

Or go the whole hog and just settle for a hub with a different sprocket on each side. Who needs more than that!

That said, if you could still get it and frames that would take it, 2x di2 would be very tempting!

600% and usable gears is very achievable.

with a Pinion gearbox 😉