dgodave

I like my 3x because it lets me turn in lower average speeds.

vinuneuro

Imo it does make a notable difference in speed on long rides.

Living in relatively flat Chicago I find even the stock 11-32 cassette limiting due to the ratio gaps. When I have to choose between two sub-optimal gears - one that will make me grind and the other that will let me spin where I want to - over a long ride the sustainable choice ends up being the one that lets me pedal at the desired cadence. But the penalty for this is that I end up going slower because it's one tooth greater than that ideal missing one.

On a 1x the gaps are even more exaggerated and as a result you end up even slower.

Metieval

AWOL , Krampus, 620

maybe you need electric, not 3x?

dgodave

Shut up I have 30 years to go before I need electric!!! I hope.

AWOL. Mtb gearing basically.

Sometimes I do mtb steep climbs on it. To like 11,000 ft.

Metieval

well if Iwas doing those rides on my MTB, it wouldn't be a 1x anymore.

just thinking my double is a 48/36 on a 11-32. Pretty sure I don't wanna do that on my 36-32 low. haha I'd blow my knees

Sullalto

You can get 44/28 MTB doubles. And 46/30 road doubles.

u235

In the end, you don't have to buy a 1x or a 2x if you don't want to. Everyone has their reasons and I am not one to tell people what they do or don't need. Sucks if the rest of the bike is otherwise perfect for you though. With me knees I don't see myself moving to a 1x anytime soon. It would be cool to not have to swap back and forth up front and I could easily give up some top end for some low end I guess. Both my gravel bike (2x10) and my XC bike (2x11) are about about 2 models years old and 2x was still a popular option back then. I ride a wide variety of terrain and conditions on both bikes and a 1x would work for me 90% of the time but that other 10% makes a difference. I've never had chain dropping issues on either bike. My gravel bike has a Deore MTB derailleur and my XC has a XT shadow with a selectable clutch. Against popular advice, I do in a pinch or a quick struggle use all rear gears in both rings at times (little/little and big/big). When its time for a new bike (no time soon), I'll consider my physical shape, what I plan on doing and all gearing options and decide then.

motrheadsroadie

my 1x cx bike with a 42 in the front and an 11/42 in the back is way more versatile than my “traditional” cx bike with a 46/36 front and a 11/32 in the back.

RJM

I've found the opposite to be true for me, especially when racing through a cross course. The front ring change is many times all I need for many of the obstacles or changes in terrain with a 2x system. So, it's one single lever push on the fd instead of a few in the back.

chas58

I agonized over this for a while, but then it came clear:
I need the top end for fast road rides (paceline)
I need tight gearing for general commuting and pacelines (drives my crazy riding into the wind and not having the right gear to keep my speed and cadence up).
I'm the type of guy who would be swapping chain rings out for different rides, and I would rather press a lever than reconfigure the crank.

That, and stomping on a 11t cog isn't a great idea. Really no downside for 2x. Mountain bikers need 1x to be able to reshape (kink) the seat tube and/or for suspension issues. For Road/Gravel, its a fashion statement.

Cyclist0114

I used 50/34 + 11-28 on my cx bike and think it can be good option - if we drive on roads and have a lot of strength. 50T is very very fast, but I thinks it's bad option for "flat".
Now use 46/34 (with the same cassete) and it's much "user friendly", because changing is faster and smooth. I was interesed in 1x11 but think is terrible if we have only one bike - it will never good enough on all surfaces.

wheelsmcgee

This. However, if you have enough bikes that you can dedicate one to gravel riding, and the terrain isn’t too hilly, I think it would work. I have a triple on my awol, but due to a front derailer malfunction last year at dk100, I rode 75 miles of that on 39x11-36 (1x9). A few times I wanted lower gears, so 1x11 with a different chainring/cassette to give me a little lower would’ve been great...the spacing wasn’t a problem. On sub-50 mile rides, I could maybe keep an extra chainring handy.

Despite this, I don’t really see a reason why I need 1x, especially since it doesn’t seem to be appreciably less expensive than 2x, at least with shimano parts.

justin1138

less moving parts = less maintenance and less to worry about malfunctioning on remote 100 mile rides.

it’s easy enough to get a good range of gears if you know what you need/are capable of.

justin1138

there have been 1x solutions in CX going back a while now... my stepdad has an old Gazelle CX bike with a 1x 5/6 Campy drivetrain. it's a sweet bike and I'd steal it from him if it were my size. haha

it's only been recently that someone, SRAM, decided to make a 'from the factory' 1x drivetrain.

mstateglfr 

For the .0001% of riders whose front shifting stops working on a remote 100mi gravel ride, they can just set the FD to one of the rings and ride.

Seriously- this hypothetical has to be such a small chance, its more scare tactic than worthwhile consideration.

But hey- trends need to be justified.

Metieval

yeah Especially that stupid trend of rolling up the drive side pant leg. Stupid people just want to look cool ...or something.

(Disclaimer: my sarcasm is going to stay stuck in the on mode for a while)

mstateglfr 

Perhaps I should have said that fads need to be justified since they are shorter lived than trends.

Regardless, your sarcastic example of a practical action missed the mark.

mstateglfr 

For dozens of riders to have front derailleur issues in 3 events per year, i am guessing the course and conditions are fairly extreme.
My made up statistic of .001% of riders needing 1x holds here because in the grand scheme of riders, barely any ride in such extreme and unforgiving conditions.

1x is beneficial for some, absolutely.
It just seems to be spec'd on a lot of bikes because its trendy(or 'faddy'?). Very few need 1x because very few encounter the extreme conditions you mention.
Whenever drivetrains are gunking up, its safe to say that is an outlier in terms of rider participation.

Ive said over and again that if someone likes 1x, then cool. It just seems to be as necessary and useful as 52/11 for most who buy a road bike...which means it isnt.

wheelsmcgee

This is basically what I did when it happened to me. It was a pain to stop in the middle of the race, and I wasted too much time trying to realign the cage, but in the end it is a 5 minute repair that requires only a multitool. I’d be okay with 1x but don’t think this rare occurrence justifies it. Maybe if I expected to be riding through mud/grass on a regular basis, which is probably why 1x is becoming very common in cx.

On the plus side of front derailers, I was riding with a friend once who had a rear shift cable break during our ride...result was getting stuck in the tiny cassette cog. Having a 2x meant still having two gears instead of one (very high) gear.

motrheadsroadie

why didnt yr friend use his multitool and turn the limit screws on the rear der into a more manageable gear

Metieval

You'd have to first prove that 1x is a fad or a trend.


Some could argue SS is a trend. Personally I find single speeding practical. yet sometimes I find 1x more practical, and even 2x is practical.

guys that ride 2x, but spend 90% of their time cross chaining.... Uh they are trending the 2x? they obviously don't need a 2x unless its a 44/x mtb 2x , but at that point they might as well move to a 1x setup as it better suits their fitness.

Seattle Forrest

That seems really wide. My race skis are 44 mm at their widest point. I feel like if I need that much rubber to cope with the terrain, I'll probably want a squish bike anyway.

But I agree with you on the 2x thing. I've never once worried about having a FD. "Oh no, I'm going down a hill and I might be able to shift when I need to!! "

browngw 

I think the builders went to 1X because they want the room on the bars for seatpost "droppers" which seem to be showing up on gravel bikes???. And they charge more. I agree that triples are no longer required for most riders because of the larger range of rear cogs, but a double costs the same or less and gives you more. You decide.

justin1138

choices are good.

1x is good at some things.

2x/3x is good at others things.

what those things are is entirely up to how you approach it.

no wrong answers. just better ones.

less is more.

fietsbob

to get your money.