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1x gravel gearing suggestions

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Cyclocross and Gravelbiking (Recreational) This has to be the most physically intense sport ever invented. It's high speed bicycle racing on a short off road course or riding the off pavement rides on gravel like : "Unbound Gravel". We also have a dedicated Racing forum for the Cyclocross Hard Core Racers.

1x gravel gearing suggestions

Old 05-27-21, 05:51 AM
  #26  
covpride
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I'm running 38t elliptical chainring with 11-46 cassette. I don't worry about spinning out on downhills, and am doing some aggressive rides later this year and know I'll need the gearing lol.
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Old 05-27-21, 11:36 AM
  #27  
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you guys either have much bigger legs than I do or live in much flatter areas!
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Old 05-30-21, 08:45 PM
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Legs don't have to be bigger to be stronger. Just sayin
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Old 05-31-21, 06:49 AM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by Badger6
I love these threads. Gearing is so personal. I use a 46T chainring with a 10-42 cassette. I do have a 42t I swap in for some rides. And I have found that fro me the gradient isn’t the issue, ever, it’s the surface condition.
There aren't many long climbs around here, though we have some short, punchy climbs and rolling terrain. I run a 44 X 11-32 for most rides / commuting and a 44 X 11-25 for fast, short stuff with low elevation gain. I need a smaller chain ring and/or wider cassette if I actually do some of the bike packing I'm considering, but for most things my set up is fine.
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Old 05-31-21, 08:55 PM
  #30  
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I started with a 40t chainring and 11-40t cassette on my Jamis Renegade. It’s pretty hilly in my area, I’m not racing, and I’m a 6’4” 270# Clyde so I switched to a 36t chainring. The hills got a little easier. I bottom out going downhill but I’m usually coasting downhill anyway and don’t mind.

My new gravel rig is my Salsa Fargo flat bar with Mt Bike 1x12 gearing. 34t in front with a 10-51t rear, lots of range. The 29x2.8” tires are a big factor there however. I’m m building another 29x2.1 wheelset for being a little more nimble.
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Old 06-21-21, 12:26 PM
  #31  
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My gravel rig started as 44t 11-36, and I got caught out badly on a few steep climbs and ordered an 10-42 cassette and XD driver for my rear wheel. This was a huge improvement, until I was on another long and spicy group gravel ride with some seriously steep climbs - so I ordered a 40t chain ring - and this has been almost perfect, until I ended up on yet another epic gravel ride with some seriously steep climbs. I'm a bigger guy (92kg) and 450 watts at 50 rpm hurts - so I've now ordered a 38t chain ring. The 1x is nice for the really rough stuff, but I'll definitely be going back to 2X on my next gravel bike. Like most people have said, on gravel, I'm rarely pedaling down the steep stuff, so I'll take the trade off in top speed form easier pedaling up those long steep climbs. I also picked up a 9-34 cassette from e-thirteen, and I run this on a second set of wheels for off season road/light gravel rides.
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Old 06-21-21, 08:05 PM
  #32  
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I had 40t and 11-42 on a bike and liked it a lot. Every once in a while I wanted to get a little lower and a little higher.

When I got my new frame, the used group I bought had both 38t and 44t I could use. I paired the 38 with a 10-42 and later found a 10-44 (wolf tooth add on) at a swap. It’s about perfect for steeper climbs ranging from 1/2 hour to 2 hours. It’s also good for putting my gravel bike in semi-MTB situations. It’s too low for punchy little climbs and not high enough for smooth cruising if I use it as a road bike.

Western US rugged mountain exploring it’s great.

You need to gear your bike for your needs.
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Old 06-23-21, 10:19 PM
  #33  
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Where I live it's tough climbing, every ride - it's unavoidable--lots of steep, rocky fire roads and singletrack--no gravel roads here, but MTB terrain, essentially. This bike came stock with a 40t, 11-42. Went to a 38t for a while. Now I have a 34t in the front, and 11-46 in the back. Sounds really low, but lemme tell ya, I use that low gear all the time. I'm fine with giving up some top end.
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Old 06-24-21, 12:00 AM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by pbass
Where I live it's tough climbing, every ride - it's unavoidable--lots of steep, rocky fire roads and singletrack--no gravel roads here, but MTB terrain, essentially. This bike came stock with a 40t, 11-42. Went to a 38t for a while. Now I have a 34t in the front, and 11-46 in the back. Sounds really low, but lemme tell ya, I use that low gear all the time. I'm fine with giving up some top end.
Sounds like we're kind of in the same boat. I just changed my front chainring from 36 to 32! I have two sets of wheels: 650b rims with 47mm semi-knobby tires with a 9-46 cassette; and 700c rims with 42mm mostly slick tires with a 9-39 cassette. I've only ridden the 32T chainring once so far, but it's really nice for the steeps. With the 9-tooth cog in the back, I can still pedal over 25mph, so I don't feel like I'm giving much up. I'd rather have more room on the low end. The biggest problem with this setup is the relatively large gaps between some of the gears.
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Old 06-24-21, 01:48 PM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by mattcalifornia
Sounds like we're kind of in the same boat. I just changed my front chainring from 36 to 32! I have two sets of wheels: 650b rims with 47mm semi-knobby tires with a 9-46 cassette; and 700c rims with 42mm mostly slick tires with a 9-39 cassette. I've only ridden the 32T chainring once so far, but it's really nice for the steeps. With the 9-tooth cog in the back, I can still pedal over 25mph, so I don't feel like I'm giving much up. I'd rather have more room on the low end. The biggest problem with this setup is the relatively large gaps between some of the gears.
Yeah I'm on 650B x47 Senderos, so quite knobby for a "gravel" tire. But as I say, I'm essentially riding this thing like a XC bike. Go as low as you need, I say. Having that 9 does sound good for the high end, I wouldn't mind trying to get that sorted, but I'm cool with coasting!
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Old 07-12-21, 01:33 PM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by Badger6
I love these threads. Gearing is so personal. I use a 46T chainring with a 10-42 cassette. I do have a 42t I swap in for some rides. And I have found that fro me the gradient isn’t the issue, ever, it’s the surface condition.
Agree -- these threads are cool. I just ordered a new bike (Coop ADV 2.3) that'll be coming with 40 11-42. I'll be using it for roads, gravel, commuting, sidewalk hopping, greenways, towing the kids, etc ... I'm really looking forward to playing with the 1x to suit my needs. The only thing I'm worried about with the stock setup is wanting more speed on the flats for my road rides. But being in East TN, good long flats aren't easy to find, so maybe I'll love it outta the gate. Either way, it'll be fun to toy around with for awhile.

Last edited by Whib; 07-12-21 at 06:38 PM.
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Old 09-16-21, 09:26 AM
  #37  
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11/46 with a 38t

Anyone running 11/46 cassette with 38t on apex 1
I do a bit of bike packing and am looking to add some lower gearing and going from 40t to a 38t doesn’t seem like much of a difference, on paper
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Old 09-16-21, 09:40 AM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by Boutilier68
Anyone running 11/46 cassette with 38t on apex 1
I do a bit of bike packing and am looking to add some lower gearing and going from 40t to a 38t doesn’t seem like much of a difference, on paper
2t is enough to make a difference, if you know that's what you want.
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Old 09-16-21, 12:30 PM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by Boutilier68
Anyone running 11/46 cassette with 38t on apex 1
I do a bit of bike packing and am looking to add some lower gearing and going from 40t to a 38t doesn’t seem like much of a difference, on paper
If you are in your lowest gear (biggest cog) on the regular, or at least spending most of your time in the 3 or 4 lowest cogs, and depending on how experienced you are and how much you ride, you might notice a slight difference. Same for the top end (smallest cog). If you really need a much lower gear, go to at least a 36t or even a 34t. If you spend most of your time in the middle or top of your cassette, the difference 2 teeth makes will probably be imperceptible in the moment, though at the end of a long day you may find yourself slightly less tired.
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Old 09-16-21, 01:53 PM
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Unfortunately, 38T is as small as i can go on Apex 1 110/4 BCD

thats why im looking at the combination of both chainring and cassette

When not bikepacking i may switch bake to 4ot or even larger

Originally Posted by Badger6
If you are in your lowest gear (biggest cog) on the regular, or at least spending most of your time in the 3 or 4 lowest cogs, and depending on how experienced you are and how much you ride, you might notice a slight difference. Same for the top end (smallest cog). If you really need a much lower gear, go to at least a 36t or even a 34t. If you spend most of your time in the middle or top of your cassette, the difference 2 teeth makes will probably be imperceptible in the moment, though at the end of a long day you may find yourself slightly less tired.
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Old 09-16-21, 01:56 PM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by Boutilier68
Unfortunately, 38T is as small as i can go on Apex 1 110/4 BCD
Have you considered looking for a different crank? Also, you could look for a cassette that has a larger low cog than 46, but it may require a new free hub.

I'm going to be honest though, and this is going to get a few people here all upset, again...if you cannot pedal bike at 23 gear inches up a hill (which is really low, even loaded), you either need to work on your fitness or you need to do better route planning that doesn't put you on grades that exceed your capability.
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Old 09-16-21, 01:59 PM
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apex 1 unofficially supports 11-46. to go lower id need to change to rival and that will do 11-50 unofficially

trying to do this on the inexpensive side but if need be a new crank is in order
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Old 09-16-21, 08:01 PM
  #43  
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Originally Posted by mattcalifornia
you guys either have much bigger legs than I do or live in much flatter areas!
I've gone to a 34t in the front, 11-46 in the back. LA mountains, baby!
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Old 09-17-21, 02:32 AM
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Originally Posted by Boutilier68
apex 1 unofficially supports 11-46. to go lower id need to change to rival and that will do 11-50 unofficially

trying to do this on the inexpensive side but if need be a new crank is in order
That's understandable. But, to really achieve what you are trying to achieve, with your only stated criteria, "do this on the inexpensive side," you've severely limited your ability to achieve your desired end state. I simply don't see how you get lower than 23gi without some combination of a new crankset, RD, cassette, and chain, in other words a new drivetrain. Maybe someone who is more experienced at building a bike with these very low gears can help out.

Last edited by Badger6; 09-17-21 at 02:41 AM.
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Old 09-17-21, 01:17 PM
  #45  
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If you want to go cheap, swap for Rival 1 crank (3bolts) and put a eagle +6mm offset ring. This are in 32/34/36. That will be the cheaper better option (under £200/$250) using manufacturer limited specifications

Then if it s not enough shimano slx 11/46 cassette should work with apex as it has the same movement as rival and force. Although sram say 42T max because they make 11-42 and 11-42 cassettes only in 11spds. 46 works. Slx 11-46 is between £60 and £100.

anything else will be costly.
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Old 09-17-21, 01:26 PM
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Originally Posted by Fentuz
If you want to go cheap, swap for Rival 1 crank (3bolts) and put a eagle +6mm offset ring. This are in 32/34/36. That will be the cheaper better option (under £200/$250) using manufacturer limited specifications

Then if it s not enough shimano slx 11/46 cassette should work with apex as it has the same movement as rival and force. Although sram say 42T max because they make 11-42 and 11-42 cassettes only in 11spds. 46 works. Slx 11-46 is between £60 and £100.

anything else will be costly.
Or see if you can find and Easton EA90 (aluminum - pretty reasonable) or EC90 (carbon, more expensive) or their RaceFace counterparts. They use the cinch system instead of a circular bolt pattern, and then you can use a very wide range of chainrings, such as by Wolftooth and swap them pretty easily. This gives you the flexibility to go even smaller than 32 if you ever want, or use the slightly ovalized chainrings. I'm running a Wolftooth 32T oval chainring right now.
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Old 10-26-21, 02:43 PM
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Originally Posted by Elvo
40T in the front, 11-46T rear with Apex rear derailer
I find your setup should be suitable for my needs. I'm a newbie, can you please advise what type of Apex rear derailleur you are using? I searched on Amazon, there is long cage/short cage Apex road rear derailleurs available,
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Old 10-26-21, 02:59 PM
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Originally Posted by Sean Liu
I find your setup should be suitable for my needs. I'm a newbie, can you please advise what type of Apex rear derailleur you are using? I searched on Amazon, there is long cage/short cage Apex road rear derailleurs available,
You will need the Apex 1 or Rival 1 rear derailer. They are almost exactly the same except the Rival uses bearings instead of bushings on the pulleys
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Old 10-26-21, 03:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Elvo
You will need the Apex 1 or Rival 1 rear derailer. They are almost exactly the same except the Rival uses bearings instead of bushings on the pulleys
Thanks for information, can you please also advise what cassette, crank set and shifter you are using for this setup?
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Old 10-26-21, 04:07 PM
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Originally Posted by Sean Liu
Thanks for information, can you please also advise what cassette, crank set and shifter you are using for this setup?
Any 11 speed SRAM shifter will work like apex/rival/force/red. I have an apex 1x crank and a sunrace 11-46 rear cassette but there are also quite a few options out there.
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