1x vs 2x Drivetrains For Gravel Bikes | The ANSWER! (Is In Gear Ratios)
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- čas přidán 13. 06. 2024
- Despite the many benefits of a 1x drivetrain, it seems that most gravel cyclists who stick with the trusty 2x drivetrain are simply afraid of the increased jumps between gears. But... How big are those jumps exactly? Are they evenly spaced across the cassette? Will the bigger jumps actually affect your riding? To answer these questions, we have no choice to dive head first into the nerdiest of all bike-related topics... GEAR RATIOS.
In this video, we go down a gear ratio rabbit hole to investigate the exact nature of the differences between 1x and 2x systems using numerical software and data analysis. Geek out with me as we marvel at the pretty graphs and ponder the KEY DISCOVERIES that may ultimately influence your decision to go 1x or 2x on your gravel steed!
Be sure to subscribe before you nod off to what is essentially a lecture on gear ratios. I challenge you to stay awake through the end. This WILL be on the midterm!
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Thanks for watching!
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
2:21 Pros and Cons of 1x
4:53 Who is 2x for?
6:55 Gear Ratio Analysis
8:29 Gear Redundancy on 2x
10:30 Key Discoveries - Jumps Between Gears
13:20 Summary
#ShowMeYourData
#GearRatiosAreTheAnswer
#BikeGeek
You really went the extra mile here and it's appreciated. This has helped me loads to decide which way to go. Thanks
Glad it was helpful and thx for watching!
What did you go for?
I recently decided to refurbish my old bike and think about modernizing the drivetrain.
I had my last bike 25 years ago so it's been a while and so much has changed since.
Nice to see this video. Saved me some time and an Excel spreadsheet;)
As Mr Quindazzi says the most important 1x problem is that you have to commit to a single chainring. If you go too extreme you will end up lacking. 34T will allow you to be almost in an MBT but you will not be able to race to much, and 46T might give you enough speed but you will have to be very strong to be able to climb a lot, even on a 10-36T cassette. The bottom line is that on gravel you might go 2x to have some "good for everything" bike or go 1x a commit a little more on what are you going to mostly do with your bike, road or climbs....
2x 46/30 with 11-36 is the most versatile budget friendly setup for gravel bike i can think of. gives less than 1:1 ratio and huge top end.
I use a 11-50 Sram casette with a 42T narrow-wide chainring. But there are 10-52 casettes for even more range. I don't think, range would really be a limiting factor on a 1x system.
@@peterkiss1204 Yeah, 10-52 (which I think is the max range right now) Gives you range but you still have to commit on the chainring. You either go for a roadish 46 or higher, or go MBTish for a 40 or lower. It looks that those 10-52 will give you everyhitng but there will be climbs too steep for a 52 (C) to 46(CR) or descending roads where your 10 - 36 will not be enough.
It´s important to make sure of what are you going to do the most and prepare for that, while making sure that you know what you are missing.
@@azathell As I see you really don't need anything too much below 1/1 gear ratio. It already is almost as easy as walking.
I rode a 48T chainring with a 9 speed 11-36 Shimano casette before changed to 12 speed. The 11/48 gear ratio was plenty enough for me, and would be probably for most cyclists. The only reason I changed to 42T is because the 12 speed system required a narrow-wide chainring, and I couldn't find a bigger one that fits my frame and crank set.
@@High_Octane what casette do you use?
Just found your site and it’s great! I’m also an engineer so I really appreciate the details.
I did similar analysis on 1x a couple of years ago. I changed my 3 mountain bikes to 1x. Best move ever. My girlfriend is a novice rider and struggled with 2x. She was always cross chaining and confused, especially in the woods. Now that she’s on 1x, she’s significantly improved because she doesn’t think about shifting. I strongly recommend 1x for anyone new to mt biking because of the simplicity.
Keep the good videos coming!
Nice! Yea it’s way easier for newer riders not worrying about a front mech. Thanks for watching!
this was by far the most clear explanation i've seen on the advantages/disadvantages between 1x and 2x. suuuuuuper helpful, thanks!
BEST description on the topic....and CLEARLY showed the side-by-side comparison and where the literal differences are. BRAVO!!!!!
You continue to amaze me with your great content. I really enjoy your content and style.
New sub here and going through your videos. The quality is incredible. I have to say, this is the most informative 1X vs. 2X video I've ever watched!. Everybody else seems to mention the jump in 1X gears, but not explain WHERE those jumps are. I had a 1X Salsa Cutthroat a couple years ago and was never bothered by the gearing. I also came of a mountain bike so that may be why as you mentioned. When I bought my Diverge, it was 2X and I did notice I was only using about half the gears so I decided to order my new bike with GRX 1X and this video confirms I probably won't notice the difference except by not having to deal with adjusting my front mech every now and again. Thank you!
Wow, thanks again for the great feedback! I’m starting to think I could probably get away with 1x for 90% of all scenarios. We shall see what I end up with next.. haha
You did an amazing job of analyzing and providing an understandable description of the advantages between 1X vs 2X.
Thx for watching!
yo, this video deserves millions of views. great job and easy to follow. thank you!
Fantastic video! Thank you so very much for all of that information. I have been wanting to make the shift into 1x for a while, this answered all my questions.
Best presentation I've seen on this topic. The graphs were really helpful. Thanks very much and subscribed!
Thanks!
Oh my! This is really goooood stuff! Thank you for bringing quantitative insight of the ratios and you deliver it in such a simple way. Awesome!
Thx for watching!
This was one of the best videos Ive listened to discussing this topic. Got my GEEK fix and confirmed some of the stuff I was thinking as I decide which drivetrain to use on my first gravel bike. Thanks!!
Thanks for watching; I know it was a long one!
Best gear ratio video ever. Change chain ring will jump a few gears, this can be annoying at times. Yes, experience with your bike will minimise the pause effect but still not as intuitive compared to 1 by - "not quite the gear I wanted, try the next one". For people new to cycling, this ease of use characteristic of 1 by is a bonus.
Great overview and breakdown. Answered my questions very well... many provide what they prefer and "feel" but never the actual facts to this detail. Keep it up - Subscribed!
Thanks David!
Great video! I had this very debate when I was deciding which gravel bike to buy. I have increasingly favored 1x drivetrains on my bikes over the last few years. I find 1x stems better suited for off-road riding or casual street riding. The larger jumps are more noticeable and less desirable when you are going faster and trying to find that optimal cadence as you mentioned in your video. It looks like Shimano tried to eliminate that as much as possible and, like you, I am second guessing my decision to go 2x on my gravel bike.
I definitely should have studied gear ratios a bit more to better understand how my ride would have been impacted by the ratio gaps. My logic was oversimplified in that I decided that 1x11 would not yield appropriate ratio gaps and that I would need at least a 1x12 to achieve a more appropriate progression of ratios. Perhaps that is somewhat accurate, but after looking at how Shimano does it, I think I would have been just fine because regardless of whether you go 11-40, 11-42, or 11-46, all three have the same progression of 11-13-15-17-19-21-24.
Then, along comes Campy with their new Ekar 1x13 gravel groupset. Have you seen it? They offer 3 different cassette options:
9-10-11-12-13-14-16-18-20-23-27-31-36
9-10-11-12-13-14-16-18-21-25-30-36-42
10-11-12-13-14-15-17-19-22-26-32-39-44
Looks like they are taking what Shimano does to the next level with packing the top end of the cassette with very tightly spaced gears.
Had I gone with a 1x gravel bike, it more than likely would have been equipped with SRAM Apex 1:
11-13-15-17-19-22-25-28-32-36-42
They start ramping up the progression one cog earlier than Shimano with a larger jump from 19-22.
My Specialized Diverge has a Shimano 11-34 configured as such:
11-13-15-17-19-21-23-25-27-30-34
The 48T big ring on my bikes does have me favoring the 17-19-21-23-27 cogs most which are all 2 tooth ratio gaps. Had I gone 1x SRAM with a 42T ring, I would be favoring the 15-17-19-22-25 cogs. My ratios would be very close to the same with the 1x setup except for when I was on the 22 and 25 where the gaps spread just a tad. Not likely a big deal.
Sorry this is so long of a comment, but one last thing. After getting my Diverge, I ended up building a super budget gravel bike that I intend to actually ride on the local mountain bike trails. I have it setup with 650B x 47 tubeless tires and a 1x8, 38T ring with an 11-40 cassette. Those are some big jumps (11-13-16-20-24-28-34-40)! The little bit I have ridden it on trails does seem to validate my initial impression that 1x is better suited for slower riding. It is insanely fun and I can't wait to try it out with the recently installed dropper post!
Thanks for hopefully reading this and I look forward to more content like this if you decide to make it.
Hey man, excellent reply and observations! Thx for checking it out. Lot to unpack here, but basically, yes I’ve found that there’s more to it than just disregarding 1x bc the jumps will be presumed to large. On a side note, saw your 650B setup on the diverge. Something I want to explore soon! Looking forward unto your ride review on 650B.
just get a mtb please lol
@@High_Octane I have one of those, too.
The most informative video I found in YT about gear ratios and 1x & 2x comparison. I have decided to go with 1x12 system for my MTB. Thank you!
Nice! Glad it was helpful
the best video i’ve ever found. finally someone explained quantitively! thanks from nerdy searcher of a bike!))
2x all the way, i have 1x mtb, 1x fatbike, 2x road bike, and recently purchased 2x gravel bike, and I'm convinced in a good choice. 1x drivetrain isn't good enough on the tarmac, if the relief is flat and hills, you have to play or shift several cogs to be ok, but on the 2x you just switch from big chairing to the small, and thats all. Another big issu with 1x is the high speed on the tarmac, 40x11 isn't enough for moderate cadence
And of course, any cycliste must have some knowledge how 2x chainring works and how to adjust front derailleur, i mean trim position or fully engaged to avoid the chain and derailleur contact
Nowadays, you can only find one or two 2x bikes in model ranges; the majority are 1x
Just went back to a 2x system on my second mtb...first to address the chainline issues of the 1x system. Then the gear ratios. Good that I stayed with my 2x on my first mtb.
Absolutely fantastic! Thanks for taking the time to do this.
Thanks for nerding out with us!
Thanks for geeking out and making this video. I found it very informative. I like the 1x systems for their simplicity. Also I go back to the many times that the chain was rubbing on the front derailleur and driving me nuts. Yeah, it was out of adjustment, but now no worries about that.
At least on a 2X you can tune your derailleur to get rid of the rub.
What i do not like about my 1X is when my chain is on the top gear, a part of it rubs on the second highest gear because of the angle. Also the sound that the chain makes on the chainring when i am at the lowest gear which is again caused by the angle. Both indicate additional friction that could be avoided on a 2X setup if you choose your gears adequately.
That was actually a sweet break down, thank you! I actually almost didn’t watch the video but you answered my question perfectly. I wanted perspective on 1x gap jumps. Some cassettes are more easily spaced from say 11-46 and some only have the big jumps at the end. New to biking since my teens and figuring out the best setup for my current options. I was thinking I’d prefer them evenly spaced and now i know I’d actually prefer all the big jumps with the bigger cogs due to how i remember riding long ago. Appreciate my man! Great vid!
Great video man. I really enjoyed the graphs and your explanations were super clear. Thanks
Thx for nerding out with us!
This is probably my favorite video of yours. I love it!!!!!!
this is the best informative video on this topic i have ever come across.
Excellent work.
Thanks!
I like the explanation, clear and covers the details in the right sequence. Appreciate the effort put into this script
Thanks for nerding out with us!
Best most useful discussion I've seen on this topic. You did the heavy lifting and then simplified the results for the rest of us. Thanks.
Nice, thx for the feedback!
Wow, this is just what I've been looking for (you obviously have some kind of analytical background--good work). I have a 1 x 8 hybrid with a typical 11-34 cassette and a 38T chain ring on 27.5" wheels. I rarely use my 8th gear, but I do wish I had a little bit more gear climbing ability. So I bought a 36T chain ring hoping that will help (haven't tried it yet--waiting for the snow to melt :-). If a 36T ring is still inadequate, then I'll try a 34T one. However, I will never go back to a 2x or 3x configuration. Thanks again for your video.
Started out on a 1x mountain bike and always felt like I didn't have enough top end speed. Went 2x (50/34) on my gravel bike with an 11-40 cassette and I finally found an almost perfect system for climbing up and sprinting on flats and descents.
50/34 is a tad to much for me. I am running a 48/32 with an 11-32.
What speed is your drive train?
I am so torn on trying a 1x or wether or not to replace my worn 2x9 with what I have. The cost will be pretty much the same but losing top and bottom gears scares me.
Depends on your needs. I have a Tern Verge X11. It has a 52 chainring on the front and a 10--42 on the back with 451mm wheels. And there's no hill I haven't been able to get up. And it is plenty fast on the 10 to 52. What people forget. Is having a bigger gear ratio at the top means little if you cannot get a good cadence. And I have experimented with a 56 tooth front chainring and actually went slower than the 52.
That was a very clear and informative explanation. Many thanks!
Awesome video. I love the qualitative and quantitative comparisons. Is this a bike video with Matlab, or a Matlab video about bikes? I'm not sure but it's the video I never knew I always wanted!
This is super helpful as I compare gravel bikes. Thanks man - keep it up!
Ha! Thanks. Good to hear you’re gravel bike shopping.
Fantastic video! With this data I am now confident to go for 1x on my first gravel bike. Thank you very much!
MTB person here and this video was hugely helpful for me as well. I was quite literally thinking about doing some Matlab coding myself to quantity the difference between 1x, 2x & 3x MTBs too so I'm glad I stumbled upon your video doing the exact same. Definitely worth geeking out to some gear ratios
Great video, thanks! Thinking about next gravel bike and will now seriously consider 1x.
Yup, I been a roadie for over 10 years. Just recently jumped to a gravel bike & hard tail MTB. Gear gaps are just insane, for a roadie...its taking time to get use to it
The gaps and extra cost of parts put me off.
I run a 3x9 and all the gear gaps are super close. I also have a roadie with a 2x10. I wouldn’t mind a wide range 1x9 or 1x10 since I am constantly double or triple tapping my rear derailleur on road drivetrains. In a 1x operation is really simple and every gear is uniquely useful.
Thats right 9 SPEEDS RULE for me. Too much whining over gear jumps. SERIOUSLY your legs don't care. They only know is it too hard or not hard enough.
9,10,11,13,15,17,20,23,26
45 on the front. Absolute perfection. No hill I cannot climb. And I can break 25mph on the flat. And for a 20 inch wheel folder and a 59 year old rider. That's all I need.
Finally a mathmatical geometric on the gearing of 1 by vs 2 by. I just ordered my Sram 1 by and have been searching the internet for fear that I may be missing the smaller gaps in the larger gears, and thankfuly you address the answer. I'll be fine! Great job!
Great work man. Thanks, that really helped me with my decision.
thanks for this, have a grx 1x11 set up and was contemplating to go 2x for the jumps, your mathematical prowess made me appreciate what i have, cheers and ride safe
"mathematical prowess" 😆 Glad to have saved you some money!
The bigger jumps are only in the large cogs. The numbers are there for us to see, but it's great for someone to explain it.
Nice video! I found what i waslooking for. Thanks!
Great work providing solid data to make a decision. Thanks!
Thanks for watching!
Yup, total geek out but thankyou! LOTS of effort. Much appreciated.
Ha, thanks! Gotta incorporate the bike nerdery
This video is fantastic. Very informative and helpful for decision making on which system to go with. Kudos to you
Thanks!
@@TheBikeSauce being a programmer myself, I felt shamed to not have done any computation on gear ratio during my research. I’m planning to build a gravel bike and will probably also use it for bikepacking. GRX 1 by only goes to 43kph at 90rpm so it’s gonna run out of gear for on road descent. Campy ekar looks to be the most versatile 1 by groupset among the big 3 brands. Honestly it all comes down to availability. We are not in a position of picking in the current situation with the shortage going on
Ok, you may have done the impossible: you made a video about gear ratios REALLY REALLY interesting! Besides all the diligence in getting your data together, you presented it all in a way that "us common weekend warriors" can understand and appreciate. I went 1X for my gravel, and while I went kinda cheap on the frame, the components are (for me) pretty snazzy with the SRAM Rival etap system. And while I thought wireless was probably wasted on a rider like me, I LOVE IT. Keep up the good work!
I appreciate how you give facts and data to help your viewers make decisions. I’d be curious to see a video that compares the new 12 speed cassettes to a 2x11 and also how using an oval chainring may impact the overall gear ratios. Keep up the great videos!
2X11 = 22
22 => 12
Thanks for the video and sharing your thought’s I went with 2x GRX 810 31/48 up front and XT 11/42 in the rear, for just about anywhere you want to go.
I did it enjoy it! Appreciate the work you put in to plot the ratios. I would never have gotten that deep into it. Plus I can't code, so there's that too. But it was informative, so well done. Subscribed.
Thx for checking it out. This is a fairly old video at this point. Still love to nerd out once in a while
Thanks man. This helped tremendously.
I don’t know yet if I’ll go 1x on a new gravel bike, but I sure enjoyed your videos on the subject:)
Good presentation! Very informative!
Good work, exactly what I was looking for. I'm going 2x!
Your explanation is so enlightening, once you see the picture and you'll get it!
Superb visual discussion of 2x overlap. You didn't miss anything.
Wow! Incredible analysis!! Thank you!
Thanks for watching!
Beautiful analysis 👏
amazing video mate! Keep up the good work!
Thx for the positive feedback!
After I had my old mountainbike serviced, I noticed that while speeding up with the front on the smaller wheel, it didn't grab the chain and I almost died on a road, because I couldn't get my bike going. Ever since I used the big blade on the front and learnt to change only the back gear. Now I'm looking for a new bike and I want to buy a gravelbike as under the circumstances where I drive here in Thailand (rough and smooth roads, sand, and gravel on the road) I found a lot information about anything related to gravelbikes (and mountainbikes). And given the experience I had and your video, the choice is easy: I go for the 1x drivetrain. Last sunday I was in a shop which only had mountainbikes or racebikes, the seller was showing the 1x drivetrain bikes as the latest innovation. I thought it was ridiculous, but now I learnt that this is really what I want. Thanks for helping me decide!
Thank you, that was such a good explanation of both system's ratios. I am definitely in the roadie -> gravel camp and ultimately went with 2x simply because my do-it-all gravel machine does spend a good amount of time on asphalt. However, I'm less hesitant now to consider a 1x conversion for more dedicated gravel time or events. I'd be interested in that shifting discussion next. To run 2x, being comfortable with double-shifts is definitely a thing, though certainly made easier if one is fortunate enough to afford Di2 and run it in its automated mode.
Ah yes, Di2.. the dream 😆
This is the analysis I have always thought I wanted to see and you delivered. Thanks for plotting it out! My bike is a 3x9 and I spend most of my time in the middle ring. After seeing this I think 1x would suit my riding over 2x. Thanks!
Nice. All you can really do is try it and see!
Very helpful, thank you!
Subscribed! Great content man
Thx! Much appreciated
Thank you for putting this together, this is awesome data feeding my inner geek. Would you be able to add in comparison for 42t and 44t chainring on the 1x? Seeing a lot of riders do this.
AWESOME Gear Ratios lecture =P
This is great! Thank you!
And here I am using a 3x9 drivetrain for more gear ratios on my 26' Converted Gravel bike
Geek away brother. Very helpful, even in 2022.
awesome explanation, thank you
Great video!
Subscribed.
Hey Man! Awesome video. For me, it was essentially a question of availability when upgrading from my rather cheap city (?) bike I was riding since I was 13. I ended up with a 1*11 - for me the big upgrade came in weight savings - I am still mostly cycling on roads, but the lower weight made the difference to me. Keep up the great work - you explained it really well, greetings from Germany!!
Thanks! And nice upgrade!
Great video man.
Thank you! This makes me feel better about my 1x choice. Deore 1x 10 speed 11-46 cassette with 40t crank. I live in the Ozark Highlands about an hour NE of Bentonville, AR in Missouri. It’s quite hilly here!
many thanks for this! for me 1x set up if you are doing bikepacking, recreational rides which is enough...2x if you gravel race and definitely road cycling..
Thanks for providing the detailed analysis! Now I think that maybe I should switch to 1x and 11-50 even for climbing
As a complete newbie to cycling this REALLY helped me understand the difference between the drive trains. I'm wanting to start off with an indoor smart trainer, and have been debating if I should get a road bike or gravel bike. The goal ideally would be to get a mtb down the line for the odd occasion I can actually get away for a weekend and explore some trails, BUT THEN I heard about grave bikes and seems like it be a good option. Thx for the great content
What do you prefer?
A year later, and the Campagnolo Ekar group set offers 13 cogs for a 1x system, which pretty much means you can have your cake and eat it too. Depending on which cassette you choose, you can effectively match both the range and the spacing between gears to that of a typical road bike with compact 2x cranks. Of course, you can instead choose to trade a wider spacing for increased range.
Thanks, super interesting, helps a lot!
LOL! "Did I totally geek out and write some Matlab code to sort out gear ratios for gravel bikes? Yes. Yes, I did."
Bruce Wayne to Lucius Fox, when Fox opens the garage door to reveal 'The Bat:' "Oh, now you're just showing off!"
*
Nice analysis and presentation.
Back in 2018, I considered a 1x bike but ended up getting the Diverge Sport with its 2x system. I had recently moved from a flat part of the country to terrain that had a lot of hills. Not being an experienced climber, I wasn’t comfortable giving up the wider range of gears or smaller incremental jumps the 2x offered. If most 1x designs are similar to the one you analyzed, I would have seen those larger increments on the hill climbing gears so I’m glad I didn’t go that route. Although now that I have a few years of experience climbing hill under my belt, I would still consider a 1x system in the future. Thanks for helping me understand more about them. Good video!
Also, I just bought headset spacers for my Diverge from your shop. Thanks for the quick delivery, cool sticker and friendly note you included. The sticker will be perfect to cover up a ding on my paddle board.
Yes! Thanks for the feedback and your support!
Great video!
This is next level stuff. But the next next level would be downloading your Strava gpx data and parsing your distribution of speeds and plotting that over your gear ratio plots. You'd want the area with the smallest ratio jumps to coincide with your most common speeds.
Next next next level is parsing your power data and generating a bivariate distribution of speeds and power versus time to correlate to hear ratios. You'd have to preprocess to drop the zeroes, like when you're not pedaling and have zero power.
Thank you for the video. it was insightful and fun to watch with the editing. I just started to look at gravel bike (I don't really bike much so want to pick a more versatile bike option) and friend told me to go with 2x.
I got an email yesterday from Costco that Intense is doing a Spring sale (ends 3/3/24 by the way) and the deal is really good. the 2x gravel bike sold out for size small so I got the 1x instead. I was worried if I make the right decision or not. After watching your video I have a feeling I will be just fine with 1x.
Looking forward to put that bike together and find my way into the cycling world.
this is a fantastic and well-presented video. great job!
i ride road and gravel, probably more road and i absolutely do not like 2x. all of the your 'pros' for 1x were bang-on, but one thing you didn't mention was noise. i have spent way too much time fine-tuning FDs to eliminate chain noise and i just can't seem to ever get away from it. a properly-setup and lubricated 1x drivetrain is a silent and smooth system that from a purely tactile perspective, is enough for me to only use 1x.
also, kudos for mentioning the overlapping gear ratios in 2x - to me, this is wasteful. ;) LOL.
i love the GRX 810 components but i am now running a SRAM Rival AXS eTap 1x12 setup with a 42T chainring and a 10-44 XPLR cassette on my Aspero, and it has so much range. the only change i may make, as i get faster, is move up to a 44T chainring. i really notice the smaller spacing in the 12-speed cassette vs the 11-speed 10-42 i used to use with my GRX 810 stuff. it's perfect, for me.
When figuring potential weight savings for a 1-by system you do need to consider the weight of the different cassettes. It seems possible some or all of the weight saved up front could be matched by more in those huge cassette cogs. But as you say, simplicity matters a lot. For an old (74) roadie like me (riding good road bikes for 45 years), small steps between gears and the ability to match my (high) cadence are important. But as I contemplate my next bike, an e-gravel bike, 1 -by will have to be the future.
Your program made simple the sort of manual calculations we made years ago when designing our ratios. There were many fewer options then (this was even before mountain bikes). We are spoiled for choice now days! Love it, and love your channel.
Cheers,
Tom
Thanks, Tom! Coincidentally, I recently swapped my GRX 2x setup for a 1x setup. Weight savings was a total wash! You’re right, the heavier cassette completely cancelled the savings gained by removing components.
An e-gravel bike ought to be loads of fun, and yes we certainly are spoiled by choice in 2021. Important to remember that the equipment is just a tool to facilitate the adventure!
Thanks for watching!
great analysis!!
Yes! Thx!
Yes, I was with you to the end. Does that make me a geek too?
I enjoyed the mathematical explanation.
Yes, I believe that makes you a bike geek 😆
Excellent work!
Thanks!
Strong analysis. Thank you for helping me to sort this out. Up to this moment, I was a 2x person all the way (roadie background). Now I am totally open to 1x. Probably for me, the answer will be to go either the SRAM 1x12 AXS. And big budget people can get the Campagnolo Ekar 1x13), to help the spacing problem.
Nice! All comes down to being informed and choosing what makes sense for the individual
I won't give up my dropper post. Integrating into the left lever is clean. I'm not trying to win races, so it was an easy choice for me.
I recently switched from a Trekking/Touring bike with a 3x system, a 2x allowed me to do an easy tradition. Regarding the use of more of the gears in the 2x system: depending on the terrain that you drive on you can make more of the gears that you go on I think. I noticed when cycling in snow and mud that more finer gear ratios help me to cycle faster while still having easy control over my bike when a to high gear would be simple to much maintain speed in.
May be a bad exapmle, but I had only department store bikes in my childhood and last one had that heavy and stupid 3x system, which never felt right - as I was smaller, I just couldn`t make it work, so ended up using middle ring. As I grew taller and heavier I clearly felt, that even the biggest ring on front is not enough for me. While my student years I didn`t really had a chance to ride or even to have a bike, but now I have my gravel 1x bike and I absolutely love it! I`m not riding in big groups to keep up with certain speed or top or bottom gears, so they are not effective - it`s just that good for me - no stupid front deraulier, no need to think about chain angle and in previous season not even once I had my chain dropped or rubbing. Oh, and mtb casette looks awesome as well)
really appreciated this
Awesome work! well done! could you please do the new 12sp ratios for GRX please?
Thank you for your thoughts. I wonder if you can help clarify something for me.
I plan to put together a gravel bike, and plan to ride it up and down very steep short hills on pavement (60% of my riding) and on dirt (fire roads and single tracks) (40% of my riding). I come from riding an old hybrid Schwinn Criss-Cross road bike with a 3x gearing system that was unnecessary. However, I did appreciate the small gaps at the lower end when riding up steep pavement hills.
With respect to drivetrain, my considerations are as follows:
1. On the uphills on pavement it would be nice to be spinning the pedals quickly rather than struggling to pedal while going nowhere fast.
2. I'm pushing 50 years old and am not as limber and flexible as I once was, so comfort is key for me.
3. I'll be doing a lot of riding up pavement hills (and coasting down them) both alone and sometimes with my daughter. For the times with my daughter, she will be in a child seat on a rear rack. Me and my daughter will have a total weight of 235 lbs + weight of the titanium bike I plan to get (19-21 lbs).
4. I'm not as much interested in racing, so it won't be important for the gearing to accommodate pedaling that will both allow me to power the bike faster at already high speeds or let me modulate speed/cadence at the higher end. Also, the declines won't last long enough and be too curvy for me to have time to do anything other than coast.
It sounds like from your video that 1x gearing does not allow for as many smaller incremental changes in the lower end of the speed range relative to the higher end of the speed range, which I will need most when carrying so many pounds uphill.
I'm thinking that when going uphill, a 2x may be better since it will give me 1) more increments in gearing and therefore smaller steps between speeds at the lower end, as well as 2) having either a front chain ring and/or rear cassette that can accommodate the slower speeds i.e.,
Fantastic! Thank you. From a fellow nerd!
Great video! I was waiting for the Grail 2x for so long and was scared of losing gears. After this video, Grail 1x was in stock so I bought it just now! Canyon should send you some $$ :) Thank you so much for the video.
Glad it helped you out! Congrats! Canyon bikes are so cool.
Great stuff..
Great channel, well done videos. I’m on a 1x (for the moment) yet I might ultimately go to a 3x
Nice. Whatever works for the individual and the terrain
really helpful. thanks
It's worth remembering for people that live in lumpy countries like Scotland you are nearly always going up or down hills so it's nice having down hill gears and uphill gears and the fine gears are nice to have the most nice gear for a particular slope
The first time I've seen matlab be used outside of college. This is awesome