comment of this set-up (1x content)
 

wide-narrow 38T ring up front.

11-40 cassette out back

campagnolo potenza mid cage RD

I think i'm going to need the wolf tooth roadlink to get a little more space for that 40T, and it should work, correct?

Try it without the link. You can get a longer B-limit screw or turn it over. It might work without the link. My experience is, it depends!

Subscribing.

You might be able to get by without the road link but it's not too pricey and seems like the "right" way to do it.

I would go with the wolf tooth roadlink. With a med cage der and a 40t your going to need a long B that wont work as well as the roadlink. The wolf tooth Goatlink and roadlink are well made and work nicely.

Why no clutch RD?

I'm with Flash - why no clutch? If this is going to be used on bumpy gravel or trails there is a higher chance of dropping the chain when you're shifting without a clutched rear mech.

the reason probably starts with a C and rhymes with yolo

Well that's just silly! ;)

I don't have a clutch rear derailleur on my 1x cx bike and dropped zero chains last season. I do use a narrow-wide and keep the chain as short as is safe. Clutch is better but you should be fine without it. A chain catcher could give you extra security.

I've ridden my 1x bike with a record 10 rd on some pretty rough mtb trails and I've not dropped a chain yet. Bash guard on the outside and chain watcher on the inside.

I've also seen a fair share of pro bikes running 1x with shimano road rear derailleurs.

I think Campy makes a lot of sense for a 1x set up because you can dump the whole cassette easily.

just wanted to update in case anyone was interested, and since i got a few PMs on the specific setup. Works great as shown:

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O6mNKTDAi...s940/imshi.JPG


*athena-11 shifters. left hand shifter gutted and brake lever only.
*potenza mid-cage RD with wolf tooth roadlink extender. lowers the effective position of the RD just enough to clear all cassette cogs
*Fulcrum racing 5 wheels with shimano freehub
*shimano XT 11-40, 11 speed cassette.
*sram rival-1 crankset with raceface 38t wide-narrow chainring.

everything shifts crisply and perfectly set up this way. i have an 85 mile gravel race/ride this coming weekend to test it all out

1x
 

I run 1x on my road bike. Basically a rotor 50 with an 11-36 on the back. I run SRAM Force Wifli mid cage on the back, a SRAM Force Crank with the Rotor Ring. I think a clutch derailleur is the way to go because it has been demonstrated that it does not drop chains ( I do run a chain keeper just in case)

My question is with that small ring on the front, can you keep up on the road or are you just doing this off road for the most part?

Nice looking bike, I gotta get me one.

Ray

well, i have basically no miles on the set-up, but i think it's going to be relatively OK for the riding i do.

38x11, which is my fastest gear on this bike is 92.1 gear inches.

on a regular compact, 50x14 is 95.3 GI, and 50x15 is 88.9 gear inches, so the 38x11 is right in between them for gear range.

on the road, its not too common for me to need more gear than the 50x14, sometimes going fast downhill, but not super common, so - to conclude - i think it will work out OK.

i guess i'll see...