Originally Posted by
maartendc
Hello all,
I am looking into Gravel / touring / adventure bikes at the moment. I will be using the bike pretty much all-round:
commuting on asphalt during the week, riding off-road on the weekends, and once a year taking it bikepacking on weeklong tours.
Some of them can be equipped with SRAM Apex 1 with just 1 chainring, while others can come with Shimano 105 with 2 chainrings.
So what would be the better choice for my use? I hear 1X drivetrains are all the rage these days.. the bikes with SRAM apex are cheaper by about 350 EUR over the Shimano 105.
- Sram Apex 1 would be a 42T chainring with 11-42 cassette.
- The Shimano 105 would have 48/32 chainrings with an 11-30 cassette.
Which would you choose and why? Thanks!
I underlined your comment on the intended use of the bike, and while as cycco put it very succinctly, our legs aren't your legs, if you're going to be riding the bike most of the time unloaded or lightly loaded, the double will most likely be more fun as I assume the bike is fairly light, so you'll be riding quickly.
For when you are \riding with bags and more weight, you may be able to simply put a larger cassette on with a new chain and have even lower gearing, perhaps the rd can take up to a 34t , who knows.
we dont know if you've ever ridden carrying a load, but you'll always want lower gears, and even more so in dirt trail situations where steep stuff is going to much more common.
the sram vs shimano shifting methods differences is a good point to bring up, personally I am used to shimano, so would be hesitant to use sram