Thanks for posting that. Interesting article, but I do have issues with its real life implications. I’d like to see the same tests on a part worn, badly lubed, mud crusted mtb groupset.
I’m in complete agreement that 2x is better for road use. Gravel, I think depends on your riding. I use mine as a lightweight mtb and like the simplicity of 1x, but I can see if you are doing longer proper gravel rides that 2x may well be better for you.
On mtb, I’m firmly 1x. No more dropped chains, no chain suck and no more trying to change gears at both ends to get in the right gear when coming round the corner to find a steep climb. Gears go up, gears go down. Simple.
Add in optimised suspension pivot position and it’s a no brainier for modern bikes. My first suspension bike was a 97 STS, a 4 bar Horst link design, so is my current Transition Sentinel. Front pivot is in a very similar position in both. On the GT this means it’s in the ideal position when in the middle ring. In the smaller ring the suspension bobs a lot more when climbing and in the big ring it is a bit stiffer when descending. This is the opposite to what you want. On the Transition it’s always in the optimum place for suspension performance, going up or down.
