# 1x11 or 2x10 ?



## KTMNealio (Jun 17, 2016)

Question for you clydes:

Do you guys feel a 1x11 drivetrain goes low enough or should the bigger guys should stick with a 2x10 ?


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## Razor Hoof (Nov 4, 2015)

I think the challenge with 1x has more to do with top end speed than getting low enough to climb. You should be able to replicate the low end of a 2x10 setup rather easily with a 1x11 setup. Where you'll have to give some things up is at the high end and spinning out at higher speeds. 

I've recently switched to 1x10 just to see how I like it, and I think I'm a convert. I'm using a wolf tooth oval ring that nearly matched my lowest gear with my 2x gearing. I've noticed I'm able to shift up a gear or two on the cassette on the same climbs with the oval ring. 

The oval ring seems to favor a slower cadence though, and my knees still need to get used to difference.


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## KTMNealio (Jun 17, 2016)

This would be on a fat bike, so I'm not as concerned with too end speed. Thanks!


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## AGarcia (Feb 20, 2012)

I'm about 250 lbs (and not that tall). I use the 1x11 here in SoCal (a lot of our riding is up steep and extended climbs) and I find that with a 28T, I can climb anything I need to for extended periods. I don't have a huge top end, but I find I don't use top end much anyway, so it's all good.


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## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

29er with a 1x10 using 32Tx 11/42T sunrace wide range cassette. The sunrace cassette makes a 1x10 work just as well as an 11-speed, but at a lot less cost. If the 32/42 combo isn't low enough go to 30T. If you can't climb it with 30/42 gearing, probably isn't meant to be climbed. Even on a fatbike in the snow.


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## KidCharlemagne (Dec 11, 2012)

I have an S-Works Enduro mountain bike with a 1x, with a 26 front and an 11-40 cog set. The low end is fine -- on carriage trails (i.e., doubletrack) I can climb anything and am limited only by my (novice-level) ability to balance and hold a line going up technical singletrack. It's a complete and utter fail on flat or downhill road stretches, as the highest gear is basically half as fast as on my road bike (52x11 on 700c's). The ability to not care about potholes or gravel in corners on downhills as well as the better braking doesn't make up for the inability to pedal on downhills. 

My fat bike (Felt DD-30) came with a 36/22 front and 11-36 rear. Again, the low end is not a problem. But the top end is enough to let me keep up with roadies at a moderate pace -- it's more than 50% higher than the biggest gear on the mountain bike. I decided to take the fat bike instead of the road bike to yesterday's social club ride (I was the only non-roadie out of about 100 riders). I had absolutely no problem keeping up with the "C" riders and if I had been willing to work harder, could have probably coaxed another 1-2 mph out of the legs to keep up with the "B-" crowd. 

The gear ratio of 26-40 on the mountain bike is 0.65 and the gear ratio of the 22-36 on the fat bike is 0.61. (The physical diameter of the tires is within about 0.5" despite the fact that the fat bike is 26" and the mountain bike is a 29er.) Mathematically, the fat bike is about 6% lower, but that's probably not enough to be a meaningful difference, considering how the different geometries affect rideability. As a 250# Clyde myself, I don't really notice much difference on the low end in similar situations.


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## scottzg (Sep 27, 2006)

The weakness of 1x is how high torque and bad chainline from climbing kills chains. Since clydes tend to hang out in that low gear and make a lot of sustained torque i think 1x is particularly inappropriate. If you don't mind being proactive about chain replacement, go for it. 1x11 offers up plenty of range, although i think it's silly to run <30t 1x. Better to just toughen up.


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## KTMNealio (Jun 17, 2016)

Awesome info, thanks guys


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## KTMNealio (Jun 17, 2016)

scottzg said:


> The weakness of 1x is how high torque and bad chainline from climbing kills chains. Since clydes tend to hang out in that low gear and make a lot of sustained torque i think 1x is particularly inappropriate. If you don't mind being proactive about chain replacement, go for it. 1x11 offers up plenty of range, although i think it's silly to run <30t 1x. Better to just toughen up.


Just throwing this out, but what if I spaced the front ring in a little to make the low gears more in line?


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## Jsmith1 (Oct 23, 2010)

I live where half my ride is climbing. I looked at doing 1x10. I would like to simplify my gearing, but that won't happen. I'm running a 24/34 with a 11/36 cassette. I guess I don't have the problems with a front derailleur other than weight that other people have. I think it depends on the area you live in.


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## Fam Money (Apr 26, 2010)

I did the 1X10 conversion using Wolftooth 42t cog. I had no problems using it in for the PA hills at 270lbs. The only reason I put my front derailleur on is because I kept destroying the Deore hub using it.

Looking forward to using 1X11 on a better hub.


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## targnik (Jan 11, 2014)

I'm 235 lbs in my birthday suit...

I ride 1x10 on my 29er (32t Oval + 11-40 cassette) and 1x11 on my 650b (30t NW + 11-40 cassette)...

On descents my mass gets me going plenty quick enough. Plus, I can climb most trails I come across.

Won't ever go back to 2x 

FYI - getting another Oval 32t for my 650b mule ^^

Won't ever likely go back to round either o_0

Sent from my kltedv using Tapatalk


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## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

My fat bike is 2x10... 24/33 up front and 11-36 out back. Has all the range I could ask for. 
I recently built fat bikes for my brother and father and built them both 1x11 with 28 tooth rings and 11-44 on the back. They seem to have slightly less range than my bike but I think it's damn close. I haven't tried one off road yet but I'll probably change mine next time I need a cassette and rings.


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## FatBike&SlenderWoman (Apr 1, 2016)

*What about 3 x 10 ? *

My Blackborow came with a 2x10 (22-36 rings, 11-36 cassette).
I laced up a 29+ summer slick wheelset for commuting and found the 36 ring to be a little on the short side when running on pavement. Lucky for me, the stock Raceface Turbine crankset is really a triple minus the tall ring so I found a new triple ringset along with X0 derailleur for less than the price of a single 38t ring and am now running 22-32-42.
The 32 ring is the primary with the 22 (granny) for off road treks through the woods and the 42 (overdrive) for street cruising alongside the skinny tire road bikes.
The thing that I like best about the triple is that it gives the ability to operate my chainline at less than 2º offset while limiting use of the 11 tooth cog to downhill sprints.


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## solarplex (Apr 11, 2014)

Just bought a bike with 32 crank 10-42 cassette. I thought it wouldnt be enough but after a group ride on it it was awesome. Didnt need anything lower, was use to a 38/24x11-36 2x10 and im sure last year i would have been walking hills but this year im faster, lighter, stronger and i have no issues pushing pedals on my 11 speed


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## chowdownca (Jun 21, 2006)

There was an article on this subject (more aptly titled "why I hate 1x's") and there were many good points brought up. I had a 1x10 29er (Jamis Dragon) and it was adequate, but there always seemed to be something missing. Whether it was that larger ring to get the top end speed, or that smaller one to save my a$$ when the surprise ascent caught me off guard, I just always seemed to be looking for that left lever. The ability to dump several gears at once by jumping to the small ring is good sometimes. Other things like decluttering the bar, etc never really bothered me, but I never used a remote lockout for my fork or a dropper post. But, much like the N+1 idea, you get rid of the shifter and suddenly there's more room for things like those.


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## GuitsBoy (Sep 24, 2013)

I'm 240 or so, ride a 28T chainring, and Ive already bent or tacoed two 42t cassettes. A sunrace and a sram. That being said, Ive destroyed 36t shimano cassettes in the past as well. But the high torque and high traction applications really do a number on the big cog in the back. That said, Ill never go back to a 2x or 3x drivetrain. Ill just take my lumps and replace cassettes as needed, and warranty whenever possible.


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## Osco (Apr 4, 2013)

When I started I was 5' 11" and 203 pounds.
Now 169 pounds
When I started a 1x was not an option for me. I had work to do to make myself Into a rider who could benefit from a 1x....
You must have an honest conversation with yourself.

Ask your self, 
Am I a strong rider ?
Is my bike a heavy model ? 
Do I have lots of long climbs where I ride ?

3x's are often used to hide bike weight and to help deal with long climbs and new or out of shape riders. If you have a 3x try staying on the middle ring for a few rides...














It was a struggle when I got into this sport with my first low end heavy 29er hard tail 3x9
I rode that a year and got stronger, made that bike a 1x9 and suffered..
This made me stronger still .....

Moved to a full suspension 27.5 with a 3x9 and when the chain wore out I made that a 1x11
It was great, I was able to climb far better. Seems my spinning skills suukd so I'd just end up 'Chopping Wood' with the granny ring on the 3x.

My Granny ring climbs were so slow In the single tracks that any 1x rider stuck behind me would be, 'Foot Down' and have to walk his bike up..

Two years later I was just starting to ride the fire roads in top gear for short distances and with tail winds,,, I was able to hold in 9th and 10th gear for a mile or so at a respectable cadence In most conditions so running out of top end was not an Issue BUT I was spending more and more time on the smaller cassette gears and they wore down faster because of that.

Just moved to a 27.5 Plus bike so the wheel/tires are almost as tall as a 29er and It has a good XT 2x10 system.
I have done the math, the gear Inch math and a 1 x 11 will be Installed as soon as I wear out my chain>>>>
Try this gear calculator out:

Mike Sherman's Bicycle Gear Calculator

Just guesstimate the tire size,,I did the 29er x 1.9" to get near my 27.5 x 2.8" plus tire for final roll out gear Inches..

Look closely at the GEAR INCHES chart mid way down,, This will show you where you will land..
For me from the 2x10 22-36 front ring 11-36 cassette 
to the 1x11 with a 30T chain ring and the 11-42 cassette
I will loose less than 1 single gear Inch for climbing...
In field testing I don't use 19th or gear 20 with my 2x so I will not spin out in 11th when I go 1x,,,

Follow me ?

For me the Pro's/Con's of the 1 x :

Pro's of the 1x:
The larger longer chain ring jump of the 2x or 3x Is far slower and made me loose so much forward speed and If I did the shift before I needed it that was often in the G-out and that de-stabilizes and riuns your bike pump efforts.
With no big slow gear jump there with the 1x keeping momentum up takes less energy than recovering lost speed from the downshift.

My XTM8000 down shifts could be completed one at a time within 1/2 a pedal stroke with simply easing up on the power loosing very little forward momentum.
I could recover that speed loss on the other half pedal stroke when clipped in...

AND I no longer had to spin a super high cadence while the bike slowed down anyway waiting to get power on the ground with the 22 tooth granny ring..

99% of the time that granny ring robbed me of my speed going up hill.

Makes me think and plan my shifting better, this In It self makes me more efficient, helps keep me from wasting watts...

Took 1.2 pounds off the bike removing the front shifter, cable, deraileur, and two or three chain rings and all the hardware.
All this replaced only with a hardend Aluminum very Light Race Face Narrow wide chain ring.......
*1.2 POUNDS 
* Think about that for a sec..

Cons of going 1 x

No Granny ring bail out when your legs are screaming..
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But remember, you will look cooler riding your 3x or 2x up a long steep climb than you would look pushing your 1x up that climb.....


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## NYrr496 (Sep 10, 2008)

That's all good stuff right there. ^^^


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## targnik (Jan 11, 2014)

1x + Oval for those w/ steep climbs... Oval was built for this ^^

YMMV

Sent from my kltedv using Tapatalk


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## FatBike&SlenderWoman (Apr 1, 2016)

Osco said:


> If you have a 3x try staying on the middle ring for a few rides...


I have ridden the middle ring (32t) but at a 90rpm cadence (which is a little on the brisk side for someone rocking a 35" inseam) I am living between the 11 & 13 tooth cog limited to a top cruise speed of 22 MPH.
The 42t 'overdrive' ring (same as the mid ring on my road bike) allows me to cruise among the 13-15-17 cogs reducing drive train wear by saving the 11 for those 30 MPH downhill sprints.
As for the 22t granny ring, I use that off road to maintain the stability of a fast cadence when slow rolling over rough terrain. It also helps minimize the chainline deflection while using the larger cogs. Yes, the 22/36 ratio rarely gets used but it is nice to have when encountering a 30+ degree landfill incline or ascending the Capitol steps.


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