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Converting Kona Rove 2x to a 1x

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Converting Kona Rove 2x to a 1x

Old 11-01-22, 12:12 PM
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Converting Kona Rove 2x to a 1x

Hi all,

For a 2021 Kona Rove steel, what's involved in converting a 2x to a 1x? I've got GRX 810 front and rear D's with 31/48t in the front and 11/34t in the back. Asking because I rode a friend's Rove the other day, which runs a 40 up front and an 11/42 in the back and man, I loved it. The gearing was perfect and I loved the no front derailleur and the overall simplicity of it. How involved would this conversion be?

Thanks!
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Old 11-01-22, 01:00 PM
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What kind of crankset do you have?
Depending on that, it might be as simple as:
1. remove the chainrings and replace with a single N/W ring (40t if that's what you're after)
2. remove front derailleur.

Where things might get tricky:
1. Your crankset may not be easily compatible with a single narrow/wide chainring and/or the chainline might be way off. With 1x I wouldn't really worry about the chainline that much, but worth paying some attention to.
2. The GRX 810 rear derailleur max capacity is 11-34 (because it's designed for a 2x setup). You might be able to coax this up to 36, but anything beyond that is probably not happening without modifications. Your choice here would be to either buy the GRX 812 RD (which can easily handle that 11-42) or try to hack your 810 RD by using a Wolftooth Roadlink or similar extender that might allow 11-42 to work.
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Old 11-01-22, 01:19 PM
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You can remove the GRX 48/31T double, and replace it with a GRX single chainring crankset.

You can then replace your cassette with the larger one, and you will need to double-check that your chain is long enough. It probably will not be. It is also possible your rear derailleur won't handle the 11-42T cassette, in which case you can either get a new one of those, or get a Wolf Tooth extension.

This has the potential for getting quite expensive, just to avoid having to shift the front derailleur.

The gearing range is actually slightly more restricted for the 1X:

Link



Last edited by Polaris OBark; 11-01-22 at 01:25 PM.
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Old 11-01-22, 02:29 PM
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Agree that this has the potential to get expensive.
11-42 cassette = $80-$90
40T chainring = $60-$90
New chainring bolts (depending on crank) = $20-$30
GRX 812 RD = $140-$150
New 11sp chain (assuming it needs to be longer, not certain about that): $40

I also love the simplicity of 1x, and have two road bikes with 1x drivetrains. Spending this kind of money to make these changes isn't worth it in my mind, but to each their own.
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Old 11-01-22, 03:47 PM
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I think scotch will need a new crankset, not just a new chainring. = $250
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Old 11-01-22, 04:48 PM
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The GRX 810 can handle at least 11-40T in a 2x setup. That's what I have run the last two years. So it can easily handle 11-40T in a 1x setup.

If you want to go bigger than 40T with GRX 810 you probably should get a wolftooth roadlink.

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Old 11-02-22, 12:20 AM
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When I converted the Giant Revolt adv 2 to 1x it did not cost me much. I had a common 5 bolt crank though so I didn't have to buy a proprietary direct drive chainring.

$10 bolts
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...0?ie=UTF8&th=1

$22 Narrow Wide 110mm BCD
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...TF8&th=1&psc=1

I had an extra cassette. I can't remember if I needed a new chain. Seems like they where close in size.
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Old 11-02-22, 01:14 PM
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Originally Posted by scotch
Hi all,

For a 2021 Kona Rove steel, what's involved in converting a 2x to a 1x? I've got GRX 810 front and rear D's with 31/48t in the front and 11/34t in the back. Asking because I rode a friend's Rove the other day, which runs a 40 up front and an 11/42 in the back and man, I loved it. The gearing was perfect and I loved the no front derailleur and the overall simplicity of it. How involved would this conversion be?

Thanks!
I'm currently in the process of also doing a GRX 2x to 1x conversion. You can easily remove the chainrings on your GRX crankset and replace it either with a Shimano 40/42t GRX chainring or Wolftooth chainring. Also you may or may not need a new RD with a new chain and cassette. If you want to be sure, just pick up a GRX 812 1x rear derailleur, though a Goatlink extender would be the cheaper option and just use your current GRX 810 RD.
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Old 11-02-22, 01:46 PM
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Originally Posted by jonathanf2
I'm currently in the process of also doing a GRX 2x to 1x conversion. You can easily remove the chainrings on your GRX crankset and replace it either with a Shimano 40/42t GRX chainring or Wolftooth chainring. Also you may or may not need a new RD with a new chain and cassette. If you want to be sure, just pick up a GRX 812 1x rear derailleur, though a Goatlink extender would be the cheaper option and just use your current GRX 810 RD.
Thanks, this is super helpful. Do you think there'd be a difference in shifting/chain-wrap smoothness between using the GRX 812 1x rear derailleur vs the Goatlink?

Thanks again. Really appreciate it.
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Old 11-02-22, 05:49 PM
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Originally Posted by scotch
Thanks, this is super helpful. Do you think there'd be a difference in shifting/chain-wrap smoothness between using the GRX 812 1x rear derailleur vs the Goatlink?

Thanks again. Really appreciate it.
I tend to prefer not using a Goatlink, but others are fine with the performance. My friend did a 1x conversion using the GRX 812 RD, Goatlink and an 11-50t cassette, and he's happy with how it shifts. It's really up to you which route you want to take. Regarding the 1x chainring swap, it's a straight forward process and you can reuse the bolts from the 2x big ring. I believe it's 12nm minimum torque.
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Old 11-02-22, 06:34 PM
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Originally Posted by jonathanf2
I tend to prefer not using a Goatlink, but others are fine with the performance. My friend did a 1x conversion using the GRX 812 RD, Goatlink and an 11-50t cassette, and he's happy with how it shifts. It's really up to you which route you want to take. Regarding the 1x chainring swap, it's a straight forward process and you can reuse the bolts from the 2x big ring. I believe it's 12nm minimum torque.
Thanks again, man. Really appreciate the tips and suggestions.
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Old 11-03-22, 09:25 AM
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Excellent, thanks for this info.
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Old 11-03-22, 09:29 AM
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Originally Posted by Polaris OBark
You can remove the GRX 48/31T double, and replace it with a GRX single chainring crankset.

You can then replace your cassette with the larger one, and you will need to double-check that your chain is long enough. It probably will not be. It is also possible your rear derailleur won't handle the 11-42T cassette, in which case you can either get a new one of those, or get a Wolf Tooth extension.

This has the potential for getting quite expensive, just to avoid having to shift the front derailleur.

The gearing range is actually slightly more restricted for the 1X:

Link


Thanks for this info and for the gear ratio chart. This is extremely helpful.
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Old 11-03-22, 09:38 AM
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The link lets you play around with it.
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Old 11-03-22, 09:55 AM
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Originally Posted by msu2001la
What kind of crankset do you have?
Depending on that, it might be as simple as:
1. remove the chainrings and replace with a single N/W ring (40t if that's what you're after)
2. remove front derailleur.

Where things might get tricky:
1. Your crankset may not be easily compatible with a single narrow/wide chainring and/or the chainline might be way off. With 1x I wouldn't really worry about the chainline that much, but worth paying some attention to.
2. The GRX 810 rear derailleur max capacity is 11-34 (because it's designed for a 2x setup). You might be able to coax this up to 36, but anything beyond that is probably not happening without modifications. Your choice here would be to either buy the GRX 812 RD (which can easily handle that 11-42) or try to hack your 810 RD by using a Wolftooth Roadlink or similar extender that might allow 11-42 to work.
I have a Shimano GRX 810 2x crankset. I'm gonna check in with my LBS to see what they have to say about the read D max, and if getting the 812 or using the Roadlink makes more sense.

Thanks a ton.
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Old 11-03-22, 11:11 AM
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Originally Posted by scotch
I have a Shimano GRX 810 2x crankset. I'm gonna check in with my LBS to see what they have to say about the read D max, and if getting the 812 or using the Roadlink makes more sense.

Thanks a ton.
If money is an issue you can probably get away using your 810 RD with a Roadink. Also I'm curious if swapping out the pulley wheels for smaller sized ones might make a difference in helping increase cassette capacity? For example the GRX 400 RD can accommodate 11-36t (w/ 11t lower wheel) in-spec and the GRX 810 RD only 11-34t (w/ 13t lower wheel). Though the GRX 10 speed is limited to 46:30t with 10 speed cranksets, while the GRX 11 speed can use either 46:30t or 48:31t.

I'm sure someone on here with better understanding of bike drivetrains can chime in!
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Old 11-03-22, 01:38 PM
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Originally Posted by jonathanf2
If money is an issue you can probably get away using your 810 RD with a Roadink. Also I'm curious if swapping out the pulley wheels for smaller sized ones might make a difference in helping increase cassette capacity? For example the GRX 400 RD can accommodate 11-36t (w/ 11t lower wheel) in-spec and the GRX 810 RD only 11-34t (w/ 13t lower wheel). Though the GRX 10 speed is limited to 46:30t with 10 speed cranksets, while the GRX 11 speed can use either 46:30t or 48:31t.

I'm sure someone on here with better understanding of bike drivetrains can chime in!
Do you mean the jockey wheels? I've never even thought of that...I didn't know they made them in different sizes! (this is why I ask the pros on this forum for help). So that's interesting.

Money's not too much of an issue, so unless it just doesn't make sense or it stupidly expensive, I'll probably go with whatever will result in the best gear range for me and with the smoothest shifting. I look forward to posting what I eventually land with here. Thanks a lot for the info.
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Old 11-04-22, 06:50 PM
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Today I just finished tuning my GRX 400 RD with an 11 speed 11-32t cassette, 42t 1x GRX front crank (converted from a GRX 46:30t 2x) and budget Sensah Team Pro shifters. I can happily report that it's shifts smoothly using a 2x RD. I'm building out this frame to run as a 1x road climber for now, but with potential to convert it to a wide tire gravel frame with bigger cassette. I already have a Goatlink ready to go, but I'm trying to keep this a budget a build for now, so keeping expenditures to a minimum.

I'd be confident you can do the same (with or without a Goatlink) and keep your GRX 810 RD.
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Old 11-06-22, 09:45 AM
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Originally Posted by jonathanf2
Also I'm curious if swapping out the pulley wheels for smaller sized ones might make a difference in helping increase cassette capacity? For example the GRX 400 RD can accommodate 11-36t (w/ 11t lower wheel) in-spec and the GRX 810 RD only 11-34t (w/ 13t lower wheel). Though the GRX 10 speed is limited to 46:30t with 10 speed cranksets, while the GRX 11 speed can use either 46:30t or 48:31t.

I'm sure someone on here with better understanding of bike drivetrains can chime in!
I believe that a larger lower jockey wheel will increase the chain wrap while using a shorter length derailleur arm. Look at a big jockey wheel RD like some of the Acera group RDs. That is a reason for a 3 jockey wheel RD like a LePree.
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