a 46/30 to me is still kinda tall for when you are carrying junk
Originally Posted by
niknak
I'd still want lower gearing.
I'm running 46/30 rings up front with an 8050 GS rear derailleur and 11/42 XT mountain bike cassette. A 1.85 mm spacer was used behind the cassette to make up for the wider road freehub. An entire 116 link chain was used. Low gear is 19.5 inches. It shifts like a champ. This is becoming a reasonably common setup for gravel riding and I bikepack with this setup.
The only difference between the 8000 series rear derailleur and the GRX are cosmetic. There is zero doubt in my mind that GRX 2x systems will also work with a much larger cassette than the officially supported 11/34.
The GRX 2x inner chainring is 80 BCD and so a 26 tooth little ring is possible. The outer ring is still 110 BCD and I don't know if 42 tooth rings are available to make a 2x 42/26 setup.
I'll probably jump on the new brake levers when they become available but I'm expecting a long wait.
-Tim-