I’ve previously given my take on the use of dropper posts on road bikes, one of the most progressive adoptions of mountain bike technology road riding has seen to date.
My open-mindedness towards that means my willingness to embrace 1× gearing on road bikes should come as no surprise. It is one of the appropriations from MTB that is only getting more viable as road groupsets and frame design develop further.
When 1× first emerged in around 2015 I appreciated several aspects of the concept, but it was evident that the compromises were too great for it to be accepted straight away.
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All three main groupset makers were at 11-speed cassettes at the time and only SRAM offered a complete groupset solution with its Force 1×. A 1× Shimano drivetrain could be achieved, but only by mashing together parts from its mountain bike and road groupset families, while there was no prospect of creating a 1× gearing setup from Campagnolo parts whatsoever.
So, the choice wasn’t there and arguably neither was the performance – for many riders, 1× couldn’t sufficiently match the balance of range and close gear steps created by a 2× setup.
Not being particularly cadence-sensitive, I can’t say having bigger jumps between gears ever bothered me that much, but I could appreciate the opinion of those who said it did.
Unique selling points
Despite all this, a 1× system has always possessed undeniable advantages over 2×. By ditching the front derailleur and a chainring, a 1× groupset can be lighter, and a bike should perform (marginally) better aerodynamically. The clutch on the rear derailleur and narrow-wide chainring teeth make dropping a chain far less likely, while fewer moving parts makes cleaning and maintenance easier.
Being more concerned with appearance than perhaps I should be, the clean look of a 1× groupset has always appealed, but a less superficial facet is how much easier it is for new riders to get their head around shifting. Regardless of manufacturer (the big three all go about derailleur actuation using different lever mechanics), 1× nurtures a more intuitive shifting experience: a shift one way makes the gears harder, while the other way makes them easier.
It’s no stretch to say that 1× gearing has the potential to make road cycling more inclusive, by being easier to use for new cyclists and by being more familiar for mountain bikers who are tarmac-curious. That can only be a good thing.
The benefits of the system go beyond gearing and impact on frame design too. Brands such as 3T and Vielo say they are able to extract extra performance in stiffness and aerodynamics by not having to cater for a front derailleur and two chainrings.
Tipping the balance
For the naysayers, all these little advantages could never quite outweigh the range/ratio gearing issue. But in reply I’d say that issue no longer really exists.
SRAM and now Shimano too offers wide-range 12-speed cassettes and Campagnolo has its Ekar 13-speed. For me, the move to 12 and subsequently 13-speed puts the gearing argument to bed. Using a typical Campagnolo Ekar setup as an example, a 38t chainring paired with a 9-36t cassette creates almost exactly the same range as using a 50/34 chainset with an 11-30 cassette, and cedes only one or two discreet gear ratios to that setup.
What’s more, that range is achieved despite the smallest six sprockets ascending in one-tooth increments, which means that big gear steps in a 1× drivetrain are now largely unseen.
I do recognise the need for 2× drivetrains in certain situations: in a race environment, for example, a 2× setup can be more efficient as it preserves a straighter chainline, with the chain contorting at less extreme angles than with 1×. Furthermore, 2× will continue to be necessary for certain individuals who are particularly fussy about cadence. Yet for the vast majority of amateur cyclists, I can only see 1× gearing as having huge potential to make riding lives better.
It won’t be possible to convert every bike of course, but if your setup lends itself to 1×, I would recommend upgrading when you get the chance.
Hello Sam.
Thank you for the article. I have two questions. 1. If I am riding on steep roads over mountain passes etc. is the constant riding in the lowest gear going to put extra strain on the chain using a 1X configuration? 2. How feasible is it to be able to swap out the front chain ring to different sizes depending on the type of road conditions flat vs. hilly etc?
Thank you
Lorne
Hi Lorne,
Thanks for your comment. Happy to try and answer your questions:
1) Comparing 1x vs. 2x in the circumstance you describe in isolation, 1x may put your under more strain due to factors such as a slightly more extreme chain line. However, in the real world, other circumstances that precede or come after the climb may offset 1x’s minor potential disadvantage in that area, so it’s impossible to say whether 1x is ultimately worse in terms of chain strain/wear.
2) The ease of swapping chainrings depends on the crankset you use but generally speaking, provided the existing chain length/rear derailleur can accommodate a different size chainring, the swap should be pretty straightforward.
Cheers!
Sam
You need a tool to take off the cranks off easily, but it takes 20 seconds with the tool.
So here is the thing. You have a bottom bracket, that’s what your pedals attach to. It will have two measurements, first is usually 68mm and the second is the length of the spindle/axel going through the frame. They come in different lengths, let’s just use 100, 110, and 120mm
The difference between these will be space on the right for extra cogs at the front. If you want 4 cogs you get the 130mm so the pedal will be far enough away from the frame to let them fit.
So now you have one cog, if you use 100mm it will be right next to the frame and it will be straight in line with the biggest gear on the back, if you use 110 then it will be aligned to the middle, and if you use 120 it will be aligned to the smallest cog.
A word of warning, you might not have space to put a very big cog right beside the frame. I think the most common ones are 42 and 38 although I can’t check.
So if you want to use gear 1,2,3 a lot, you can get a 32t front crank, and a shorter bracket to move it closer and it will put minimum strain on your chain.
If you’re going to use all gears stick it in the middle.
If you notice you’re only using gear 5,6,7 and you want speed to go through a city, then get a longer one and the front cog will be aligned to get maximum power down in a straight chain.
So how much is a bottom bracket? 10-20 bucks only. How much is the tool to take them off 5-10 bucks, and how much is the crank removal tool 5-12.
How much are different size front cogs? Well here we can go from 20 bucks to a couple of hundred.
Let’s say you are happy to go cheap, for about 50-70 bucks you can have a commuter setup and a mountain setup. And you can change between them in about 5 minutes. Or just go for the all rounder setup and accept its in the middle so the strain isn’t massive going highest or lowest.