Originally Posted by Russ Roth

These are the 2 big fallacies when it comes to 1x; I will say my mtb is a 1x11 and I love the setup on it, I even converted it from a 2x10. But that is cause my mtb is just that, mountain only. I've got a gravel bike, a road bike, a cross bike, a hybrid, and a couple others of assorted age and quality. As such it never gets ridden on road except to take the kids to school from time to time and then on the way home I experience why it is mountain only; the gearing just isn't high enough, and if the crank was high enough to make it so the 42t would be useless for the steeper climbs, I also notice the jumps enough I'd rather not have a wider range cassette. Personally, for a multi-use bike I would steer my way to 2x. My gravel has a 46/32 with 11-36 cassette and for most of my riding here on the island I stay in that 46 and cruise happily with a reasonably tight rear cluster for handling the small hills we have here. When I head elsewhere or off road I like that I have a chainring that can handle the climbs I'm going to have without having to deal with large jumps. For a dedicated bike 1x can be nice and it has nearly the same range as a 2x, but for a multi-use/terrain/rider especially over longer distances or longer road climbs I like not having to settle as much for whatever will have to be good enough. As such my mtb is the only 1x I have and it will remain that way.