do they think we're dumb? well i suppose they do.

[Jamis Diablo]

I think it is really funny how a lot of people fall for these 'inventions'.
I can understand evolving from 3x6 to 3x9 and even the 2x10, but the 1xX??
People never complaind about shifting a front mech, and now with the 1xX they just can't do this anymore, it is so much trouble
Then you have to do all the math what front ring to use, otherwise you can't get up that hill anymore you used to ride every week.
And then there is the trip to the Alps, a lot of stress because you have to redo the math again!
Next thing you must buy a 15mm axle otherwise your wheel behaves like a pancake, and now there is the upside-down fork from RS we all need so again another hub is needed.
OMG, biking is very stressfull, I'd better stay on the couch.

 

[velomaniac]

Only stressful if you choose to be stressed, go ride, worry about components only if they break by which time there's no point worrying.

 

[Mindmap3]

I totally disagree....I've run 1x set ups for a while now. They're just getting less compromised now due to the increased gearing and being able to ditch chin guides with a narrow wide ring is ace.

I have a 30t ring with an 11-36 and can climb up all that I'd want to. I've dropped two chains both due to a broken feral slowing the mech to lose tension. I can also place my dropper lever under the bar out of harms way.

I ditched the big ring years ago for better clearance etc and because I rarely used it. I don't really ride road / big fire roads so never missed it. I've always preferred techier trails so the clearance was beneficial. If DH bikes don't need big rings these days, I don't need one on my MTB.

One of my bikes has a chain device and it's a pain....it's noisy and there is a noticeable amount of drag. And in the winter input traps mud and is a pain to clean. Either way though. I have much less issues now with dropping chains on rock, nasty stuff. My narrow wide ring as fine for both trips to Antur Stiniog.

I also see the point from a frame designers point of view....they don't need to worry about front mechs. Either making room for one or the affect on suspension performance. The former is important with bigger wheels too, helping to keep wheel bases a tad shorter etc.

I get oversized bars too, now that they're getting wider but think that the 35mm standard is a step too far (too stiff etc).

Don't get me started on wheel sizes though.

 

[superstu]

If you look at somewhere like bike park Wales its only about going downhill and I can see not having a front mech is quite nice. Better? Not really, but if you are only going to spin up the fire road back to the top and aren't doing 'normal' xc then I can see the attraction. Depends also if you are replacing worn kit or 'upgrading'.

Not dismissing your argument though-I have triples on all my bikes except the compact on my road bike. I just see both sides.

 

[Mindmap3]

But I can still ride XC stuff with a single ring...be it trail centre or more natural stuff like Swaledale.

Having had both, the single ring set up works best for me...losing chains as a pain and that is more likely to happen on a double or a triple due to the lack of chain retention.

I guess it all depends on your riding and your style. I didn't find that I need the big or the granny ring. Even on the more natural stuff with proper XC bikes, I wasn't getting left behind or blown away on the climbs. The simplicity suits me (I also avoid lock out and travel adjust like the plague).

There's worse modern stuff than the 1x10...bb standards, headsets, front and rear axles, wheel sizes. All of these make swapping bikes far harder.

 

[jimo746]

Re:

I ride 2x9 on my modern trsil bike and to be honest I miss the granny ring, sections I could ride easily on a retro 3x8 are a struggle, but how many companies make modern 3 ring chainsets? Not many.
That said, sometimes spinning a 24/30 gear up a hill, you have to wonder if it's actually faster to just get off and push That's not the point for me though, I prefer the skill of being able to ride up a steep technical section, not copping out and walking.
My road bike still runs 8 speed at the rear, the sheer price of 9 or 10 or 11! speed shifters, cassette, rear mechanism, and chain makes me wince.

I expect once the the 1byXX fashion fades we'll see multiple chainrings making a comeback, only this time at 3x the price :facepalm:

 

[Raging_Bulls]

Re:

Warning : maths ahead.

My 20 year old Scott has a 24-36-46 front and an 11-28 at the back, giving 24/28 as granny gear and 46/12 as top. That's a 0.857 to 3.833 ratio, or a 447.22% range.

My modern 3x10 affair has a 24-32-42 front and an 11-34 cassette, giving 24/34 to 42/11. That's 0.706 to 3.8181, or a 540.909% range. Basically it's the same top end, but a 20% shorter granny gear.

With a 42-11 cassette, any 1byXX setup has a 381.81% range.

For canal path cruising, I need to have access to that 3.8-ish ratio that my Scott and my modern provide. With an 11t at the rear, that means I'd need a 42t at the front.
However there's this a pedestrian bridge that I regularly climb, but for which my Scott's granny gear barely suffices. For that I'd need a 0.85-ish ratio, which on a 42t rear means I'd need a 35t or smaller at the front.
Basically my 1byXX setup would require a 35 and a 42 front chainring. The difference between the 2 is about 20%. That means I'm either unable to climb the stuff I normally climb, or miss 20% of top end gearing. Basically 1byXX is completely useless for me.

Math over, back to English.

 

[The History Man]

Doesn't this all really depend on the fitness of the rider? Ask anyone who shouted "on your right" at me last weekend, :facepalm: as they passed me on all manner of ratios and wheel sizes.

 

[Mike Muz]

Doesn't this all really depend on the fitness of the rider? Ask anyone who shouted "on your right" at me last weekend, :facepalm: as they passed me on all manner of ratios and wheel sizes.

Ah , but that was before you got MaxOr now you'll bloody fly . . . . probably

 

[wynne]

Re:

I think you've hit the nail on the head - I'm sure in the majority of cases this is going to be more about fitness. I've had bikes with all sorts of gearing set ups and I know fundamentally that I've got lower gears available then I'll just end up riding more slowly. When the only gears I've got are higher then I'll ride faster even if it is a bit harder on the legs/lungs/heart.

As Sam said earlier, the extra clearance on 1x chainset is great and the fact that a nw ring and clutch mech means i will probably never drop a chain again is just fantastic.

As someone generally suspicious of marketing-led 'innovations' I have been really won over by the 1x thing.