Thank God we got rid of the bloody things! Unfortunately the boys bike is 2×10. I forgot just how finickity they can be. I got it running fine on the stand and then with the added weight on the suspension it didn’t shift on (numerous) test rides. Tools were thrown and bad words shouted which the neighbours heard. Three hours it took me, and I’m not a mechanical numpty (or maybe I am)

There’s really nothing hard about it

Conversely, setting up a new di2 front derailleur on my commuter took 10-15 mins and most of that was getting the cable through the hole in the internally routed frame.

I’ve been helping the local little bike shop with a mountain of builds (because they can’t get complete bikes). We’re mostly 1x, singlespeed or hub gear at home so fitting front mechs has been a blast from the past (very few 1x builds because clutch mechs are also scarce).

Fitting and setup has been surprisingly easy as they have a plastic spacer doofer holding them over the big ring and the little sticker to get the height right.

The biggest pita has been having the correct mech – top pull, bottom pull, front pull, high clamp, low clamp, direct mount, 2x, 3x, 8spd, 9spd, 10spd (virtually no stock of anything more exotic). At least most come with shims for the different clamp diameters.

I still hate the damn things 🙂

Interestingly, I’ve heard people with hire fleets reporting a massive reduction in broken chains with the demise of the hamfisted front mech user….

@Daffy

di2

commuter

thats just willy waving. Get in the sea

Not at all – no cables to replace for the next 5 years! Used to get through 2 sets a year, about 3-4000km per set. I just went back to 2* as i only seem to be using 3 sprockets on an expensive cassette. This way I use most of the sprockets on a cheap cassette. Its also barely any heavier.

Conversely, today I fitted a used front mech to my old bike, used a loop of inner tube as a shim and it worked perfectly.

This thread bugs me.

I am of the opinion sales and marketing push us towards 1x because:

Punters are shite mechanics and front derailleurs need skills to set up
FS bikes are easier to design for 1x
Plus size tyres / lower q factors are easier to achieve with 1x

But we are sacrificing gear performance – range and incrementally small steps between adjacent gears – to remedy or achieve the above.

2x and 3x is still the best for competent bike mechanics!

Then there are the secondary factors, such as the need to replace massive cassettes with short lived soft alloy rings, driving £££ profit in the industry – the replacement drivetrain costs with 1x must be higher given the engineering in the cassettes.

I think big mileage users among you lot on 1x are being dry bummed! 2x and 3x with relatively cheap 10 speed cassette and chain replacement is the way forward for the guy or girl who actually gets the miles in.

I am with waderider. While my preference is for hub gears if I was buying a new bike the lack of ability to fit a front mech would be close to being a dealbreaker. Its also the crap chainline thats an issue

Used to get through 2 sets a year, about 3-4000km per set

Again – maintenance. I have cables more than a decade old with perfect shifting still. Middleburn cable oilers for the win

if I was buying a new bike the lack of ability to fit a front mech would be close to being a dealbreaker

Me too. I’ve been using 2x for close to 20 years. Tried 1×11, but the limited range just annoyed me. On a 26″ bike, I find a 2×9 with 11-34 cassette and 22-36 up front works really well. Don’t need the granny ring that much, but nice to have it when you need it. The bigger ring makes cruising on the road much more relaxed than spinning like mad all the way. I find setting up 2x much less finicky than 3x.

After 4 years of fixing, adjusting or replacing other people’s front mechs I can honestly say 98% of owners have no clue how they should be set up & thank goodness for 1x wide range gears.

As for the industry forcing 1x on us to make a profit by having to buy cassettes more often, well that money is easily covered by the cost of people lunching their rear mech into the wheel/frame/hanger through poor front mech adjustment/maintenance/cross chaining and chain jamming. Replace chain and cassette v chain, front mech, rear mech hanger, wheel rebuild and in the worst cases the frame.

On a 26″ bike, I find a 2×9 with 11-34 cassette and 22-36 up front works really well

Agree 100%. thats what I used to run. Nice and cheap replacement parts. close ratio high range adn close ratio low range

Cable Oiler’s don’t make a difference TJ. It’s the steer outers that corrode where they’re attached to aluminium end caps. Water gets into/onto the cable and gets trapped between the outer and cap, the outer corrodes, scratches off the slip coating on the inner and the shifting, whilst still working fine, feels crap when compared to new. I commute 200+km a week in all kinds of weather.

Not this pish again.

Seriously?

I fit dozens every week and never have any issues. I’m also 3x on all my bikes, the front mech shifts as smoothly as the rear and I have wide gear range with no big gaps between gears. I can also buy a chain and cassette and have change from £30

1x has its place, but it’s not for everyone.

Top tip.

Save time reading this thread by making a safe assumption that all of those that don’t need a dropper in that thread, also can’t understand why someone would want 1x

😂👍

As a 1x fanboi I’ll say that it isn’t for everyone and frankly the 50/51/52T cogs are ridiculous. As a high mileage, long distance rider I certainly don’t miss the front mech on my MTBs.

Some of @waderider’s comments are correct but this is bobbins:

But we are sacrificing gear performance – range and incrementally small steps between adjacent gears

To get between adjacent (as in the next easiest/hardest ratio) gears with a 2x or 3x system takes one shift at the very bottom end and top end but at least two and as many as four shifts depending on the difference in sizes of the chainrings for the rest of the range.

Range: I’m using either 11-40T or 11-42T and rarely use either extreme (this is for the Dales, Lakes and Scotland) so I could argue that I’ve too much range! (N=1, etc.)

As for the industry foisting 1x on us – yes and no. Users: we want wider tyres; industry: can’t do that with 2x, you’ll have to go 1x.

Seriously?

I fit dozens every week and never have any issues.

Yes I’m being serious! I think the problem had something to do with the rear suspension compressing. I tried deflating the shock and simulating some sag, but that didn’t work on the work stand. In the end, I tuned it by riding it.

@kayak23 😂

Horses for courses. My road bike – now I’m on di2 I wouldn’t even consider 1x on it.

Mtb is always going to be 1x. Even though my 2×10 with a clutch mech was adjusted properly I’d still lose my chain on fast rocky stuff like at BPW. Got boring quickly.

I also rarely link trails with road sections so high speed not a drama. Even in lockdown my 32f / 10-42 rear the hardtail was fine for road bits between bridleways. The off-road I mostly do will not spin out 32/10t and it’s a full steel cassette – think Gx 11 speed ones are about £80 so not wildly expensive.

I am going to give Shimano XT 12 speed a go on my fs bike as on longer rides it would sometimes be nice to have a bail out gear near the end of the day – 32t chainring with 10-51 is a bigger range than my last 2x I think. Certainly an easier lower gear if nothing else.

I think the problem had something to do with the rear suspension compressing.

IME this can complicate things. Obviously, nobody would be silly enough to fit a brand new front derailleur and not check that it didn’t foul the chainstay when the suspension compressed, only to mangle it on the first rough descent.

Just cleaning a bike without a front mech is so much easier ,especially out on the trail.
Good riddance to the bloody things.

Kayak23 spot on!

May be it’s time we had a ‘crabbit curmudgeons’ section of the forum. 😂

Daffy

I have cables decades old working as smoothly as ever. But then I enjoy maintaining bikes properly and use plastic end caps

Just cleaning a bike without a front mech is so much easier ,especially out on the trail.

I’ve never felt any desire to clean my bike mid-ride. Truly strange rationale for drive-train choice there.

As for the industry foisting 1x on us – yes and no. Users: we want wider tyres; industry: can’t do that with 2x, you’ll have to go 1x.

If you want long travel 29ers with decent suspension designs and wheels that don’t collapse then the front mech has to go. If you’re still riding a 26″ HT, there’s no need for 1x…

Isn’t choice a good thing…

Users: we want wider tyres; industry: can’t do that with 2x, you’ll have to go 1x.

Funny – my fatty is 2×10

Has your fatty got 29” wheels and long travel suspension that needs a stiff / wide pivot?

Has your fatty got 29” wheels and long travel suspension that needs a stiff / wide pivot?

I thought we’d agreed that flexy pivots let the bike Breath With the Trails, because MotoGP.

If you want long travel 29ers with decent suspension designs and wheels that don’t collapse then the front mech has to go. If you’re still riding a 26″ HT, there’s no need for 1x…

Isn’t choice a good thing…

Pretty much this.

This thread has inspired me to get rid of the big ring on my commuter, and shifter and cable. 😊

Dead weight, a 15-18mph average on my commute never requires a 52 ring.

a 15-18mph average on my commute never requires a 52 ring.

@nobeerinthefridge yeah but you may as well live in Norfolk for all the hills you have. Admittedly I’m the same but use the commuter to ride up into the hills as well. If I was riding that and only that day in day out I’d drop the front mech as well (my old Aether ended up with a seized mech for all I ever used the granny).

As said, choice is brilliant.

whitestone
Subscriber

As for the industry foisting 1x on us – yes and no. Users: we want wider tyres; industry: can’t do that with 2x, you’ll have to go 1x.

My bike that came with 4 inch tyres and a double says no.

nickc
Subscriber

If you want long travel 29ers with decent suspension designs and wheels that don’t collapse then the front mech has to go. If you’re still riding a 26″ HT, there’s no need for 1x…

My long travel 29er with fantastic suspension and wheels that don’t collapse that came with a double says no. Front mechs have nothing to do with wheels collapsing…

I’m a fan of 1x, both those bikes are converted. But these arguments are both obvious rubbish.

@northwind – does your fat bike have a 100mm BB shell with wide q-factor crank arms? Mine does. My argument (as you well know) was for “standard” MTBs.

There’s a legal requirement for there to be a 6mm gap between tyre and chain on retail bikes so as @waderider states to keep the q-factor small then wider tyres inevitably mean 1x.

2x, wide tyres, narrow q-factor – pick any two (non-fat bike)

Considering the typical gettup has no cable adjuster for the front mech it does make them a bit of an arse. When the cables are new you usually need to use some trick to bed in the ferrules e.g making the cable too short and pushing hard on the shifter.

Considering the typical gettup has no cable adjuster for the front mech it does make them a bit of an arse. When the cables are new you usually need to use some trick to bed in the ferrules e.g making the cable too short and pushing hard on the shifter.

Huh? Mtb shifters have an adjuster on the shifter, road bikes use an inline barrel adjuster.

whitestone
Member

@northwind – does your fat bike have a 100mm BB shell with wide q-factor crank arms? Mine does. My argument (as you well know) was for “standard” MTBs.

But it’s just as wrong, and the fatbike shows why- 1x is only one solution for wider tyres.

You kind of give the impression that you don’t know there are plus bikes with 2x drivetrains?

Huh? Mtb shifters have an adjuster on the shifter, road bikes use an inline barrel adjuster.

I find the roads bikes tend not to have an inline adjuster. Although the R9100 front mech has an adjuster of sorts so maybe things will adjust back towards adjusters.

@hols2 @squirrelking it’s hardly a humblebrag, I never use the big ring, even on a pancake flat commute! 😆

Wasn’t suggesting it was. But I stuck to 50t even as a human noodle. Just saying.

(this was only going one way)