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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,195
Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.
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I really do not know where the 1X fad came from, but cyclocross riders starting using 1X systems because it was a bit lighter, less likely to drop a chain, less hardware that can get out of adjustment and less likely to clog up with mud. So, I am guessing that cyclocross racing is where this started. And I suspect that cyclocross riders will stick with it, as it works for them.
And I am sure that some of the manufacturers were happy to see the option of making a high end grupo that was less costly to manufacture.
One of my touring bikes has a total range from lowest to highest gear of 526 percent. I really notice a lack of range with that bike and my other two touring bikes have a total range of 558 percent which means I am less likely to run out of gears. My rando bike has a range of 504 percent, but I do not carry much weight on that bike. My road bike range is 355 percent which is not the gearing I would have chosen if I built up that bike but I bought that bike as a complete bike so for now at least I am using the stock gearing on it. .
The range of a 1X with an 11/42 cassette would be 382 percent which is a lot smaller than I would want if I am carrying my camping gear on the bike for a week. I think that the shortcoming of most 1X systems I have seen out there is the lack of range.
And, when you are carrying your camping gear on the bike, you do not need to worry much about mud and light weight as you would in a cyclocross race, so for a cyclocross racer those advantages of a 1X system are more important.
The only other advantage I can see of a 1X system is that some people get confused when they have two or three chainrings and sometimes can't figure out how to find the gear they want. A racer in the heat of competition is more likely to want to avoid the potential of a missed shift or something like that. If you have only one shifter, then the shifting is all sequential which makes it almost hard to get confused. Bikepacking and touring, not a problem. I have triples on most of my derailleur bikes for a reason and the few times I get cross chained or something like that, it is not a big problem because I am not in competition.