bald1der

I’ve been talking about upgrading the drivetrain on my Cannondale Quick CX3 for a while now but was very undecided as to whether I was going to try to tackle the job or have my LBS do it. Also I was very undecided on what drivetrain I was going with. Well after watching Trav1s upgrade his Cannondale I decided to tackle the job. I’m going from a 2x8 to a 1x11. Parts going on are Shimano XT Derailleur, shifter and bottom bracket. SLX 34T Crankset, 11-42 Cassette and Chain. Waiting on Amazon to deliver the crank tool to lock down the chainring tomorrow and hopefully it will all be buttoned up shortly after.

Trav1s

Looking good! The 1x combos have me curious and I can’t wait to hear what you think.

veganbikes

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS Clamp your bike by the seatpost that is a part designed to be clamped other tubes on the bike are not designed to be clamped and if you need to mount it via those you want to use something like the Hirobel Clamp from Silca. You easily risk damaged your frame by clamping it elsewhere. To get enough force to properly clamp a bike so it doesn't rock is generally too much for most bikes unless they are truly cheap gaspipe steel tanks but even then the seatpost is the best place to clamp as it is designed for that purpose even a carbon one is clamped unless it is part of the frame as in a seat mast which is uncommon.

bald1der

. I will take that under advisement and make the necessary changes. Thank you.

bald1der

I will definitely let you know. I was debating on running the Shimano chainring. I’m going to run this one for now and see how I like it.

Trav1s

And the SS in the background - '85 or 86? H code engine? 3.73 Auburn out back? I had an '85 in college and it was much stronger than it should have been...

bald1der

88 G Code with 3.73 posi. T-top car, was my father’s car before he passed in 2014. I’m working on it slowly. It’s a runner but tranny need a rebuild.

bald1der

So all parts are in and the bike is complete. I took the bike out for a little test ride and I have to admit I’m pleasantly surprised at how smooth it rides and shifts. Now that its complete I noticed that there are a few things I probably would have done differently and still may change. I might have gone with 170mm crank and a 36T or 38T chainring.

squachie

as long as he is ginger with that type of clamp, he can use it that way for certain things he may want to do. You can totally fine tune the clamping pressure to suit.

Trav1s

Looks great! Did you choose 175mm cranks? Looks like the front chain ring is relatively easy to swap too.

What's in store for the old parts?

So many questions!

RoadWearier

I'm still working scratching my head and wondering why? You could just sell the bike (along with the heavy, useless front suspension) and use that money and the money you spent on all the parts to by any number of barely used hybrid/gravel bikes with that gearing and probably have a better bike to boot that would also fit you better. Then again I'm not into tinkering for the sake of tinkering. But if you love it then congrats!

bald1der

I did go with the 175mm crank. Once I got the right tool it was an easy process. And you’re right it’s an easy swap. Right now the old parts are in a box. I’ve been thinking about donating them to a place that fixes old bikes and donates them to local kids at Christmas.

bald1der

Believe it or not I actually did a lot of research in my area and for what I spent in parts even buying the bike specific tools I couldn’t have purchased a bike with the drivetrain I currently have. Even if I swap out the forks for a better setup to would still be cheaper. Fortunately I’m retired so i have time to tinker and I like tinkering. I don’t plan on getting rid of this bike so I’m making it exactly what I want.

Russ Roth

Not in my neighborhood, and what you get might not be any better. Putting 250 into a whole new drivetrain gets him the simple, straightforward gearing he's looking for. Selling the bike for 300 and adding in the drivetrain's cost isn't going to find you too many hybrids that are 1x11.

OP, nice setup. I was surprised by your choice of 34t chainring. 34 seems too low for a general use bike that will spend a lot of time cruising rail trails, local roads or paved bike path. I'd probably want to run 38 or 40 because that 42t rear cog will help you up a lot but spinning a 34/11 will get tiring. I also tend to think its cheaper to start higher and go down than low and add gearing, similar cost for rings but you aren't supposed to add extra pins or quicklinks to grow a chain, cutting down it easy though. Either way, enjoy the ride.

RoadWearier

That's great! Glad you are happy with your setup. It truly makes the bike yours. Is the seat jacked up for a reason? Or is that how you ride it?

bald1der

Yeah that’s how I ride it. I’m 6’1”, the bike is an XL. It’s a comfortable ride for me. I easily do 15-20 miles on my rides 3-4 times a week.

bald1der

I tried to find what I was looking for on a bike locally and on line, even if I spend another $400 upgrading the shock I still wouldn't come close to the cost of the bikes out there.

I think you're right on the chainring. Although I haven't had a chance to ride my normal route yet I can definitely see where the 34 might be too low. My original thought was a 38. I may wind up changing in the end, but for now I'm going to give the 34 a chance. Fortunately I now have all the proper tools so it's just a matter of getting a chainring and making the swap. I intentionally left a couple extra links in the chain thinking that I might go with a larger chainring.

t2p

have a 1x bike with 40 - 10 top gear

I would probably be fine with a 38 - 11 top gear for 80 % of the riding I currently do

Trav1s

Nice option to have! I'm looking forward to hearing how this project plays out over time.

bald1der

Yes My thought is really leaning to a 38, but I will put some miles on this set up to know for sure.

travbikeman

When I changed the drivetrain over on my Scott Sub Cross to a 1x11 setup, I also put a 34 tooth chainring on. On the rails to trails and canal trails, I felt it worked fine. I still did not use the speedier gears on the cassette but was still able to ride 12mph and a bit above. In my opinion on my Sub Cross, I wasn't setting it up to be a quick bike, just something to enjoy the trails with.

Now of course the new bike I just built, my State, I did put a 40 tooth chainring on that with it's 1x11 drivetrain. But am considering changing that out for a 38 tooth, especially once I go riding some trails that have steeper inclines.

** I too enjoy the tinkering. It's fun to make the changes and even to build the bike entirely up and different than what the manufacturer sets their bikes up with.

bald1der

Yeah I'm glad I decided to try my hand at the drivetrain. It was very satisfying making the test ride and everything worked properly. Doing some research it looks like 36T would be the largest I can go in Shimano. Wolf Tooth makes a 38T if I decide to go that route.

bald1der

So I was able to get in a couple 10 mile rides the last couple days And I'm really liking this set up. Runs very quiet, and shifts are nice and smooth. I have noticed that I'm riding in 6-11 gears the most, so a boost in the front chainring will definitely be on my radar. I'm thinking maybe a 38T. t2p I think you're spot on with 38T being the sweet spot. Trav1s I know it's still early with only a couple rides under my belt but I think the 1x11 I going to be just fine, especially with my riding style but bigger chainring will coming. I've got my eye on a 38T Deore XTR chainring. A little pricey but what the hey......