Help with a 1X Rival Setup Please!

[ridethecliche]

So the lady friend has been looking for a bike to ride some local area gravel, the wiss and Fairmount if you're familiar with Philly. She's a teacher so we were on a bit of a budget but a local rider hooked us up with a fuji cross 1.4 which from what I can tell was a bike sold through performance.

In any event, it's currently a Rival 1x hydraulic setup with a 42 chainring and a 11-32 cassette. While this might be pretty great for cross, it really won't work for our intended purpose.

I was hoping to swap to a 40 ring and an 11-42 cassette or such and was wondering if anyone could help me figure out what the limitations might be. She's totally new to riding so the deal was that she'd buy the bike and I'd do the rest to get it ready for the purpose. Ideally we'd have found a 2X setup but this honestly might be simpler overall.

Theoretically, I could also buy a left sided brifter + crankset and convert it to 2X but that's a much more expensive proposition overall. But I'm also mulling this over depending on what I can piece together since she may also want to ride on the road a bit and the bike came with a second set of wheels that need a bit of attention but may be workable.

Thanks for your help!

[AngryScientist]

I am setting up my travel bike right now with a new 1x configuration, using a Rival-1 RD.

For my purposes, I'm going with a 38t ring on the front and 11-42 out back. Mind you, I'll be using a 10sp cassette, but that's immaterial here.

I have a few bikes set-up this way now and find I never need a faster gear than the 38x11, I doubt your GF will either riding on trails and occasional road, especially if she's a new rider. Having the better than 1:1 low gearing can be confidence inspiring and helpful on the hills also.

Set up properly, I absolutely believe a 1x system is easier for a beginner to learn to shift. I would say stick with that.

[Wunder]

I'd say stick with that. Main limitation you are likel to find is the rear derailleur. The Rival 1x derailleur comes in a short (or mid?) and medium (or long?) cage version. I think these top out at 36T and 42T respectively (at least officially).

My CX bike is a 40T with 11-36 (ten speed) and short cage, my gravel bike is 42T with 10-42 (eleven speed) and mid cage. Both work great and agree to bias lower in this case. A 38-11 is probably good for a top gear. The SRAM X-Sync chainrings are pretty good so I'd stick with those.

You do need to check the freehub to see if it is HG (Shimano style) or XD (SRAM, allows 10T). If HG I'd consider using a Shimano XT cassette of the desired size.

[prototoast]

Originally Posted by Wunder

I'd say stick with that. Main limitation you are likel to find is the rear derailleur. The Rival 1x derailleur comes in a short (or mid?) and medium (or long?) cage version. I think these top out at 36T and 42T respectively (at least officially).

Unofficially, the short works with a 42 and the medium works with a 46, if you set them up right.

[Wunder]

Originally Posted by prototoast

Unofficially, the short works with a 42 and the medium works with a 46, if you set them up right.

That may be, I haven't tried to push it. Gerard Vroomen has a deep write up on 1X for gravel and various gearing options. Main suggestions are smaller rings and wider cassettes.

https://blog.3t.bike/2020/01/12405/g...climbs-part-1/

[alexihnen]

As others mention, I think you're likely to need a medium/long cage RD. This will allow the use of a 36 easily (medium) and larger with a long cage - always good to have that option. You can almost always squeeze a few more teeth on the largest cog than recommended, but shifting does sometimes suffer. Some put up with it, but a different RD is the way to go.

There are exceptions. I have a Giant TCX and an Orbea Terra set up with identical drivetrains (1x 40, 11-36) both with medium cage Force RDs. On the Giant I have to turn the b-screw nearly all the way in for the pulley wheel to clear the 36t cog. On the Orbea, the b-screw is nearly all the way out. I haven't quite figured out why this is. I guess the Giant has a shorter RD hanger?

[ridethecliche]

Wow didn't expect so much awesome info so fast!

I just took the wheel off and the lockring looks like the regular shimano/sram six prong freewheel. The rear derailleur I think is the longer of the two cages based on the angle of the 'swoop' of the cage in the pictures here:
https://www.thebikesmiths.com/produc...ar-derailleur#

The crank is an FSA 386 megatooth with a 42, so I'm not sure about the compatibility for the rings but it's an equally spaced 4 bolt setup 110bcd.

And looks like 1X it is for now! Hilariously, the barrel adjuster on the RD is busted so I'll need to find one of those. Maybe I can find one off a broken/crashed RD.

I'll post some pictures of the bike soon. I'm honestly so stoked. It's so much bike for the money.

[shoota]

Originally Posted by ridethecliche

Wow didn't expect so much awesome info so fast!

I just took the wheel off and the lockring looks like the regular shimano/sram six prong freewheel. The rear derailleur I think is the longer of the two cages based on the angle of the 'swoop' of the cage in the pictures here:
https://www.thebikesmiths.com/produc...ar-derailleur#

The crank is an FSA 386 megatooth with a 42, so I'm not sure about the compatibility for the rings but it's an equally spaced 4 bolt setup 110bcd.

And looks like 1X it is for now! Hilariously, the barrel adjuster on the RD is busted so I'll need to find one of those. Maybe I can find one off a broken/crashed RD.

I'll post some pictures of the bike soon. I'm honestly so stoked. It's so much bike for the money.

All this advice is spot on. Not being familiar with Philly, is your riding area hilly or flat? Looking at Google maps Fairmount appears relatively flat and..not gravelly. That being said you may not need to worry about the 42 chainring right away. That's easy enough to change out later.

[ridethecliche]

Originally Posted by shoota

All this advice is spot on. Not being familiar with Philly, is your riding area hilly or flat? Looking at Google maps Fairmount appears relatively flat and..not gravelly. That being said you may not need to worry about the 42 chainring right away. That's easy enough to change out later.

The wiss has some pretty steep sections. The roads around here are also pretty hilly if you plan to get out for a hilly ride.

I'd definitely want lower than a 1:1 gear because that's what I run on my gravel bike (30x36) and my road bike is 1:1. But I was also pretty out of shape when I started lol. I did manage okay with a 34x34 for a bit and did this for convenience.

[shoota]

Originally Posted by ridethecliche

The wiss has some pretty steep sections. The roads around here are also pretty hilly if you plan to get out for a hilly ride.

I'd definitely want lower than a 1:1 gear because that's what I run on my gravel bike (30x36) and my road bike is 1:1. But I was also pretty out of shape when I started lol. I did manage okay with a 34x34 for a bit and did this for convenience.

In that case you might want to try getting an 11-46 cassette on there.

[Wunder]

Originally Posted by ridethecliche

The wiss has some pretty steep sections. The roads around here are also pretty hilly if you plan to get out for a hilly ride.

I'd definitely want lower than a 1:1 gear because that's what I run on my gravel bike (30x36) and my road bike is 1:1. But I was also pretty out of shape when I started lol. I did manage okay with a 34x34 for a bit and did this for convenience.

I've ridden around Philly including the gravel and got by fine with a 36/28 or 36/30 but agree there are some quite steep, albeit short, sections. For someone new I'd definitely go wide and possibly drop the chainring size.

[ridethecliche]

Originally Posted by shoota

In that case you might want to try getting an 11-46 cassette on there.

And keep the 42 for now? I'd honestly like to try to do both things if I can find a chainring. I can always swap back later but I'd rather she has a bail out since we're thinking of maybe bike packing in the future... But I could easily carry the majority of the weight.

Originally Posted by Wunder

I've ridden around Philly including the gravel and got by fine with a 36/28 or 36/30 but agree there are some quite steep, albeit short, sections. For someone new I'd definitely go wide and possibly drop the chainring size.

I've managed with that as well but I'm a spinner and really prefer to settle into a seated groove on anything other than a short steep section. I like doing this fairly frequently.

Avg 5.4% for a mile
https://strava.app.link/soih0KcPyHb

My ftp is also about 40W higher than last spring so it's probably going to be overkill now but hey! It's nice to have!

[Alistair]

Assuming Philly area is pretty similar to DC area in terrain/elevation/etc, I agree with your goal. A 40 chainring and 10-42 cassette is a pretty solid combo. Maybe even a 38t ring, depending on your wife's strength, though that might impact top speed if you're riding pavement to get to gravel or doing group rides.

A few things to confirm before buying parts (apologies if this is all obvious)...
- freehub - is it XD or HG? Not a huge deal, the HG just limits you to an 11-42 instead of a 10-42. Only an issue if you're concerned about top speed and want the 10t (especially if running a 38t ring).

- crank arm BCD - is it compact/110 or standard/130? If it's 130, your options are limited (you can probably find a 40t, but probably NOT a 38t). I've seen less expensive 'cross bikes delivered with a 130 (not often, but it worth checking). Make sure whatever ring you buy is a narrow-wide design (and not a 2x ring).

- Rear derailleur - you posted a photo of the dedicated 1x rear which should have a published capacity of 42t. It's a nice derailleur - has a clutch to avoid chain drops etc. Assuming this is what you have, no need to change it. It'll probably shift a 44t cassette if you fiddle with the B screw, but I haven't tested that myself.

[ridethecliche]

I think the crank is a 110 bcd - 4 bolt (evenly spaced) FSA Gossamer bb386. I'll confirm when I get home, but I'm really not finding much compatible, especially smaller than 40. Anyone have any ideas?

For ease of use I think I'd like to stick to 11-42, but I might have to try my luck with the 11-46 if I can't find anything smaller than a 40 ring.

This is a bit strange, but the barrel adjuster is missing on the RD so I need to find one...unless I want to forever use the in like cable adjuster near the handlebars.

[prototoast]

Originally Posted by ridethecliche

I think the crank is a 110 bcd - 4 bolt (evenly spaced). I'll confirm when I get home, but I'm really not finding much compatible, especially smaller than 40. Anyone have any ideas?

For ease of use I think I'd like to stick to 11-42, but I might have to try my luck with the 11-46 if I can't find anything smaller than a 40 ring.

This is a bit strange, but the barrel adjuster is missing on the RD so I need to find one...unless I want to forever use the in like cable adjuster near the handlebars.

FSA cranks/bottom brackets are a nightmare of compatibility. Never spend any money trying to find the right parts for it. Ride it as long as it's good for you, and if you want a new chainring size, switch the whole new crankset. If you go down the path of trying to work with an FSA crank, it will only lead to frustration and will cost you more in the long run.