Math nerdery, gears.... (The Truth About 11-Speed)

Seems like the bike manufacturers are treating 1x as an upgrade to 2x. So for example as you go from a Trek Remedy 7 to 8, you go from 2x to 1x. Same with the Remedy 7 to 8.

They want me to pay more, for less, and I don't think I like it!

I have not ridden 1x, but it seems to be that 2x offers the great advantage of dumping to granny real quick, or hopping to overdrive real quick, without going through a whole bunch of cogs on the back. Am I silly to think this?

This has been my experience, it makes for a quick bailout gear, so the bike actually gets used as a 2 spd. for trails like Sticks and Stones where I'll run big ring on the way down, and granny on the way up. Same cog in the back. It means having a well tuned FD, but once that is nailed you've got it. Or get a thumbshifter.

I like that the rider has more control over the chainline, which helps avoid broken chains and improves efficiency.

Mind you I'm still running an old school splined internal cup BB with a 22t granny, so what do I know?
I guess another plus is that any weight penalty of the 2x is offset by the smaller rings on the cassette.

For certain I know that it's a hella' lot cheaper.
You can replace a whole XT 9spd drivetrain (including pulleys) for pretty much the cost of one NW and a 42t sprocket.
YMMV

Seems like the bike manufacturers are treating 1x as an upgrade to 2x. So for example as you go from a Trek Remedy 7 to 8, you go from 2x to 1x. Same with the Remedy 7 to 8.

They want me to pay more, for less, and I don't think I like it!

I have not ridden 1x, but it seems to be that 2x offers the great advantage of dumping to granny real quick, or hopping to overdrive real quick, without going through a whole bunch of cogs on the back. Am I silly to think this?

Who has gone from 2x (or 3x) to 1x and basically "not noticed much" or "gotten used to it easily enough". That's what I want to know as I select a new bike. And I don't want to lose my lowest of the low gear, either.

Last year I went to a 1x10 with a OneUp rear 42t cog. A 30t ring up front and an 11-36+42 out back gives me virtually the same gearing range as before, minus the duplication. Plus I saved 1lb.

I love it. People said I would miss the quick bailout gear but that hasn't once been a problem. I guess I'm better at looking ahead than those people. I haven't yet failed to make a climb because of a lack of gearing.

I don't have any chainline issues and have never broken a chain since I went to a 1x.

I think I've dropped my chain once in nearly 250 rides. Chain retention on a narrow-wide chainring with a clutch derailleur is not an issue.

The biggest advantage that no one mentions is being easily able to switch into harder gears when a climb levels out. There's no low speed, high-torque shift from the granny to the middle ring. It's way easier to drop into a smaller cog than it is to shift into a bigger chainring under those conditions.

I'm currently running a 28t up front and 11-36 out back. Off road this is totally adequate but I definitely spin out on long road hauls. If tall gearing is a requirement for you then a proper SRAM system with a 9t cog and bigger chainring might be necessary.

TL;DR: most of the reasons against 1x systems didn't turn out.

Im still running 2x system 11-34 and 21/36(both are oval rings.) (doval brand)
There is no 1x that can touch my climb ratios..

There are a few techy on my loop that i still want the 21T granny. I can't imagine only having 11/30 dh..
Funniily enough my fitness has improved a lot this year so that I find myself using my 36 almost all the time extcept for a few tech climbs.. The oval rings Im using are adjustable s the front 36 can feel like anywhere from -1 tooth (35) to +3 teeth (39) I have set at -1 because I am rehabbing my right knee yet again…
Anyhow Im pretty sure my xt front der and shifter and a granny ring don't weigh a lb but and not enough to make me change, Besides the one up rings adds weight so is there really that much weight loss?

2x

totally unrideable

and yes, I used the granny during race stages on a few short climbs, no dropped chains, and the 38t big ring is awesome for laying down the power at speed

I've been a holdout running 2x9 with 24T/34T and an 11T/34T, so a pretty huge climbing gear. I rarely ever go full granny so just ordered up 11 speed XT. I'm ok with giving up range to get my dropper on one side and gear changer on the other. It's all about a cleaner cockpit for me.

Ride what you want but ride dam it, Have a 2x8 setup on one bike, 1x 42,11 0n an other and 3x9 on yet another and each works for me no setup will work for all (just like tire size preference) so forget all the industry driven crap and ride.

Still running 3x here. I run 22-32-44, and a 11-36 cassette. The big summer alpine rides demand it. 4 hours with 4-5k of climbing need a granny gear. Never had much problem with front derailleurs. Plus the occasional road spin to complete a loop or get to a trail you can just hammer out with a big ring. Shit, I am not giving up my 22 little ring! I value the flexibility of having more gears. I think it's really terrain dependent. Flat or mellow climbing? 1x for sure. But big vert climbing means I want lots of small gears. And long ass rides I want my 22.

I'm with you. I also run 9x 22.32.44. And many place I never switch out of the 32 ring. But there are times the 22 x 36 is all I can do. I hate getting off the bike to push. It is physiologically damaging. I ride to and from my closest trail system and the 44 is the tool. I don't have trouble with the front derailleurs.

I'm pretty interested in the new M8000 2x11…

Thinking that a 26/38t chainring combo with the 40t big cog out back will provide a pretty killer range of gearing for every condition :)

I'm pretty interested in the new M8000 2x11…

Thinking that a 26/38t chainring combo with the 40t big cog out back will provide a pretty killer range of gearing for every condition :)

You may find that the big ring rarely gets used other than some road bits. I was running I think a 24 36 with an 11-36 ten, and I melted the 24 quickly because that was what got used most on trails. That was one thing that caused me to go 1 X 11. If I'm using mostly one chainring, might as well try a real 1 by. I like it. a 26 X 34 though with that 11-40 might be the ticket.

You may find that the big ring rarely gets used other than some road bits. I was running I think a 24 36 with an 11-36 ten, and I melted the 24 quickly because that was what got used most on trails. That was one thing that caused me to go 1 X 11. If I'm using mostly one chainring, might as well try a real 1 by. I like it. a 26 X 34 though with that 11-40 might be the ticket.

nah I don't buy it at all..but different locales might explain what works for some and not for others.

I've been running a 26/38t x 12-36 spread in the back for quite some time, at least 2 years now and it's great. On a typical descent I'm in the 38t big ring and switching between the 21t and 24t cog out back, short unexpected climbs I drop to the 26t granny and then back up to the 38t…but I seem to have one of those magical front derailleurs that shifts when I want it to and hasn't needed adjustment in…2 years of riding this setup either? So maybe that helps :)

I've ridden the same bike in utah for long XC days, on the Sunshine Coast for long pedals as well but mostly in the west Kootenay area where alot of the trails are long descents with some pedally sections mixed in.

Just throwing out that if each ride has a big climb, like BLT, that a 1x11 with the normal 34 up front mated to a 41 in the back is a monster, at least for me, to grind up on a 29er.

Its a much bigger gear than Im used to and Ive since swaped to a 30 in the front. 30/41 is better, but man, I think I need the 28 that they SRAM makes.

It would be better on a 27.5…..Otherwise, for my riding, I really like the 1x. Its really quiet out there. I dont ever use the bigger gears so I dont mind the lack of full gear coverage myself, as long as the climbing side is covered.

Recent 1x11 convert. I swapped the 2x10 on my 2015 devinci troy over to an SLX 1x11 and ended up putting a GX 1x11 on my Chromag rootdown BA. Both the SLX and GX were 30t up front and 10/11-42 cassette. For me this setup worked perfectly for the 27.5 troy, but seems a little steep on the 29er. There have been times where I wish I had a lower gear, possibly thinking about the XT 11-46 cassette.

I like the simplicity 1x11 offers and the range can definitely work for the majority of riders.

As for Shimano vs. SRAM...I used to prefer Shimano, but after this experience with GX they are about on the same level for me.

Any guesses on when the first 60T sprocket will arrive? We could all run 34/36/38s then...

I'm waiting on the 29er sprocket, personally. Even 650b isn't big enough.

I find a 32/42 combo on my 650b is enough. If I can't make anything in that I likely wouldn't make it with a 30/50T combo. It's faster to walk at that point.