Originally Posted by cyccommute

In my opinion, 2x systems are about the dumbest thing to be put on bikes since U-brakes...and those were awful. 2x systems have the range but shifting them presents the kinds of problems that you detail. 1x has limitation problems as I’ve detailed above. They are simple but limited. Triples are a bit more complicated because of the front derailer but they offer range...my set up currently ranges from up to 110 gear inches to 15”. I can climb walls and fly down the other side. And I’ve never found the front derailer to be that hard to set up.

Here’s a comparison of a road compact double and a road triple. If you look at the shift pattern for the triple, you can see that the steps are smaller between the ranges. The compact double does require a double shift (or more) to maintain a similar cadence. If you go from the 18 tooth gear in the high range on the double to the 18 tooth gear in the low range, there is a 20 gear inch difference and a 10mph difference. The same shift on the triple give only about a 10 gear inch difference and about a 5 mph difference. Additionally, with a triple, the range is wider.

As for the 1x vs 3x, here’s a comparison of a 1x (32 by 11-34) and a common 3x. You can see that the 1x has a low high...you’ll spin out at a fairly low speed...and a fairly high low gear. If you go to a wider range cassette in the 1x, you can get a lower low but the high still suffers. Change to a larger chainring and the low suffers.