BluFalconActual

Hi all. I am toying with the idea of swapping the stock 105 2x group on my Revolt Advanced with a 1x GRX setup and was curious if anyone has any experience with both. This is not really a need as much as it is a case of “upgrade-itus”. I already upgraded the stock boat anchor wheel set to a set of Hope Hoops 20Fives with their Pro 4 hubs. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks!

Shameless photo of my bike:

D-Fuzz

I don’t have experience with the GRX 1x but I have experience with 2x and 1x drivetrains on gravel. My first question would be “why do you want to switch from 2x to 1x”? I started off with 2x for gravel but I am now running 1x SRAM. I only use my bike for gravel and I like the simplicity of 1x, but there are trade offs. The jumps between gears can be bigger, so if you tend to spin at a specific cadence, 1x can make that difficult. I am more of a masher and grinder, so that isn’t an issue for me. If you use your bike on pavement as well, you can often run out of gears on downhills or with a stiff tailwind.

BluFalconActual

I think that may be my biggest problem. I don’t really have a good excuse to go to 1x besides the fact that I see a lot of people going over that way. My gravel bike was originally bought as an N+1 killer, but I missed going all out on the road and so I bought a dedicated road bike and so this now has the latitude to become more of a dedicated gravel only bike. I’m currently in VA for training (active duty Marine) and have been using it On 50 percent road and 50 percent dirt but will be moving to San Diego in the summer. The base where I’m going has endless miles of fire roads used for training all over and so I’m thinking that I will be using this a lot more in the dirt than I was over here. Is there any huge pros to going 1x for the dirt?

Steve B.

[QUOTE=BluFalconActual;21427232 Is there any huge pros to going 1x for the dirt?[/QUOTE]

Really terrain dependent. I love 1X on my mt. bike as for the terrain I ride, it's constant short ups and down, so I am always moving up and down the range of the cassette. It's much more work in these conditions to plan ahead for rear and front shifts, is why a 1X works well. In these conditions I do not miss (much) the tighter gear spacing I have on a 2X or 3X system.

There is no way I would put 1X on my gravel though. I'm not riding the same terrain and as well I swap to a set of road wheels and tires and want the additional gearing provides. YMMV

D-Fuzz

For me, I like the simplicity of knowing I only need to worry about one shifter. No cross chaining, no need to dump a bunch of gears when you shift from the big to small front ring because a hill suddenly ramps up or the surface gets dicey. I just keep shifting the rear until I run out. I know there are lots of people using 2x who say that isn’t an issue if you know what you are doing. I just find on varied terrain the 1x system allows me to concentrate more on the ride and less on what gear I’m in.

BluFalconActual

Thanks for the input. Merlin has a really good deal going on right now which would allow me to make the jump for about 650 bucks. What I really want though is a 12 speed mechanical version of SRAM Force or GRX but I dont see those being on the table for a while if at all.

bonsai171

You can go 1x12 with Sram NX. The cassette fits on a 9/10/11 speed Shimano hub, and Paul components makes a mount to run the mtb shifter on drop bars. You can use existing brakes. The entire drivetrain is $375. Pretty hard to beat that. Plus you will get some very low gearing too.

Dave

Steve B.

If you go 2X with Di2 you can likely keep the cassette, crank, b-bracket, at minimum.

1X means new GRX 1X crank plus b-bracket plus cassette. Adds a bunch of money to the project.

That SRAM 1X bonsai mentioned might be a better route.

I personally am not changing my gravel bike over to Di2, even though I have the 8050 group (most of it) on my road bike. I really like electronic shifting. I just ordered parts from Universal Cycles to swap my mt. bike to XT Di2.

I

gus6464

sram nx is a boat anchor and also trash. If you want GRX with wider gearing just put an XT 11-46 cassette in the back.

DavidfGR

I have my Stigmata set up with 2x11 Shimano DI2 Grx, 30/46 with 11-36 cassette. Later i got a cheap used DI2 XT derailleur and oval chainring on ebay since i was curious if 1x would work for me. 1x is set with 11/46 cassette and oval 40t chainring.

On flats and high speed i do notice the gaps on the 1x, but maybe notice them because i also have 2x11. I also could pedal on the downhill at higher speed on the 2x but i't doesn't matter at speed 50km/h and more you can just coast along.

I have the 2x11 DI2 set with Synchro shift option so i just take care of the rear derailleur and the DI2 takes care of the front deraileur and also compesates the rear. So the shifting is same as i would have 1x, right shifter /harder gears, left shifter / easier gears.

If there was a lot of mud 1x would be better since because of lack of front mech, but you can see people wining very muddy gravel races on 2x.

If you would need easier gear you can always change the cassette on the 2x. Or just change the rear mech for Ultegra RX if you have a lot chain slap.

Until today i am still not sure what to keep, 1x or 2x, but with DI2 i can switch everything in couple minutes

srode1

Personally I don't like big jumps in shifts so not interested in a 1x set up - I'm not having any problems with my set up that it would solve. As far as the cross chaining argument, a 1X ensures you will be cross chaining at the ends of the cassette so I don't see how that makes any sense. I read an article about drivechain efficiency comparing the 2x vs 1x and 1x was less efficient. I've never had issues with mud and the front DR, but I have for a long cage rear which can be disastrous.

DorkDisk

Aside from the 1x vs double, GRX has different shaped levers, and clutch. What tires are you running?

FlashBazbo

I was an early adopter of 1x. I did it (1) because of a similar case of upgrade-itis, and (2) because I did all of Dirty Kanza in one chainring, so . . . why not?

I switched and found the same drawbacks described by D-Fuzz above. The last straw was a race where I pulled a big lead going up a big climb, but four (4) people passed me before the finish when I ran out of gears on the high end coming down the other side. I was spinning for all I was worth and the competition (with 2x setups), motored by me without putting in all that much effort. Embarrassing. It is easier to handle defeat based on my own inadequacies. That was a nearly sure victory snatched out of my grasp by my 1x setup.

I went back to 2x within a couple weeks and I have never looked back. If you're 1x curious, just get a suitable chainring for your 2x crankset, put the chain on it, and disconnect your fd. That will give you a decent "test drive" and let you know what you would be missing.

BluFalconActual

Specialized Sawtooths in the 42c variety, setup tubeless. Ive had them for almost a year now and have not gotten a single puncture (that I can tell). Theyre heavier than most choices but they have been completely bomb proof. The lack of knobbies has not been an issue either for the terrain I ride.

BluFalconActual

Thanks. The more I read about it, the more I think that 2x is better for me. I see how 1x has some merits, but being a roadie first and foremost, I love to keep my cadence and I love to go fast be it on organized rides or even KOM hunting on dirt roads by myself.

D-Fuzz

A quick question about your bike. Any idea what it weighs? I am thinking of buying one to use as an all-rounder that I could do some bikepacking/touring with. I've been thinking of a Roubaix or Diverge, but I feel like you get a lot of bike for the money with Giant. Sorry to take things a bit off topic.

RideMyLeMond

I bought a Carbon Sport Diverge a couple of years back to see how I'd enjoy gravel riding. I upgraded my drivetrain from shimano tiagra to ultegra and run the same crank as you (48/32) w/ an 11-34 cassette. I dumped the boat-anchor OEM wheels for a two wheelset pair of options; HED belgium+ rims in either 700c/DT240, specialized roubaix pro 30/32 and 650b/DT350, specialized pathfinder pro 47. When I ride road routes, the 48 chainring is all I use except the steepest stuff. When on gravel I'm always on the 34 chainring. This bike has amazed me how well it works for either surface with this wheelset setup. I find that I can dial-in my gearing and stay in my fast cadence sweet spot rather well on the road and it's not too much of a concern on gravel. I don't think I'd have the same versitity if I had a 1x.

BluFalconActual

No worries at all. That's what forums are for. I dont have a specific weight for it unfortunately. It is not heavy by any means nor is it as light as a proper road race bike. Personally, even if they were the same price, I would like the Giant more than the offerings from specialized just because I don't want to fiddle with any future shock stuff. I know people who love it, but it just wasnt appealing to me.

DeadGrandpa

I have been going through the same decision process, trying to select a drive train for my bf's next bike. She's a longtime roadie, used to 2x or 3x, and doesn't want to sacrifice top end gearing for low end climbing gears. But the bike builder says that 2x (46/30) is restricted to an 11-34 cassette, no more. Not good enough, I said. Still trying figure out a drop bar brifter shift hack. I want a 10-42 or 11-46 cassette that works with a drop bar setup. Not to hijack the thread, but does this exist for 2x?

fourfa

Loads of people are using 2x with 11-36 (I am one, on 46/30 crank). Some have gotten Shimano Ultegra RX and GRX to shift 11-40 stock, and more using a mount spacer like Roadlink. 10-42 might just be possible right at the limit of a mid-cage rear mech (ie GRX, RX800) with a roadlink, especially if you can tolerate a slack chain in the uncommon 30-10 combo. I don't think 11-46 and 2x will go even with a true long cage derailleur.

Keep in mind that in the gravel spectrum, there's a pretty big difference in total gearing between a 650x47 and 700x45. Make sure to include that in your math when you're looking at bikes.

FYI I'm coming from a primarily roadie background, and with 46-30, 11-tooth top gear, on 700-28 road tires, I spin out on very long solo descents where I also spun out my 50-34 road bike. I have gotten dropped from long group descents where I was unable to pull at the front. I'm routinely on 3000+ ft continuous descents around the SF Bay Area, so real mountains not just rolling hills.

rosefarts

I have 1x on my gravel bike and would never go 2x. I also have a dedicated road bike so I'm not worried about it as a roadie.

I run 11-42 with 40t. This is pretty common. Very occasionally, like tailwind pavement run home after the dusty stuff, I'll run out of gears but just barely. It's never happened off pavement. I do sometimes want just a wee bit more uphill. Not much, just a little.

The solution is not GRX. Well, the shifters and rear derailleur but nothing else. I really think 38t with 10-42 would be a perfect set up. That means a sram XD freehub. Pretty sure GRX can't fit 38t either. This would be a sweetheart of a Frankenstein.

Depending on your budget, Sram electric shifters are cross compatible within the brand. In theory you could get Force shifters and Eagle 1x12, that's 10-50! But you've got to go electric to make it work.

gus6464

https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/...ano-grx-cranks

chas58

Yeah, no real downside for 2x in my case. Its even lighter for some reason. There are some minor wear and tear issues for 1x if that makes a difference to you.

I find I use the 36t chainring for riding on my own, and the 46t chain ring for fast group rides. But, if I'm doing a fast group ride with the 1x crowd, my top end is a lot faster (flattish off pavement testosterone sprints, lol).

My rule of thumb:
1x is great if you are doing a lot of solo riding and don't care about maintaining a cadence at a certain speed.
2x is great if you are doing a lot of fast group rides where someone else sets the speed, and you need to be in your power band.

msu2001la

Agree 100%.
1x is awesome for CX racing and generally works fine for gravel and solo road riding.
If I were building up a gravel or dual-use bike that would see lots of road action, and didn't plan to race CX on it, I'd probably go with 2x.

This is also terrain dependent. 1x is a lot easier to live with in flat areas. If my rides included long climbs or descents I'd definitely want 2x, but on flat roads I'm rarely spinning out on a 42T 11-32 1x setup. The only time I feel out of gears is in fast group rides, where I don't really want to be on my CX bike anyway.

gus6464

Yolo it 44-46T front and 11-46t rear. 1x is real like steel.