Advice needed: Should I switch from 2X10 to 1X11 on a touring bike

[Steve O]

@bluerider 128202 wrote:

Has anyone done this? Should I ditch the front derailleur? Any advice? Too big of gaps between gears with a bike like this? Will I be walking up hills?

Thanks in advance.

I have a Fuji touring bike that I use for commuting, every day riding and recreational riding, including centuries, WABA rides, etc.. The front derailleur broke prior to Freezing Saddles last year. I put it on the middle ring and left it there all winter. In the spring I ditched the FD and went with a 1×9 with a chain protector on the outside. My smallest gear is 42/32.
It’s three fewer things to break, all of which have broken on me in the past: shifter, cable, and derailleur.

My chain was still occasionally dropping to the inside when I hit bumps, but I added one of these the day before Kill Bill:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]10106[/ATTACH]

That kept my chain on for the whole ride. It’s only dropped 2-3 times in the 5 months since.
I love not having to worry about a front derailleur. Having 10 or 11 gears might be better, but for me just marginally. I originally had wanted to go with 46/36 as my lowest gear, but I seem to be fine with this setup.

The number of gears people have now seems to be out of control (although I understand the need for low gears on MTBs). My 1×9 has more options than the original 10-speeds I had back in my youth, and cyclists were winning the Tour de France on bikes like those.

So, in short, yes. Ditch the front derailleur and give yourself 10 or 11 gears that will serve your riding needs. You don’t need more than that.

[DismalScientist]

The only thing that I would worry about with a “touring” bike is the gear range. It doesn’t matter whether it is achieved by a 1×11, 2×10 or 3×6, for that matter. I would think about just going 1×10 if you can find a chain ring that meets your needs with the 12-36 cassette. In general, with a 1×10, the only thing you would have to change is the cassette and crank.

[Emm]

I cant comment on your specific gearing question since I don’t off the top of my head know the ratios your looking at good enough, but I can comment on only having 11 gears, since that’s what my alfine IGH provides me. I don’t find the lack of gears slows me down much at all. The heaviness of the bike I’m riding impacts me much more.

For me, it’s no issue only having 11 gears as long as the lowest gear goes low enough, and the highest is high enough for my trips. The gaps between gears can be large when you’re working with fewer gears, but if it’s set up right, it’s manageable even when hauling a heavy load. The only time I’ve ever been annoyed with my lack of gears is on bigger hills, such as Wilson between Rosslyn and Courthouse, when I wished I had a tiny bit more refinement than I did between my 2 lowest gears. Otherwise I’ve made it up that hill, Braddock Rd between Commonwealth and King, and other decently sized hills hauling groceries and other heavy loads without problems. And my bike is likely heavier than yours to start with, so if I can make it up a hill with 11 gears, so can you.

(in case it matters, below is the gear ratio I’m working with and have found to be perfectly adequate around DC).
Gear 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Ratio 0.527 0.681 0.770 0.878 0.995 1.134 1.292 1.462 1.667 1.888 2.153

[Lt. Dan]

I run a Raceface Narrow/Wide chainring on my mountain bike in a 1×9 setup. In two years, I have dropped my chain MAYBE three times!! If you go to a 1x setup be sure to get a narrow/wide chainring up front!!

[mstone]

I’ll echo Dismal: that sounds like a much bigger expense than just going with something like an 11/42 ten speed. Why not try that and see if you actually need the extra gear? If you ever use the full range of your current setup, you’re going to be sad with this because you’ll have a narrower range. My personal preference would be to try to tune the gearing so that you just don’t use the front very often: stay in the big ring if you’re unloaded, and use the small ring for loaded touring. That means keeping track of what ratios you’re using, then calculating the best combination of chainrings and cassette.

[dasgeh]

@Steve O 128209 wrote:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]10106[/ATTACH]

This, BTW, is called a “chain watcher”, in case anyone needs to google it. Took me far to long to figure that out (it didn’t help that I thought everyone was saying “chain washer”).

[bluerider]

Thanks everyone. Still not particularly close to making a decision about this. Need to play around with Sheldon Brown’s gear calculator.

[hozn]

I switched my commuter to 1×10, using an X9 RD, a 11-36t cassette and a 46t X-SYNC ring up front. This yields slightly more range than an 11-28 with a 36/46 setup.

I am very happy with this setup.

The narrow-wide ring is the way to go. The SRAM (x-sync) rings shift the chainline inboard a bit, which makes for less extreme angles in the big cogs.

Going [SRAM] 10sp let me just mix road and mtb components. I am using an Apex shifter and a S500 brake lever (basically Apex with the paddle removed). And the X9 type 2 (clutch) RD really is quite nice.

Only downside is that the X9 doesn’t have a barrel adjuster on it, so had to add an inline adjuster. Also I do notice the gaps; the 11-36 smaller cogs have 2-tooth increments and there are one or two cogs that I wish I had. An 11s might help, but would introduce way more complexity and cost.

I love not having the FD and love not dropping my chain when riding singletrack.

[NicDiesel]

@hozn 128235 wrote:

I love not having the FD and love not dropping my chain when riding singletrack.

This. I’m running a triple(!) on my road bike (I’m super fat so hills == pain) but on my fat bike I’m switching it over to a 1×10 just to get away from the chain drop. The biggest issue you might run into is tire rub but I doubt you’re planning to run tires wide enough for that to be an issue.

[bluerider]

Thanks everyone. I know everything will technically work. It’s just hard to find information from anyone who has done this on a touring bike carrying 30 or so lbs. Tons of info on cross bikes, mountain bike, and road bikes. But I haven’t seen anyone do this on a touring bike which regularly carries loads. I just have to wonder how it would work. I don’t use the 28 tooth small ring on the crank much but when I need it….I REALLY NEED IT. I think my best course of action will be to use the gearing calculator and dug in. My guess is that achieving a similar range will be easy, it will be the jumps between gears will be of concern especially when loaded.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]10110[/ATTACH]

[DismalScientist]

On your current setup, your high gear (42-12) has a ratio 4.5 times your low gear (28-36). To get an equivalent range, you would need a 10-45 cassette in back with only one chain ring.

[bluerider]

@DismalScientist 128250 wrote:

On your current setup, your high gear (42-12) has a ratio 4.5 times your low gear (28-36). To get an equivalent range, you would need a 10-45 cassette in back with only one chain ring.

Interesting….thanks a lot. So if I went from a 42 tooth ring (my current big ring) down to a 34 or 36 tooth single ring with a 10-42 cassette I might be in the ballpark. Granted I would sacrifice some top-end speed for additional low-end grunt.

Again, the gaps between each cogs will really tell the tale here. I so like the idea of simplification on this bike.

[bluerider]

@hozn 128235 wrote:

I switched my commuter to 1×10, using an X9 RD, a 11-36t cassette and a 46t X-SYNC ring up front. This yields slightly more range than an 11-28 with a 36/46 setup.

I am very happy with this setup.

The narrow-wide ring is the way to go. The SRAM (x-sync) rings shift the chainline inboard a bit, which makes for less extreme angles in the big cogs.

Going [SRAM] 10sp let me just mix road and mtb components. I am using an Apex shifter and a S500 brake lever (basically Apex with the paddle removed). And the X9 type 2 (clutch) RD really is quite nice.

Only downside is that the X9 doesn’t have a barrel adjuster on it, so had to add an inline adjuster. Also I do notice the gaps; the 11-36 smaller cogs have 2-tooth increments and there are one or two cogs that I wish I had. An 11s might help, but would introduce way more complexity and cost.

I love not having the FD and love not dropping my chain when riding singletrack.

Hozn, do you use this bike loaded? Interesting to note, I already own a pair of 10 speed Apex shifters and a pair of S500s currently on the Vaya.

[mstone]

@bluerider 128253 wrote:

Interesting….thanks a lot. So if I went from a 42 tooth ring (my current big ring) down to a 34 or 36 tooth single ring with a 10-42 cassette I might be in the ballpark. Granted I would sacrifice some top-end speed for additional low-end grunt.

Right, hence the question about whether you use both ends of the current range–you’re the only one who can decide whether losing that is a good tradeoff. FWIW, a front derailleur doesn’t really do that much; if you’re having problems I’d tend to suspect there’s something else going on, like the chain/gears are worn out. (Assuming you’re basically on-road, heavy MTB use bounces the chain around more.)

[jabberwocky]

One thing to consider is something like an OneUp or Wolf Tooth wide range 1×10, coupled with a wide-narrow chainring. Basically they sell a 42t granny ring that goes behind the 36t on an 11-36 MTB cassette, and you ditch one of the smaller cogs, leaving you with an 11-42 cassette. I run this setup on my trail bike and it works very well and almost gives the same range as a normal 2×10 setup.

http://www.oneupcomponents.com/products/42-tooth-sprocket
http://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/products/giant-cog-for-shimano

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