11spd Experiments

So today I discovered these two replacements for the big cog on 10spd Shimano and SRAM systems.

This one on eBay
This one on BikeRumor

I'm tempted to drop my 11T and put one of these on the back and try a 1x11 system. You know, for science.
Part of me wants to lose the clutter of the front derailleur.
Part of me thinks it's important to be able to drop a bunch of gears quickly since we face lots of surprise short steep climbs around here.
I guess there's only one way to find out.

Of course I would also like to know what Shimano has planned for us in terms of 11spd or an expanded range cassette…

Interesting.

That thing would rip the shit out if an aluminum freehub though!?

Hmmm…. this is intriguing… but yeah the bite into the freehub could be significant. But this doesn't create an 11 speed drivetrain. You drop a cog to get a cog.

if you have to ditch a cog from your cassette to run one of those, doesn't that make it a granny-mode 10spd experiment?

if you have to ditch a cog from your cassette to run one of those, doesn't that make it a granny-mode 10spd experiment?

shhh you and your facts.

If it has a big pie plate size gear on the cassette everyone will think it's 1x11 and you get more cool points.

Yeah,
I know it´s not an experiment.
But my newish bike came with 1x11 (X01) and it is rad.

Don´t know if it is worth that much money, but it was on the bike anyway.

But boy is it intuitive. You don´t feel something new, it just feels like your bike always should have had no front shifter and derailleur and all that shit.

I bet if it was Shimano, it would be even better AND cheaper ;-)

Greetings Znarf

Wow, $100 for 1 cog! That's madness.

I tried the General Lee 28-35-42 cog group for Shimano. Aside from the fact that the shifting was terrible on and off the General Lee group, I had issues getting my XT med cage derailleur to accommodate such a large cog. I had to get more b-screw clearance by flipping the screw around (which is fine), but I had to run a really long chain or the cage would catch on the 42t cog. As a result, the chain was super-slack when in smaller cogs. It may or may not be better with SRAM based on the profile of their derailleur cages. I would be interested to know if the General Lee 28-33-40 group works better.

I looked into the ebay 41t cog. Check out mtbr. From what I've read, they're really heavy and tend to fold.

Overall, 2x10 has been working fine for me. I'd love XX1 but probably wouldn't bother unless biting the bullet and buying the real deal.

I recently read (probably here) the idea of running a narrow-wide ring up front and no derailleur but also having a granny ring in there so you can manually put the chain on it for those rare times you can't get up the climb in 30x36 or 32x36. I thought to myself…that's gold, Jerry. Kind of like the dingle set up.

Seems like a better option than futzing around with the General Lee etc. Hopefully the SRAM 1x11 system will bleed down into the lower end models soon tho.

still can't believe shimano hasn't responded to this yet; they've pretty much lost the high end mtb market. silly slumbering behemoth. surprised an offshore company hasn't come up with a cheap(er) complete cassette option yet. it's not rocket science, and the current aftermarket options are still a bit bodgy.

weren't there concerns about putting 36 tooth cogs on certain freewheels because of the increased torque? combine that with derailleurs not designed for the range, long chains, the weight and flimsiness inherent in such a beast of a cog and i have a hard time seeing the appeal of slapping a 42 cog on my bike…

…and for what, the cool factor of not running a front derailleur? we're running extra cables from our bars to adjust suspension and drop our posts, yet doing so for several extra gears is an issue? personally i think you're better off either finding a competent mechanic or learning to work on front d's and dial in your chainline; some of the chainlines i see on bikes with expensive clutch derailleurs and guides make me giggle. i'm still running 2x9 with a bionicon guide on my main bike and can't remember the last time i dropped a chain

still can't believe shimano hasn't responded to this yet; they've pretty much lost the high end mtb market. silly slumbering behemoth. surprised an offshore company hasn't come up with a cheap(er) complete cassette option yet. it's not rocket science, and the current aftermarket options are still a bit bodgy.

this

and this. those unwilling to learn from history…

and this. those unwilling to learn from history…

So Shimano is too slow to react? Their answer to XX1 is going to be late but I doubt it will be too little.

It does not seem like a $100 36T cog is the answer. But I'd be happy to try a RaceFace wide/narrow ring to test the 1x waters. I've been running without a tensioner since July and have yet to lose a chain so I'm willing to build on the powers of the clutch derailleur. Whether I can live without the emergency gear dump of a granny remains to be seen.

why are people so opposed to the idea of a front deraileur?

Wow, $100 for 1 cog! That's madness.

You can get it for $85 shipped if you order by Dec. 18 though, according to the bikerumour link.

why are people so opposed to the idea of a front deraileur?

the clutter and weight are unbearable :orly: