SoSmellyAir

Do you have to add a Wolf Tooth Road Link RD extender? Or does the drivetrain shift fine with the stock GRX 810 RD?

Others have discussed this setup here: Expanded Range GRX - Bike Forums

Sierra_rider

No extender needed, it shifts fine with just an adjustment on the B-screw.

SoSmellyAir

Thanks! Let's hope there is a Black Friday sale on an XT 11-40 cassette then.

I have always thought that the 21-23-25-27 sequence in an 11-speed 11-34 cassette was too close.

Sierra_rider

I would trade a bit more spacing on the low-end for tighter spacing at the top end. It's not at all an issue on my gravel bike, but there are times on the road bike that I feel like I'm mashing on the 11 cog, but spun out on the 13.

I've even run the 11-40 on one of my road bikes before, but that did require an extender. It was really a game changer for a big 100+ mile, 14k' ride I did.

t2p

for my riding (10-42) the shift from 36t to 42t not too bad - but 12t to 10t initially surprised me

for my riding a 11t would prob be better than the 10t

jonathanf2

I've been thinking about alternative low gearing lately. Also I'm not a fan of running big cassettes, because I don't like the big cadence jumps. If I could stay with an 11-32t cassette, I'd be more than happy!

A couple ideas that have crossed my mind is running a MTB 2x with something like 36-26t chainring or even a triple 44-32-22 crankset setup. Though with the 2x MTB chainring I would lose any high gearing on the road and downhill. I actually like the idea of a triple crankset, but the last modern 3x shifters/FD are Tiagra 10 speed and they are mechanical pull brake levers with no hydraulic option. Though hypothetically if I were to run a 3x and I have a clamp band FD, I should be able to get the FD to shift the triple even with a small cog 22t, correct?

SoSmellyAir

On my road bike I run a 12-28. So I was initially concerned about the default 11-34 on GRX 2x, but that works surprisingly well on gravel.

mstateglfr 

50-12 on a bike with 28mm tires is 111 gear inches.
46-11 on a bike with 40mm tires is 116 gear inches.

34-28 on a bike with 28mm tires is 32 gear inches.
30-34 on a bike with 40mm tires is 24 gear inches.


So your gravel bike has a wider gear range at both the high and low ends.
Tire size impacts gear inches(how tough a gearing combo feels).

SoSmellyAir

Yep, except I am on the slightly too high for me 48|31 chain ring combo. I would consider the 46|30 rings but someone else here said that they do not match (appearance-wise) as nicely to the GRX FC-RX810 crankset.

Symox

1X is simpler and easier to maintain. For a given cassette, 2X will always have more range.

I have a 3X and love it. I never wish for more range and the gear steps are fantastic.

i have a 1X and it is great for most of what I use it for - except I always find going downhill I could use a higher gear.

1x is a compromise that can be dialed in if you pick your range correctly for your application and can live with large steps between gears.

jonathanf2

For fun, I picked up this dirt cheap 38-28t 2x direct mount chainring off Amazon Prime for about $6 . It was so obscure the seller didn't even have an accurate name description with a bunch of ? in the title. What I found really unique about it is that the 38t outer ring has 64bcd screw mount, so I found $6 24t BCD chainring to replace the 28t inner ring. I have an adjustable FD round seat post clamp to accommodate the smaller chainring, while using a GRX 400 FD. I plan to keep my 11-36t XT cassette in the back and I'm using direct mount road crankset with the chainring so no issue with wider MTB Q factor. It should give me the same gear range as a 1x 34t 11-50t setup. I'll probably reserve this setup for some serious long range dirt mountain climbing in my area.

I found I just don't like the extreme gearing of 1x. With this setup I should still have very responsive shifting with my Ultegra RX800 RD without the bulk of a big cassette. Ideally though I would have preferred something like a 40/42t big ring, but for a total of $12 I won't complain!

t2p

that would be me

I purchased a 46t ring to replace the 48t ring on my RX810 crank - but quick comparison of the chainrings shows the chainrings are slightly different (not just diameter / tooth count) … there is a slight difference where the chainring mates (to area of the crank) … the 810 big chainring is higher quality … possibly and probably will bolt on - might be a difference that requires washers (?) if so could probably make it work (?) but I stopped there

initially considered the RX600 crank because I prefer a 46t big ring over a 48t ring - but went with the RX810 crank because it is higher quality and weighs less …

I’ve read the RX600 crank / stuff is the equiv of 105 road crank / stuff - but for the most part in marketing terms only … RX600 crank is a step below 105 level - more Tiagra or whatever level

disappointed Shimano does not offer RX810 crank with a 46t big ring

I replaced the 50t big ring with a 46t ring on a 50/34 6800 (Ultegra) crank - even though Shimano does not pair the 46t ring with a 34t small ring (Shimano offers 46/36) - and it works great

mstateglfr 

What crank arm is that?

jonathanf2

It's a crankset I bought online. It has a direct mount chainring interface, but with a Shimano style Hollowtech setup (left crank arm uses two pinch bolts) and a 7075 T6 24mm alloy axle. Total weight is 477g. I'd only recommend using it if you weigh less than 70kg. I'm waiting on my 24t small chainring (to replace the 28t) to arrive before installing it. I plan to break it in at the local 33% grade climb in my area to see how it does with a 24:36t low gear.

One Wheel

I have a 52x11 top gear on my road/ gravel bike, and I'd kind of like a little higher end for bombing down steep paved hills with a tailwind. On gravel I definitely don't need that top end. Most 1x drivetrains sacrifice top end, which is fine if you don't need it. I believe that, at least on pavement, if you're using either end of your gearing range more than 1-2% of the time you're using the wrong gear range.