Road / gravel mix: 1x or 2x ?

Hi all, new frame arrived in the post for me today… Exciting!

Anyway I now have to decide how to build it. I’m a convert to 1x on the mtb (simpler, lighter, I think it looks cooler) but not sure about road and gravel – could get annoying due to the larger ratio gaps.

Any views?

It’ll be used for a mix of stuff, mainly a gravel/road mix over the autumn / winter / spring but the occasional long road ride or bit of bike packing. I might possibly use it for a CX race, but probably not very often.

Heart saying 1x, sensible head saying 2x at the moment.

Thanks!

I have a Pickenflick 2×11 … By default really as I’d wanted the 1×11 but this version wasn’t available on the Finance option at the time. Think my current set up is higher geared at the low end (50/34 chainset, 11/32 cassette vs the 1×11 42 chainring and 11/42 cassette?). But option to put on an 11/34 or 11/36 cassette I guess?

Gaps between the gears is closer on 2x. Top end is lower, but I rarely use my highest gear, so unless you’re doing a fair bit of road, it’ll probably be fine on 1x.

I might in the future go 1x. What’s the largest cassette you can get for a road 1x set up … Seems to be 11/42? Think my ideal choice would be something like a 44/46 chainring and a 11/46 cassette … Is that possible?

I’ve got a 1x set up on such a bike. 10-42 out back. Have used between 38-44 up front depending on the build.

Using Shimano drop bar levers and an xt rear mech with a tanpan to adjust the cable pull. Fiddly to set up at first but working lovely now.

I’ve got 1×11 on the Tripster, 36T oval with 11-42 cassette. It spins out at about 40Km/hr, so may get annoying if you do a lot of flatter stuff/road miles, but for mainly off road in the Lakes/Scotland, it’s great.

Road bike (non racing) I’ve gone sub compact 48.32 (Absolute Black oval) with an 11-30 cassette and this is also much better than standard road gears FOR ME in the Lakes. Most of my rides involve a couple of the passes, with very little flat and I can stay seated, and use the big ring far more than a 50/52. These are on a Shand Stooshie, so gravel capable and this 2×11 set-up would be spot on for anyone who doesn’t want to commit to 1x.

Yes, I get good deals on Absolute Black rings, but would happily buy them (and have) at full retail. I went for cheaper cranks to make the sums work.

I have 44/30 chainrings and 11/32 cassette. With 650b wheels with either 48mm Compass road tyres or 42mm Rock’n’Road, depending upon what and where we’re riding.

Are you a “Roadie”? No? Then 1x is fine.

My take on it, if you’re doing bigger mileages and loading the bike up fairly often, stick to 2x. The 1x chain retention tech isn’t really needed and you’ll have to compromise on gearing either in gaps or at one end of the range, or to get a full range you’re into 12s and potentially spending a lot of time in 10t and climbing in the largest 2 where the chain line isn’t great. On my 10s 2x set up I can climb for an hour plus while loaded up on a straight chain on a 28t ring and the 3rd, 4th, 5th area at the back. I like that. This 1x CL point is more pronounced on a bike with a shorter back end.

1x is great stuff, just solves issues I don’t have on a long distance all road bike, while creating new issues related to CL and costs of wear and tear. YMMV etc.

38t front with 11-32 rear floor me which is fine for a mix of local on/offroad.

But I’m not flying on the road, it’s “comfortable pace” riding and I do use the whole cassette, I do also notice one mid cassette step a little more on the road…

I tend to be riding it unladen, if I was using it for a bit of bikepacking then I would possibly want a smaller ring than 38t, maybe 34/36, or go for an 11-40, or simply fit something like a 28/42 double?

So yes 1x works for mixed use but that bike is doing relatively short 25-45 mile local loops without luggage, if I was going further and/or carting more about I would be interested in more gear range…

I’d agree with Jameso and I have 1x on my cx/road bike. 1x is great for generally mashing around, commuting and so on but if I was building a bike with the aim of higher road miles I’d fit a sub-compact double

A friend on our meetup rides a 1×11 road setup.  He never struggles to keep up with the pace or the uphills.

We ride 40-80 miles most weekends.  We are not a chain gang style club so never hitting consistent high speeds, but we do keep a decent pace.

1x all the way. I’m current on 10spd 11-36 on a 42t oval ring but it’s going to 11spd 10-42 on a 44t soon.

Given that only one of my bikes has a front derailleur I might be considered a 1x fanboi. But. For a wide range of uses as the OP describes I’d stick with 2x unless you were prepared to swap out front rings depending on what you were planning to do – OK on an occasional basis but a pain if you had to do it regularly. My MTbs have either a 30T or 32T chainring, the fat bike has a 28T and the commuter a 38T. There’s no way I’d get a 1x setup to cover all that on a single bike.

I’d have gone 1x on my gravel bike but for three reasons:

1. I wanted it to work well at speed on the road and not have a compromised 1x chainline when running on the small sprockets at the back. Were it just for gravel, I’d have been less bothered, but I didn’t fancy chattery gears when flying on the road.
2. 1x would have probably meant Sram and Sram on road bikes is certainly inferior in operation to Ultegra. Far, far inferior…
3. I found a really well discounted 2×11 bike 🙂

So, I have a 2×11 Ultegra setup and don’t regret it at all.

I’d work out the high and low gears you want and take it from there – my similar bike is old-school 3×8 and its 24/36/46 and 13-26 are about right  for me/my riding/my terrain (26″-99″)

Thanks all, much appreciated. Food for thought

2×11 on my Tripster, and am keeping it that way. The only time I wish it was 1x is cross racing, and I think I may get something sacrificial and cheap to do that now.