All For One (By)
Single ring drivetrains, previously the arena of hardmen and minimalists, are now an acceptable standard across all sects of mountain biking. Earlier this year I wrote The Truth About 11-Speed, which was effectively the precursor to this piece. I got way nerdy with numbers, in part to defend the direction the industry is taking, in part to put some misconceptions to bed, but mostly just to let those ideas out of my head.
Those wheels are churning again and this time it’s not five figure bikes and one more gear. I’m thinking of a market segment – a growing and very important market segment for the future of mountain biking – that doesn’t necessarily have the fine-tuned ability to discern what’s happening with the mechanical sides of a bike. I’m talking about beginner and intermediate riders.
While mastery of the front derailleur used to be a rite of passage, we’re coming to a point where it just doesn’t matter any more. And when having a dropper post on a mountain bike does matter to many riders of all abilities, saying goodbye to the complications of a front derailleur just makes sense.
While we can easily get caught up in the world of bikes north of $5000, the beginner/intermediate rider is not likely to be rushing out to buy an 11-speed group, nor the bike it comes on. They may be curious about 1x, but probably don’t want to drop a ton of cash on what equates to an experiment – an experiment that’s still surrounded by a lot of misconceptions, for better or for worse.
Until the entire world of mountain bikes switches over to 1x systems – somewhere at the 12 or 13 gear mark, by my extensive calculations – people will be finding ways to get the benefits without the cost. This is a case for single ring drivetrains for riders of all abilities (and budgets).
A Catalyst
These thoughts were in the back of my mind when writing The Truth About 11-Speed, as I was mulling over options for implementing a 1x system on my girlfriend’s bike.The current crop of 40 and 42 tooth cogs for 10-speed drivetrains have opened up options, but as a result of maxed b-tension, shifting is not factory crisp in the middle of the stack – and that’s a compromise I wasn’t willing to make on this bike.
On a recent visit to Chromag, we peered into the glass case full of colourful anodized bits and saw the recently-announced Sequence X-Sync ring. I noticed that it was a SRAM direct mount unit, and in the miniscule 28 tooth count.
After some quick calculations we decided it would fit the bill. No matter what, going to a 1x system is still a compromise – and even more so with the smaller gear range of the 11-36 cassette. Still, being familiar with Steph’s riding style, I knew the 28 wouldn’t present any problems at the long end of the gear range. We would be giving up at least one of the easy gears, and saving a yet-to-be-determined amount of weight.
The Numbers
About those numbers. For discussion’s sake I’m going to use the ratio provided by various gears, but it’s worth noting that the bike in question is a pedal-friendly 29er. The 2×10 setup had a 24-36 double up front with an 11-36 cogset. 24/36 gives us a 0.67 low gear while 36/11 gives us a 3.27 high gear, and a total gear range of 491%. With the single ring, we get a 0.78 low gear, 2.55 high gear, and total gear range of 327%.
Based on the high likelihood that most people reading this just skipped over that last paragraph, I’ll put it into some relevant terms. Two things to note from the previous article: first, the second cog of an 11-speed stack is a 36 tooth – the same as a standard 10-speed mountain cassette’s big cog; and second, the low gear ratio of a theoretical 28/42 11-speed is also 0.67. So based on that alone, we know we’re giving up exactly one full gear in moving to the single 28 up front. Harden the f*ck up.
But really, that’s not so bad. It’s quite similar to the gear ratio you get out of a 32/42 combination, but at either a fraction of the cost of an 11-speed setup or with much crisper shifting than an extended range 10-speed cog. Heck, it’s even cheaper than the extended range options as the cogset stays as-is. Of course, if you’ve got a 104 bcd crankset you’ll be limited to a 30 tooth chainring.
Weight Loss Program
While I’m of the mind that the simplifying aspects of this move are more valuable than the weight, I must admit I was pleasantly surprised by the end result. The parts removed were:
- X9 front shifter and X7 front derailleur
- 24/36 chainrings and carbon bash guard
- SRAM direct mount spider
- two full links of chain
- cable, housing, and ferrules
All that stuff weighed 493 grams. The Sequence ring was 73 grams. Savings: 420 grams. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
More important in the grand scheme of things was the simplification of the cockpit. Losing the front shifter and derailleur meant moving the dropper post lever beneath the bar on the left side, while at the same time simplifying shifting. Press the button and choose the gear you want with factory tight shifting. Never cross chain. And reduce the amount of controls on your bars. Win-win.
In practice the 28 tooth chainring has been working out decently. It’s quieter, lighter, and has a good range of gears for on-trail riding. By the time you’re in your granny, you’re often going as fast as you would walk anyway. Enduro walking is all the rage, though, right? The top gear is enough to spin along at a good clip on the highway coming home, and the small cogs are seeing more use than they ever have. With all the talk about cogs and chainrings and more gears, it’s nice to see a simple solution work out.
Every setup has its compromises. This one’s major compromise is in top end gears. If you’re racing, you might feel you won’t get enough out of it – and I do understand that, but I also think mountain bikers tend to mash way too big a gear. Personal opinion. But hey, if you’ve come this far, you’ve probably got one too. Fire it up in the comments below.
I’d like to close with a quote from Seb Kemp after he’d finished the same conversion on his lady’s bike:
“She’s going to love it, but I fully expect she will only admit that in her own time.”
Comments
Will Fox
9 years, 1 month ago
From my understanding the chromag DM ring is GXP only. Did it affect the chain line or ride quality at all running it on a bb30?
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Poo Stance
9 years, 6 months ago
Finally, fuck!
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gunz
9 years, 6 months ago
I rode it for 6 months and now back to 2×10. Was a 29'er with 32 front RF with one-up 42 rear. Poor shifting with the XTR long cage D (yes everything was tuned to perfection) spun out on the road and found no advantage to having the 42 on the climbs…..
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Fluider
9 years, 6 months ago
CONS: 1×10 (11, 12, multiply with current yearly inflation of your country) is just so friendly to manufacturers when designing their suspensions (single chain line). This will lead to many designs of same characteristics throughout the market.
CONS: 1×10 doesn't give you an option of choosing how quickly you want to spin in uphills. Some of us are hard pedalers choosing tough gears, others are fast-spinners choosing easier gears.
CONS: chain wear. With more sprockets, the chain is getting narrower and narrower while working in wider angles between front sprocket and rear sprocket. Am I to replace chain so frequently as brake pads?
Getting rid of front shifter and cable from my handlebars? Just start finally making alloy frames with internally lead cables.
Making a space for dropper-post shifter? There's a hell of space on 780mm bars. Just start finally making alloy frames with internally lead cables.
Chain dropping? Just setup properly your front mech together wit rear mech, or buy clutch rear mech.
What great "revolution" will they bring us in 3 years? Getting rid of God blessed rear derailuers?
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mtnbikinggirl
9 years, 6 months ago
Curious… That model of Rumor came standard with the 22/33. Did you swap it out at some point to a 24/36? Just asking since I've been looking at going 1×11, especially after demoing the Rumor Evo with the 30/42 and it's time to replace my front chain rings anyway so…
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Morgan Taylor
9 years, 6 months ago
That would throw a wrench in the gears. What are you trying to work out with respect to the new drivetrain?
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mtnbikinggirl
9 years, 6 months ago
Something with a granny gear… I do like it for the climbs around here. Think I'll try the 28 anyway and see how it goes. Worse case scenario, I buy a 42 for the rear.
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Morgan Taylor
9 years, 6 months ago
You'll be giving up two gears at the easy end, with your new easy gear ending up between the current 2nd and 3rd gear. You can only decided for yourself based on your riding habits whether this will work out in practice. Steph really wanted to try it, and I was happy to facilitate for the relatively small (on the scale of drivetrain modifications) investment in time and money. Worst case, we can put the double back on.
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Michael Knudson
9 years, 6 months ago
I'll keep waiting for a 13+ gear option. Just today I went out on a local trail and used all of the gears on my trusty 3×9. Yup. 22-34 and 44-11 and everything in between. I would call myself a beginner, which is why I'm not a hardman and need the granny to climb hills, especially after 2 hours of riding.
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Drake
9 years, 6 months ago
I run a sram x0 with 11-36 cassette and a 36 tooth front ring on my 160mm travel all mountain bike, I have no issue with climbs and find that it suits me well. If you need significantly lower than that you should work on cardio and leg strength. I think that no one will really need a much lower gear than 28-36.
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JVP
9 years, 6 months ago
Or do bigger, longer, waaaay longer, technical rides where a really low gear is nice. You guys crack me up. Elitist and soft all at the same time. And not everyone should have to be super fit to have fun on a bike. It's about fun, right? Right?
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KruaThaiEnduro
9 years, 6 months ago
Oh look another person from flatbuttfuckistan. Or is that hudgepenistan?
KruaThatEnduro
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t.odd
9 years, 6 months ago
oh look, another "I don't need it where I ride, so you don't need it where you ride" sanctimonious post. My cardio and leg strength is plenty fine thanks
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qduffy
9 years, 6 months ago
I'm running a 32 front by 11-42 rear on my 29er Element. I can literally do 99% of what I could with the previous triple front, where I spent 99% of my time in the middle ring anyway. I always find the granny too torquey and I'd raise the front end or flip backwards on anything steep enough to need it. The 32×42 has just the right amount of torque and traction. Apart from a teeny bit of the top of Old Buck, I'm probably on the bike more often than I was with the old 3x setup.
Compromises are, well, compromises :). Now, I'm not saying there aren't cases where a 2x would be really handy, but for most of what I do the 1x is a good compromise.
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TEAM ROBOT
9 years, 6 months ago
I mash way too big a gear, and I cannot imagine running anything smaller than a 32 ever. On anything. I did the Whistler Enduro with an 11-36 and a 34 out front and it was fine. Any time it got too steep to spin I stood up. Any time it got too steep to turn over I walked (and so did everyone else). Anyone who buys a 28 or even a 30 for anything less than a 29er should either be over the age of 50 or someone's girlfriend.
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KruaThaiEnduro
9 years, 6 months ago
Oh look a professional complainer. Look at me and my hudge doubleheaded black mamba
KruaThaiEnduro
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Poo Stance
9 years, 6 months ago
Shouldn't your statement read " I complained about the Whistler Enduro," bitch?
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Chris Petsche
9 years, 6 months ago
I went to a 30t with the added 42 cog. All shifting was great except the smallest 3 cogs. I've since put on a RAD cage and it has improve shifting dramatically. I can climb pretty much anything I need to with this combo, and only ever spin out on pavement. my bike is stealthy-quiet. totally worth it.
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kain0m
9 years, 6 months ago
Just harden the f*ck up and learn to use a front shifter. It will make you way faster and the few grams extra down low in the center of mass really don't matter at all.
Seriously, 1-by is a bag of bad compromises. And stop with the "no dropped chains"-BS already, I don't drop a chain with my 2×10 setup either. The narrow-wide chainrings do little to nothing regarding chain retention. The clutch derailleur is where it's at, and it works just as well with two rings. Plus: if you do drop the chain with a front derailleur, it'll magically pop back on with a spin of the crank. Doesn't do that on a one-by system without guide…
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Morgan Taylor
9 years, 6 months ago
Your first comment comes off as elitist. The beginner/intermediate rider doesn't care about going "way faster" and having two front chainrings isn't going to get them there anyway. Really.
Your second comment is quite obviously not based on experience with a variety of setups. I've run clutch derailleurs with and without narrow wide rings, and the narrow wides do help with retention, period.
Yes, 1x setups will still drop a chain, but for the most part they're reliable. And quiet. For racing situations 100% chain retention is a must, hence the top guides on many EWS bikes, but the occasional dropped chain isn't really a big issue for the average rider.
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TEAM ROBOT
9 years, 6 months ago
If you never drop chains while descending with a front derailleur you are slow and this conversation does not concern you.
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kain0m
9 years, 6 months ago
Morgan, you know, it could be that I was making fun of the "elitist" HTFU sh*t. I mean, someone who's not able to operate a front shifter should harden the fuck up and learn to live with limited gearing?
You're talking about a 1*10 setup here, with a whopping three gears missing (one low, two high gears) in comparison to the setup previously mounted on that bike. The setup you've created offers the same gear range as a 11-27 cassette with two front rings could.
I just think it is hugely stupid to argue "HTFU" to justify severely limited gearing, yet demand bigger wheels because they offer 5% less rolling resistance.
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Morgan Taylor
9 years, 6 months ago
See Step 23: Harden the f*ck up. And please watch the Chopper Reid video I linked above. Then, understand that I used that phrase in reference to a meme in the cycling world.
We're talking about losing one gear to try out a simpler cockpit – and we even reserve the right to put the double chainset back on!
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kain0m
9 years, 6 months ago
But with the setup you are prdenting here, you are loosing three. And with the X1 cassette, you're loosing one and a half, but you also get bigger jumps between gears.
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Morgan Taylor
9 years, 6 months ago
If the rider never used the top gears in the stack, they're not lost – they're simply not necessary. FYI, the jumps between gears are the same on 10-speed and 11-speed wide range cassettes, though Shimano has tried to shorten the gaps with their new XTR group.
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kain0m
9 years, 6 months ago
Now that is an interesting way to spin that one, isn't it? No matter if they were used or not, the gears ARE gone.
And concerning the gaps: Well, you know, with a front derailleur it is possible to run a cassette with smaller steps. I personally run a 32 tooth cassette with a 22-36 crank set. That gives me ~480% of finely stepped gearing (Average/Max. difference between gears: 13%/16% for the 11-32, 14%/18% for the 11-36, 15%/20% for the 10-42, all of them SRAM).
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Morgan Taylor
9 years, 6 months ago
The 20% jump is only to the 10 tooth cog. So that number is slightly misleading and I'd agree too big a jump. Otherwise the 11-36 has all the same jumps as the 10-42, including the 16.7% jump (which rounds up to 17%, not the 16% you've claimed) from 18 to 21. In practice the difference between 16.7% and 15.3% is debatably small.
Anyway, you've definitely thought your setup through and the 22/32 is a good way to achieve a low gear while maintaining smaller jumps on the cogset. It's a gear nerded setup that not many people will end up running, even if it makes sense.
It still doesn't address the issue of front derailleurs being an added complication nor the consideration that some riders may in fact be just fine with giving up top end gears (which seems to be the major sticking point of this article for the veteran 2x guys).
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kain0m
9 years, 6 months ago
You're wrong on the 11-36. Sram has different setups than Shimano! The Sram one is 11-13-15-17-19-22-25-28-32-36, which is different to the 10-42. The 11 Speed unit is more coarse, definitely. "Upgraded"cassettes are even worse.
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Morgan Taylor
9 years, 6 months ago
I'm not going to straight up say "you're wrong", but there appear to be 10-speed SRAM cassettes with 11-12-14 and 11-13-15. The upper end cassettes are 12-14, just like the 11-speed cassettes. If you come back with more misinformation I'll be tempted to stand my ground, but I think we can just consider the case closed.
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Gavitron
9 years, 6 months ago
10 gears not enough for you? "Harden the fuck up" and pedal better.
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Brakenbury93
9 years, 6 months ago
I run 3×9 w/o clutch and still don't drop chains.. 1x doesn't seem worth losing the gear ratio just for a bit of weight to be honest.. if you got a bike made entirely of feathers (and it was somehow strong enough) there will still be some things you couldn't climb that you could with 2x or 3x
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Morgan Taylor
9 years, 6 months ago
You've also got to consider the half pound of tube you've got wrapped around your chainstay to keep the noise down 😉
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Brakenbury93
9 years, 6 months ago
Or the few grams of neoprene? 🙂
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Adamski
9 years, 6 months ago
HELP! …Great write up and love the detail too : ) I have recently changed to a single chain ring and really love its range and ratio for pretty much all types of situation. The only thing I'm having troubles with cogs on the rear cassette not meshing correctly they are slipping and clicking and wont quite stay in its selected cog. The set up originally on the cassette was a 10 speed 11T x 36T using a sram X9 clutch rear mechanism and same shifter up front on the bar. I now have a new set up of a single 32T chain ring and on the cassette a 11T x 40T still 10 speed as the mechanic took a mid rang cog out… I took it back to the shop to ask for a retune and the guy told me after he tried working on it that nothing can be done to fix this issue??? Anyone know what could be causing this problem please its driving me nuts after attempted tune ups???
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Morgan Taylor
9 years, 6 months ago
Sounds like you're experiencing less-than-optimal shifting due to your b-tension screw being adjusted outside the derailleur's normal range. This is a common issue with the extended range 40 and 42 tooth cogs, and why OneUp started producing the RAD cage for Shimano derailleurs. For now, those with SRAM derailleurs don't have that option, which is part of why I chose to go with the 28 tooth up front. This achieves a lower gear ratio than your 32/40 setup but retains factory shifting. If you have a triple crank, AbsoluteBlack makes a 64bcd "XX1 style" ring in 26 and 28T, though you compromise on chainline with this one.
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JL Robichaud
9 years, 6 months ago
I recently went with a 36t up front with a 11-42 out back. Shifting was alittle off but I moved the chainring closer to the frame and now everything is just dandy. Have all the range I need and will never go back to 2x or 3x.
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Sean Fairbairn
9 years, 6 months ago
I started with 1×10 and stick worth it over a year. I couldn't make all the climbs. I went to 2×10 and pr' d all my climbs on strava. Did the same going down having a taller gear. 1×10 works for stone but not all. I do like the 1×12 from the earlier article that would make me go back to single ring.
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t.odd
9 years, 6 months ago
2x is still way more versatile and appealing for plenty of people. I can get up pretty much everything except hike a bikes with my 22×36, 32×42 on 1x leaves me wanting more a lot of the time and I refuse to compromise and spin out piddly little 28 or 30 rings on high speed stuff.
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t.odd
9 years, 6 months ago
and the "HTFU" comment is a red herring, I regularly outclimb many of my 1x equipped friends, save a few mutants, and especially on big rides many days in a row…and regardless of what you want to believe, spinning a granny up a climb is way faster than enduro walking.
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Merwinn
9 years, 6 months ago
To attribute your better climbing solely to having two chain rings is in error. Perhaps you are simply fitter and have more climbing skill than your friends or you are more accustomed to your existing 2×10 setup than they are with they're newer 1×11 setups?
I have used both on the same bike and find a 30×42 does not "spin out" but in fact feels like it pedals slower than my original 22×36 top end. There are fewer gearing options with one ring, but I've saved nearly a pound off my bike and have had fewer chain drop issues with a n/w ring than with the original 2x setup.
However, I do notice that I have fewer options for higher gears on a 1×10, with a gearing jump, but which I used about a half dozen times/year racing or riding double track. In the end the benefits of a 1×10 outweigh the costs for me: reduced weight, simplified shifting, fewer dropped chains (so far) and less bar real estate vs. wider gearing options.
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ergergege
9 years, 6 months ago
I use both systems - 1x on the big bike and 2x on the trail bike - and I wouldn't switch the 2x to 1x unless the gearing range were equal or greater. The extra top and bottom gears get enough use to warrant 1 extra lb. And easier shifting and a cleaner bar are super weak arguments. Fewer dropped chains is legit though if that's a problem.
Don't get me wrong, 1x is great and has its place but it seems like some riders are buying into the hype, literally, without really considering if its better.
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Pete Roggeman
9 years, 6 months ago
Not super weak arguments at all, actually, but you may have missed a big part of the thrust of Morgan's point. Nor did he ever write that 1x is the only choice for anyone.
Point 1: Anyone new to riding (MTB or road) will routinely get flustered by having to manage two derailleurs, and they will often be cross-geared or stuck in the wrong chainring, but refuse to touch that left-hand dial.
Point 2: Unlike 10 years ago, many mountain bikes now have remote dropper post levers and fork/shock lockouts. That's as many as three more doohickeys, and we're not even considering a computer or GPS.
Are some riders buying into the hype without fully considering both sides? Yes, but that's also true of 4k TVs or 4×4 cars. Editors look for points they can present in order to make a case one way or another, and Morgan and I and some others at NSMB have discussed how the new riders we know will benefit from a 1x setup when they're learning - especially when the trickle down effect hits.
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TEAM ROBOT
9 years, 6 months ago
What are we talking about here? I thought it was common knowledge that 1×10 is for people who like going downhill and 2×10 is for these people:
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Jerry Willows
9 years, 6 months ago
Team Robot wins. Give this guy is own website!
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Morgan Taylor
9 years, 6 months ago
You won't be silenced until single rings hit 500% gear range, and I get that. Feathers, ruffled.
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t.odd
9 years, 6 months ago
I'm perfectly happy with a front derailleur and two rings….just playing the yang to your yin, buddy! 🙂
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Morgan Taylor
9 years, 6 months ago
I'll take 800 words in my inbox, Mr. Yang!
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Straightshot MTB
9 years, 6 months ago
I second the 800 words! Would love to read the well written opinion you would produce regarding the other side of the coin, Todd.
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t.odd
9 years, 6 months ago
Thanks, but I just am not sure it's worth it, because I really don't care if people are down with 1x or 2x, or SS, or whatever (for the record I have all 3 of those in my stable right now). Much like the dead horse wheelsize debate, I just wish people would STFU with trying to tell me what I, or anyone, needs in terms of gearing. It's a personal preference and should be left as such.
Don't tell me I need what I know I don't want, don't tell me to HTFU because I can hold my own almost any day with any group, up or down. ride what you want to ride, and let me ride what I want to ride, and let others ride what they want to ride. Hey, you want to enduro walk because you have to compromise somewhere on your 1x gearing, I don't care even though it's silly. But personally, I like to actually ride my bike up steep technical climbs, and also have gearing for hammering fast, with a simple technology that allows me to have a wide spread of gearing for a variety of types of situations. I don't have problems with the 'complexity' (lolz) of front derailleurs, nor do I have trouble with dropping chains.
I use 1x on demo bikes, I can get around just fine, but there's no denying that I also find it's a huge compromise for the type of riding I like to do in the town in which I live in. If I lived somewhere else, I might find it was appropriate, but I don't live in that place right now, so I'll stick with what works best for me.
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Morgan Taylor
9 years, 6 months ago
You do know that this piece was not directed at you, or anyone else who has a heels-in-the-dirt-stance on gear range, right? Conversations between you and I pushed me to do the initial calculations for the Truth About 11-Speed, where I concluded that we are only one gear short of a current 10-speed double with the existing 11-speed drivetrains. This piece is about an affordable drivetrain modification for riders who don't need the gear range and are willing to give up a few of the longer gears. And who knows, maybe a 26T direct mount is coming down the line. You can buy a 64 bcd 26T from AbsoluteBlack already. Again, this piece is not directed at you, period - but you are defending your position as if it is. I'm serious about the 800 words. You write more than that every time I write something on the topic!
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t.odd
9 years, 6 months ago
I know it's not about 'me' per se, but in a way it is because it perpetuates the myth that there is only one solution, and that people who choose to use multiple chainrings are making poor decisions. the sideways looks and sneery comments I regularly receive from 1x riders comes from stuff like this piece….it's just gets tiresome
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nvrsmmr
9 years, 6 months ago
My guy convinced me to switch to 1×10 with a 30 tooth ring up front and 11-36 in the back. I liked the clean look immediately, both drive train and cockpit. Much easier to clean, I use the small cogs more, and it's forced me to harden the f*ck up. I was skeptical at first but I love it now. With a clutch derailleur, no need for a chain guide. And no more bash ring!
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Morgan Taylor
9 years, 6 months ago
Amen! Thanks for chiming in.
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DMVancouver
9 years, 6 months ago
I've thought about this quite a bit. It used to drive me nuts that my gf uses the granny ring pretty much all the time, but at her moderate speeds she never seems to spin out on trails. If she ever does decide to push it a bit more and runs out of gears on the high end in the granny ring, a bigger ring 1x setup would probably fit the bill. But for her, figuring out the front shifting has been a huge challenge and she basically doesn't do it.
For the rest of us - even more seasoned riders - 28 x 11-36 is likely a great range on a 29er. On my own 26er, I gave up on a 42t cog conversion after being dissatisfied with the mediocre shifting and settled on 30 x 11-36, which is similar to a 28t ring on a 29er. For trail riding around here, that seems to be the sweet spot for me. I never spin out on trails (even during races), and the small gear is adequate on most climbs.
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Morgan Taylor
9 years, 6 months ago
Sounds like you've been schooled on flow. Good on ya.
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Millsr4
9 years, 6 months ago
I've run 1×9 11-34 with a 34 tooth chainring and a chainguide on my 6″ bike pretty much since i started riding. I just recently up graded to a 1×10 11-36 with a 34 tooth chainring and a minimal guide. This may not sound like a big change with only 2 more teeth in the rear but with the clutch derailleur and reduction in friction it pedals so much better. 1x systems really are all we need in the mountain bike world. The small chainring in front is a good idea for someone who is newer to the sport but as for the rest of you… Harden the f*ck up!!!
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Morgan Taylor
9 years, 6 months ago
I'd put you in the hardman/minimalist category with that history, and definitely not beginner/intermediate. I know lots of people have been doing it, even in the days of 36 pound all mountain bikes, but a 34 tooth is a big gear to push especially on a heavier, less pedal-friendly bike. We are now in the era of 1x for the everyday rider.
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Ryan Smith
9 years, 6 months ago
One thing i like about a 2x setup is getting to the top of a climb then pushing the front shifter and then getting the same gearing as i have on my dh bike. One shifter click and its a 10 tooth difference 24/34. Another positive for 2x is on little undulations of terrain its so easy to gain a little, big ring boost with the slightest downhill then switch right back to the gear you were just grinding away in.
Don't get me wrong, I have and hate my drive train issues, i'm still clutch- less 9 spd back there. But the cost of the 11spd/10 spd-hack parts and down time to install them (and get it right) just doesn't turn my crank, right now.
I like the simple option you put forward here of 28 tooth ring. But for me it just don't sing. I believe it would limit my max Dh speed too much, on the trail and on the street.
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NaiBDA
9 years, 6 months ago
Why can't we just put a 30t ring up front and call it a day no? Put a aftermarket 42t cog out back and we are all set. Case closed. no?
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Paul.skibum
9 years, 6 months ago
I just went to this exact setup - 30t front 10 speed witha One Up 42t at the back, I find shifting is decent and I can get up everything I could before. Easy as pie to use. Shift down till you run out of cogs then just crank!
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TEAM ROBOT
9 years, 6 months ago
You run a 34 on your DH bike?
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Morgan Taylor
9 years, 6 months ago
Mastery of the front derailleur as you describe it is still an expert-level skill. I completely agree that it can be advantageous in certain situations, but for a rider who's still trying to master the more fundamental skills of trail riding I see it as a hindrance.
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JVP
9 years, 6 months ago
Totally agree with Morgan on this. Go watch newer riders or kids and they are almost always dropped in the granny even when going down.
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Ryan Smith
9 years, 6 months ago
Chain suck, remember that! Both you guys are right about 1x systems being beneficial for beginner riders. Until they face a long grind.Too bad all the mid level bikes coming out in 2015 are 2x.
To me the pedal drive-train evolution should be in the front, its always been problematic. But mostly on downhills. So far the advances have been to add a cog on the cassette. Its time for something really innovative. Its past time to innovate this vital bicycle component, the front transmission. If we want to go faster, further, steeper that is the key. We don't want to compromise do we.
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