Road 1x discussion thread

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

for me: i've got a whole bunch of operational road bikes. it's just something different. variety and all. no perceived advantage to a double or triple set-up for the road.

but hey - i ride a fixed gear on the road a lot too. 1x1 !

so if the question is "why"? - my answer is variety.

Built a couple of donggles.....2 in the front, one in the back, front der, chain tensioner, DT shifter.....variety, simple, light...

If the OP wanted to know 'how', ok but 'discussion', it's ok to include 'why'....

[Clancy]

I have a flat bar urban assault vehicle I have set-up 1X, it’s fun.

But I recently set-up my gravel bike with a White Industries sub compact crankset w/ 30/46t rings and a 11-32cassette, it’s almost perfect. Far fewer overlaps, closer cog spacing than my old 2X set-up with a 50/34 and a 11-36

Thinking of doing the same on my road bike with a 32/48 set-up.

I get completely the reasons for going from a triple to a compact, same broad range w/o the overlaps. But I don’t get the reasons for going 1X on the road. Too big of jumps in the shifting to make it fun for me, often times I found myself shifting up/down looking for the right gear.

I spent a lot of time with a gear calculator looking at a lot of combinations, 1X and 2X. Never realized how much overlap there is in a lot of the combinations. A lot of 2x10 set-ups only have 12-14 distinct ratios. The 30/46 w/ a 11-32 was a nice combination with the ease of going with a 11-28 or 11-36 when needed.

[sparky33]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

so if they question is "why"? - my answer is variety.

There is a quiet and directness in SRAM 1x drivetrain pedaling. Maybe the nw ring and clutch do it. Subtle but nice.

Also, I like the way 1x looks.

[chiasticon]

I think Zank nailed it with the 46 w/11-36 approach. maybe a smaller front ring if you mainly ride alone or want to cruise more, but a 46x11 should be able to keep up with some pretty damn fast groups.

as for "why", I don't think I'd do 1X for a dedicated nice weather road bike, but I can see wanting it for some road riding. one of the things I loved about it for my cx bikes was just how much easier it was to clean the bike, as there's one less thing to double-check and dial back in after a big cleaning/overhaul. would be great for a foul weather/winter bike or commuter.

[Bantamben]

I just thought it would be fun, something different. My campy stuff shifts great so that’s not the issue.
I’ve just been thinking lately I don’t need the range a double develops especially at the low end.

I did a sprint test yesterday in my 50/14, for my power level I think I got up to 26-27 mph on a flat. I can’t really spin out a lower gear than a 14 anyway unless I’m going downhill or in a strong tailwind. So as you see by the chart below, (FYI all numbers are in speed at 80 cadence) the 44/11 is pretty close to a 53/13 or a 50/12, so imo enough gear that I won’t spin out unless I’m going downhill and then I might as well just get aero and relax.

The second chart shows the 44 compared to a 39 and 34 small ring
And you can see with the 44/36 you still have a low enough gear equivalent to a 39/32. Or a 34/28 so I think that’s pretty good.

The main thing I think you might miss is that 14 and 16 gear in fast group rides but I think you would get used to spinning faster in the lower cog

[Wayne77]

To help with the risk of the chain coming off the 1X chainring (without a clutch rear der), I wonder if a chain guide might make sense. They weigh practically nothing.. My Norco Search XR came with one and it seems to be pretty decent. My bike has a clutch rear der though so it seems like overkill to me...maybe the designers added it just in case things get REALLY bumpy!

In any case, even if the roads are smooth if you roll over a speed bump and you're in a small cog, I'm guessing there's a high likelihood that chain is going to come off.

I think a clutch rear is worth the extra expense...if anything it makes swapping a thru-axle disc rear wheel in and out MUCH easier (for me at least). I love being able to lock the cage into the forward position to release the tension on the chain. I imagine it would make a QR rear wheel change easier as well. Before I figured this out (this is my first 1X disc bike with clutch der) I was pulling the rear wheel off and with the 160mm rotor, the moment I pulled out the thru-axle the wheel wanted to pull forward and the rotor would gouge the inside of the chain stay. Grrrr. The other thing I was doing wrong was swapping wheels holding the bike upright. Stupid me then figured out that it was MUCH easier to swap the TA rear disc wheel with the bike on the floor upside down ;-)

All that said, I think its a cool idea just for the sake of trying something new if you have other bikes with traditional road gearing. I would never want 1X on the road if I it was my only road option and doing any group rides. It would drive me nuts and probably drive others in a fast paceline nuts as well. Seems like you'd either have to go with a wide range cassette 11-42 or 10-42 XD to preserve a low gear which then sacrifices the close spacing you need in the top end to ride with a group not having to shift up and down constantly...or you'd run a more normal 11-28 cassette and then you give up low gearing (may not be an issue if you're crazy strong, light climber, or live in flatish areas). A 1X 38/28 or 1X 40/28 is nowhere near as low as a 2X compact crank 34/28.

[fa63]

I tried a similar setup a couple years ago, and could not deal with the jump between gears. It was not an issue when you are just riding along at a leisurely pace, but it was very annoying when riding with a spirited pace and/or in a group. I got rid of it after about one month.

I live in Atlanta, GA where we have quite a few hills that require frequent shifting.

[sparky33]

Originally Posted by Bantamben

The second chart shows the 44 compared to a 39 and 34 small ring
And you can see with the 44/36 you still have a low enough gear equivalent to a 39/32. Or a 34/28 so I think that’s pretty good.

fwiw I really like Brad Herder's (F2G2 guy) gear inch comparison chart with the side by side, jumps and cassette menu.

[Bonesbrigade]

I had my road race bike setup as a 1x for pretty much the entire season last year as an experiment - gearing was 50-11/28. I used a NW front ring and a non clutch RD.

We don't have a tonne of long hills in my area, with the longest being around 5minutes at 6% gradient. This 1x experiment was on a bike that I normally only choose to go fast on, so no recovery noodling around needed. I should mention that I'm not a big guy and my FTP is around 5w/kg, so that is definitely a factor when talking about gearing!

I also used this setup during mid week crits, but there is certainly no need for easy gears in those.

Overall I found it to be fine, but I did drop by chain a couple of times on training rides - never in a race thankfully. I did end up going back to my usual 50-34 and 11-28 as I had a big ride coming up - "6 gaps" ride in Vermont, and I knew Lincoln pass would be brutal. To be honest, even the 34-28 for Lincoln wasn't enough!

The thing is FD work really well, and it's nice to have a nice range without weird gaps, so I can't see going back to 1x on the road at this point in time...

BUT, I can see 1x being legit in 1 to 2 years due to 12 or 13 speeds coming on board, and 9 and 10t cogs coming on the scene. We are definitely headed this way, but not quite yet in commonly available parts at the moment.

[makoti]

Originally Posted by thwart

OK... bear with me here... I have to ask... why?

I understand the benefits of 1x in MTB, cyclocross, gravel riding, and in fat tire biking, where chain drops and/or drivetrain crud make the simplicity of 1x a great option.

But why on a bike meant to ride the road?

Thanks. Thinking the same thing. Other than making me buy new parts & having the rear of my bike look like, um, trash, I can't see an advantage. My opinion, your bike may not look like trash.

[Wayne77]

EDIT: my labeling in the screenshot is off. I transposed the labels for 1X High and 1X Low.

I think the bikecalc.com speed at cadence is another good tool.

Spinning at 90 RPM up a hill in a 2X 34/28 or 34/36 is quite a bit lower than 1X 40/28 or 40/36. If you go with a wide range XG 10-42 you get a pretty similar low gear to a 2X 34/36, but then you have the wide spacing issue across the cassette, which is especially an issue at 20+ mph...the jump from the 10T cog to the 12T cog feels huge. While you're cruising along in your 40/10 in a group, all the 2X guys will be in the middle of their cassettes with very close spacing up and down to keep the cadence pretty steady as you go over rollers. Probably not an issue solo, but in a group ride that would be really irritating. Coming over a roller you'll be hopping back and forth between really fast spinning and slow to keep your speed constant drafting behind someone. Kind of like riding with my son who is just learning how to operate a road drivetrain :-)

Seeing that pro road team running 1X is truly a head-scratcher for me. Can't remember what team it was. But then again they are genetic freaks. I'd be surprised if they were running that setup on climbing stages though. that or they were really pissing off the other guys in the peloton and the entire team was banished to the back of the pack :-)

[DG24]

When I first started riding, I never used the small front ring. I live on the mid-Altantic coast, mostly flat. So, when I upgraded my groupset, I skipped the front derailluer. I don't ever recall dropping a chain. Those were 9 speed 53 x 11-12/23 groupsets (shimano).

After several years away from the bike, I built up a frame with 11 spd campy (53 -12/25). Two front derailluers failed/broke at the band (I did not install), so I went back to the single. No problem riding, but I started dropping chains.

I put up with it for abit, but finally caved and went back to the front derailluer. Not really because I needed the gears, but just to avoid the chain drops.

But depending on where you are riding, one "why", may be that you don't really need it. Personally, I liked the simplicity of a 1x and a 3-5 gear range.

[Wayne77]

Originally Posted by DG24

When I first started riding, I never used the small front ring. I live on the mid-Altantic coast, mostly flat. So, when I upgraded my groupset, I skipped the front derailluer. I don't ever recall dropping a chain. Those were 9 speed 53 x 11-12/23 groupsets (shimano).

I could be wrong but I'm guessing the chain tension with non clutch rear der on a 53x11 is going to be quite a bit more than it would be with a 38x11 or 40x11 1X drive train. Might explain why you weren't dropping chains with that setup. Interesting to hear about the Campy fr der bands breaking. I haven't heard of that but maybe others have. Maybe slight discrepancy between the clamp and St diameter? that doesn't deserve going OT to discuss..so I assume that's not the case

Anyway...if I lived in a flatish area w/rollers I could totally see rocking a 1x drive train on the road. a 50 x 12/25 or 11/28 would work just fine. But as mentioned it would be a major pain on any group ride involving lots of climbing & descending with lots of flats and rollers in between. LOVE my 1X setup on my gravel bike though!

[palincss]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Built a couple of donggles.....2 in the front, one in the back, front der, chain tensioner, DT shifter.....variety, simple, light...

Matched up with a 3-speed Sturmey in back, with the right chain rings it could really be quite nice.

[David Tollefson]

Yesterday I went out for my normal lunchtime gravel/MTB ride. Everyth9ing that wasn't covered in crushed rock was kind of sloppy, but the weather was otherwise gorgeous and unseasonably warm. So I decided to take it to the streets. Did I mention this was a SS? Yeah, kind of undergeared for the flats, and slightly overgeared for the hills. I would have liked a couple gears in each direction, but that would have been enough. For a lot of my road rides where I'm not specifically out to climb some bigger hills, once I get out the driveway they're 1x rides. I could probably do a road 1x if it weren't my only roadie.