On a roadbike? Never. Why would I sacrifice the extra ratios of a 2X ? The newest Ultegra rear mechs will handle a 34 cog cassette. I already ride a 50/34 chainset so with that rear mech I can handle anything.
I've recently completed a conversion on my steel audax frame to a gravel-lite setup with a Shimano CX50 crankset, 40t Hope retainer ring, a 10sp 11-36 casette and a 9sp Deore XT rear mech. Slightly less hacky than your method but it works an absolute charm, as the pull ratio on the mtb mech is almost identical to that of the 10sp 105 STI shifters. Ive been running it on and off road and absolutely love it! The stronger spring in the mtb mech coupled with the retainer ring keep the chain pretty firmly in place without any drama too.
No. Not on my road bike. Maybe I'm just not strong enough, but I often use the small chainring on my 50-34 11-30 setup. I have Sram Eagle on my mtb and even on that bike I'm not sure yet. I do like the smaller steps between gears of a 2x.
For many years, I ran a 2x drivetrain on my main road bike with 34-50t compact chainrings on the front and an 11-26t cassette on the rear. This bike is never used on gravel or rough pavement and is never used in mountains (it's mostly used in low rolling hills). After two years of never needing to use the 34t chainring, I converted the bike to a 1x. This was three years ago. I have a SRAM drivetrain and all I needed to do was switch to a 50t SRAM X-Sync 1x chainring at the front and an 11x28t cassette at the rear. 28t was the largest cog my rear derailleur could accommodate. I used that setup successfully for two years (about 10000 miles or 16093 km). At the beginning of this year, I switched to a 52t oval Rotor QX1 Aero chainring on the front (equivalent to a 54t round chainring) and an 11-32t cassette with a SRAM Red WiFLi rear derailleur with a medium cage. I would have preferred an even bigger chainring -- like a 56 or 58t -- but the only ones I could find were poor quality and did not position the teeth in the correct location. The reason for the bigger chainring is to reduce friction by moving the chain closer to the center of the cassette during most use (a trick used with triathlete and TT bikes). _Here are some potential problems to avoid:_ *Rear derailleur hanger extender* - The top jockey wheel of a rear derailleur must not only clear the largest cog in the cassette (typically with 4-6 mm to spare) but the track of the rear derailleur as it moves across the cassette must be at an appropriate angle so it maintains an acceptable distance from each cog. Rear derailleurs that are designed for wide-range cassettes are designed with both requirements in mind. All the hanger extender does is enable the top jockey wheel of a standard derailleur to clear a larger cog. It does not change the tracking angle of the derailleur. This means the top jockey wheel may be too far away from the smallest cog if it is beyond its range. The result is poor shifting. The best solution is to get a rear derailleur that is designed for the cassette range you plan to use. If you must use a hanger extender, then be very careful to check the hanger+extender alignment to the wheel. Any hanger alignment errors will be magnified with an extender and that, too, will degrade your shifting. Park Tool Dag-2.2 will help you to both measure the alignment and bend the hanger+extender into the correct position. *1x chainring* - The most important design feature of a 1x chainring is not wide/narrow teeth -- rather, it is the location of the teeth. Theoretically, you want the teeth to be centered in the driveline to the center of the cassette. If you compare it to a 2x setup, the 1x chainring teeth should be in the middle between the outer and inner 2x chainrings. In practice, SRAM recommends that you favor the outer cog of the cassette by 1-2 mm. This is why a 2x outer chainring is unsuitable for a 1x setup -- it's teeth are too far off-center (toward the outside), which perpetuates the cross-chaining problem to the largest cog. _But here's the problem that catches some by surprise:_ There are some cheap 1x chainrings on the market that do not locate the teeth in the correct position for a proper 1x drivetrain. Therefore, if you decide to experiment on your own (like I have) you need to do your homework on drivelines (a.k.a. chainlines) and measure the current driveline offset of your bike at the rear cassette. Then make sure the 1x chainring you use is compatible with your driveline. *Chain length* - The chain in the video looked too long. I recommend shifting to the biggest cassette cog, thread the chain through the rear derailleur and around the largest cog and the chainring, then pull the chain together until the rear derailleur cage is pulled nearly as far forward as it will go _without rotating the top jockey wheel too close to the cog._ Mark this chain length and add two links to it. This method takes the most work (and strength) but it produces the best results. _Tips:_ Road racing frames with shorter chainstays are problematic for 1x because they have more dramatic angles in their driveline when cross-chaining. One way to reduce this problem a little, is to use a 10-speed cassette and rear derailleur. It will move the largest cog closer to the center of the driveline. Some cyclists who criticize 1x for having steps between cogs that are too large will probably blow a fuse over such a suggestion. But I rode a 2x6 drivetrain for many years and never noticed a problem. I could still find an acceptable gear ratio for the cadence I wanted to use. And, when you consider the redundancy in gear ratios of a 2x system, the actual "usable" gear ratios that you have is less. So I have no problem with the step size from 11 to 32t on a 10-speed cassette in a 1x system today. And I doubt I'll have any trouble with an 11-36t, either. Use what works for you and don't let others force you into their idea of "perfection". If you lube your chain with wax, be aware that 1x systems can take a little more work. You need to manually push a freshly waxed chain onto the wide/narrow teeth of a 1x chainring while slowly turning the crank for the full length of the chain in order to push out extra wax from the gaps in the chain. If you don't, the freshly waxed chain may derail off the chainring when you first use it. Most 1x chainrings have longer teeth than their 2x counterparts, but the tooth length of all 1x chainrings are not the same. For example, the teeth of my Rotor QX1 Aero are 8.0 mm long and the teeth of my SRAM X-Sync are 7.0 mm long. The longer 8.0 mm teeth can make it even more difficult to break in a newly waxed chain because the longer teeth engage the gaps of the chain earlier and must push more extra wax out of the gaps. This may not be a big deal to most waxers because the benefits often outweigh the problems. But it's something to be aware of.
SRAM tech docs say to add four links to the chain rather than two (3 links plus the power link), I'm not sure why but this applies to Rival and force 1x
_@Casey Sanders_ - I think you're talking about clutch rear derailleurs. Add 2 links (1 inch or 25.4 mm) for a standard rear derailleur and add 4 links (2 inches or 50.8 mm) for one with a clutch. Remember, the procedure I described above already includes the chain length needed for the cage and jockey wheels because the chain is threaded through it when making the measurement. Since a standard (non-clutch) rear derailleur was used in the video and that's what I use also, I avoided talking about clutches. I see no need for them for smooth paved roads because there is minimal chain slap to dampen. Plus, the clutch adds unwanted friction to the drivetrain -- something I'm trying to reduce. SRAM's 1x systems are designed primarily for cyclo-cross and gravel bikes. They aren't making 1x components for pure road cyclists like me -- yet. But a road rear derailleur (no clutch) with a medium or large cage works fine with a wide-range cassette in a 1x system if you stick to smooth roads. So I don't think that a new rear derailleur design is needed. The primary reason to change the rear derailleur is if you are adding a new cassette that has a wider range and needs it. The only "problem" using a SRAM 1x system on a pure road bike -- and it's a minor one -- is that SRAM's X-Sync chainrings all have the wide teeth shaped with a bulge to clean the mud and debris out of a chain during cyclo-cross. I believe this adds friction. Plus it makes for a slightly noisier chainring. If they decide to market 1x for pure road bikes, they'll need to make 1x chainrings with smooth teeth optimized for that application. In the meantime, I wouldn't recommend an X-Sync for a pure road bike *if you're seeking every affordable marginal gain.* I used an X-Sync for two years on the road -- it works fine. But, now that I have my oval Rotor QX1 Aero chainring with smooth 1x wide/narrow teeth, I doubt I'll ever go back to either a 1x chainring with cyclo-cross teeth or a round chainring again. I'm not 100% convinced that the longer 8.0 mm teeth of the QX1 are needed or really help. But I have to defer to Rotor on that because they have loads of experience with oval chainrings and the tooth length may partly satisfy the requirements of a non-round shape.
Just made the switch to a 1x drive system. Can't believe how much it has simplified my ride! I lost a gear or two on the high end, but I'm 70 years old and I can still hit 30 mph without spinning out. Not needing to switch from large to small rings up front, especially when I'm doing a lot of up and downhill, just eliminates a lot of bother and making fine adjustments in the rear after you switch front rings. No down side for me.
I got a 2017 Trek Crossrip 1, it had a 48/32 chainrings with 11-32 cassette. With shimano Sora 9 speed shifters/derailleurs. I found myself never going to the smaller ring upfront, only trimming. So it was logical to just put a narrow-wide 48t chainring. No other modifications, just removed the shifter cable, front derailleur and switched to 48t narrow-wide chainring. Works like a dream! No more worries about trimming, and for my fitness / endurance rides 1by works great! I do think this is the future. They used 2by and 3by because technology wasn't quite there yet to put many sprockets in the back. Now we have that. 9 is enough for a recreational rider like me, I'm sure 12 will be plenty for more advanced riders.
Old Trek 720 With a 10 speed 11-40 cassette coupled with a 42 tooth wide narrow. Rear derailleur is a Shimano Zee mtb short cage with a Microsoft 10 speed bar end shifter. Works great! Never dropped a chain with this setup.
I do it on my commuter bike. Even with big hills. It is an older bike with a 7 speed cassette, so I opted for a 40 tooth front ring, which gets me up most hills with the 28 in the rear. It is just easier to maintain, especially in the winter months.
I have been riding a 1 x for years. Started with a 48t track crank and a 14-28 6 speed cassette on an old steel frame about 30 years ago. Latest is a super lightweight Neil Pryde carbon frame with sram red and a 50t narrow/wide with a 11-30 cassette. Plus many other 1x builds on all types of bikes, Road, Mountain and Hybrid. Always on the lookout for broken left hand shifters that I can strip down to provide a lightweight brake lever.
Hello!!! I've got a Giant Contend SL 1 Disc 2018. This is an endurance road bike, remember that point, it is important. I got a Roadlink deraileur hanger extender and put it on. However instead of placing the extender downwards, I set it pointing back as far as it would go so it would clear bigger cogs. Now what I noticed straight away was that when I set it back as far as it would go, it set back further than what I noticed on other road bikes that did the same thing. My theory is that this was possible because it's an "endurance" road bike, and that because it's endurance, it's designed to come with a 32T cassette, which means it needs to clear cogs a bit bigger than a standard road bike. So I think the deraileur hanger of an endurance bike is set back a bit more than a standard road bike for that reason. Now before I purchased the Roadlink I knew that you could clear a 42T cog on a road bike with a medium-cage GSG road deraileur, which is what I have. So I ordered an 11-42T cassette and Roadlink. When I fit the Roadlink on, I saw it set back further than expected, and because it's set back more than a standard road bike, I'm able to clear the 42T cog with room to spare without a B-screw. I believe I should be able to clear a 44 without a B-screw and 46 with a B-screw, so I'll be trying that in the future. Moral of the story? If you have a standard road bike and a medium-cage GSG RD, you'll be able to clear a 42T with Roadlink. But if you have an endurance road bike, you should be able to clear more than 42T as endurance bike RD hangers are set back further than standard road bikes. Bet you didn't know that eh, quite exciting news isn't it?! There is another factor coming to play as to why I've got such large clearance, and that is chain length. A shorter chain pulls the upper jockey wheel away from the big cog, giving you more clearance. It also gives you the chain tension to run wide ranges, and also helps keep the chain on the chainring even without a narrow-wide. Just remember to put the chainring on the outer position as without a narrow-wide the chain will fall off the chainring when in the small cog if the chainring is in the inner position. When the chain is at it's loosest, you want the chainline to be straighter. The acute chainline from outer chainring position to big cog doesn't result in the chain coming off a standard chainring because there's a lot of chain tension when in the big cog. When installing, set the chain on the big cog, then shorten the chain until the chain is almost straight through the jockey wheels. Your bottom jockey wheel should be pointing more forwards than downwards. Basically when your chain is in the second biggest cog, the chain length should be such that the RD should be about in the position people normally have it when on the biggest cog. Know what I mean? Works a treat. Have I been helpful, I've been very helpful haven't I?
I recently converted my Kona Jake The Snake commuter bike to a 1x10. 42t Wolftooth oval chainring and 11-36 cassette. Switched out my 10-speed 105 derailleur for a 9-speed long cage Deore. It works like a dream.
You don't even need a medium cage derailleur for this, since the derailleur capacity is reduce due to the lack of second ring. Short cage works just fine.
Tim Peterson, then the chain will be falling off cause the chainring has guides for going up/down (depending on where it's located). You NEED the narrow-wide chainring to keep it in place. Or the derailleur.
Is this a series you plan to update us on later? I'd love that, please let us know how it goes, maybe even some available upgrades. This concept is awesome.
I have converted my giant defy with roadlink extender and added a 11 40 shimano cassette. Worked all ok since August last year. Still have ultegra dual rings up front. Spacer needed when adding the mtb cassette. Works a treat and no roads need you to leave the saddle.
I have four 1x rigs. Love it. Three are converted from standard and one is the latest SLX 1x11 iteration. Not sure I'd convert my road bikes over though. I did, however, convert an old GT ZR road bike from drop bars to straight and put on a WickWerks narrow/wide 42t CX chainring with 11/36 in the back. Light and quick!
Have used a bodged 1x system for British hill climbs last few years, all Shimano components, nothing special, just mounted the inner chain ring on the outside, and took a few chain links out to keep the tension tight! Haven't dropped a chain in 2 seasons of racing! Might go narrow wide chain ring this season though so extra safety
I have built up a Specialized roubaix frame bought off ebay with Sram 1X11, I live in North Yorkshire just outside the North Yorkshire Moors national park, lots off steep hills 20-25% in places. I'm 67 and fitted a 42 chainring and Sunrace 11-50 cassette., on these hills I can get up them - just, with 1X I am always in a the right gear for the different roads and constantly change gear easily when going up or down hills, no messing around finding the right combination of front and rear gears. I can get 23-28 max on the flat when I can find it without windy conditions, (for a short period).
For anyone who's curious about a 50t Chainring + 11-42t 11-speed Cassette combination, here's my setup: 50t Wolf Tooth Narrow-Wide Chainring for Shimano R7000 Crankarm. 11-42t 11-speed Shimano XT Cassette on an 11-speed hub without spacer. Shimano Ultegra RX derailleur with Wolf Tooth Roadlink DM. 116 Chain links Shimano Dura-ace (Any chain suitable for the Chainring will do too). Although the Ultegra RX has the clutch mechanism, I like that it gives the option of turning it off for smoother shifting. I found the clutch not required on asphalt when paired with the Wolf Tooth Chainring--No chain slips so far after 400miles. On light gravel paths (~2" obstacles), it runs well without relying on the clutch as well. The clutch is still useful to minimize slaps on bumpier trails. The cassette spacer on an 11-speed hub had me puzzled. While adding the 1.85mm spacer is recommended when pairing an 11-speed MTB cassette to an 11-speed road hub and tuning unloaded appears to validate it, riding the bike revealed otherwise--excessive noise on high gears (small sprockets). The skewed chainline was the main contributing factor after fiddling with the derailleur high limit screw and tension. Removing the spacer had solved the issue and even with a slightly more skewed chainline on the low gears (large sprockets), the noise was minimal. If available, I'll suggest going for more than 116 chain links for this configuration to reduce the derailleur extension on lower gears--Shimano sells 11-speed chains with 126 links. Sadly, I'd only found the 116 links version available in the shops nearby. Hope this might help anyone save a few (mis)steps and pain. Ride on!
Short cage Chorus 11s fit a 32 just fine. I'm running 1x Chorus with a custom 14-34 cassette (bad knees) and a 40T elliptical chainring without a derailleur extender.
I took the small chainring and downtube shifter off my 1987 Centurion Dave Scott, using washers to take up the slack on the chainring. I left the cassette as is, so it worked fine. Slight amount of crossover that I would imagine could have been dealt with somehow if I had felt like it.
Great video John, but there are many ways to do this. I have a Surly Cross Check that I hacked to 1x. I have Sram rival shifter, so I was able to use a Sram Gx (mountain bike) rear derailleur with a long cage (no extender needed). I went with a 11-40 cassette from Sun-Ring to help me up the mountains here in Utah. Up front I used a 44T standard chain ring with a chain-keeper. This eliminated the need for a narrow-wide chain ring. This has been a great set-up for several years now with no shifting problems, and no dropped chains (even on many long gravel rides).
I am a total 1x convert. I use Sram 10spd shifter (road, tt, and mtb) with x5 rear derailleurs and 11-36 10spd cassettes on my road, time trial, cyclocross, and mountain bikes with different size chainrings, all 1x. One of the things I enjoy most about this set up is that I can swap cassettes, wheels, and derailleurs between different bikes. Simple, seamless, and efficient. What's not to love about 1x ?
The wolf tooth hanger extension didn't match up with the B-tension screw on mine so I switched to an MtB derailleur & Wolf Tooth Components Tanpan Shimano. Shifts like a dream + clutched for better chain tension & barrel adjuster inline.
I made my SRAM red etap wifli groupsett 1x with a SRAM CX1 chainring and a 11-32 cassette. It works absolutely perfect, I never dropped a chain, even on gravel roads or fast races. I'm gonna experiment with a 3T Overdrive 9-32 Cassette. 1x is the way to go and most importantly: it looks amazing!
I'm looking to set up a allez 1x bike with this set up. What parts do I need for shifting? I'm used to shimano shifters (shifting RD on right brake lever) but understand the shifting on etap is on left and right brake levers?
Good video! I live in pan flat Florida so have been using 1x on my road bike for a while now. SRAM eTap rear mech paired with an X-sync chainring has been a great combo. I run an 11-26 out back full time and have 46 and 50 tooth chainrings that I can switch between as the need arises. 50 tooth is the standard setup.
I dumped my 3X ringset on my trike a few months back and will never go back! . I kept all my stock pieces other than 1x cankset&chainring. Total price was about $40. Total weight loss of bike was 2.0 lbs! PS: I noted some comments below where posters' kept stock big chainring. Dont do it! Spend a few bucks and get a 1x (thick/thin) chainring. It will save you some frustration. PSS: Vs swap out rear gears for a 32T+ big ring setup....or even a 10T small-ring setup ($$), this is what I did: For my daily training stomping grounds (flat), I run a 50T 11x32 setup.....when I decide to do some hill riding, I simply swap out the 50T chainring for a smaller chainring and all is good. Takes only a few minutes, and only costs the price of a second 1X ring!
I use my 3x mountain bike on the road as a fitness tool and this is what I do. I decide before every ride which drivetrain I want to use. I keep it there for the whole ride and use all of the cassette in the back. This allows me to enjoy the ride, grind away and not worry so much about shifting. And of course I still have a 2x or 3x system if I want. To each their own and do what you want. The point is to get out and enjoy moving.
Other ways to do this (that I have done): 1. All SRAM 10-speed MTB rear mechs work with all SRAM 11-speed road rear shifters. So if you have SRAM shifter you can buy a cheap GX clutch derailleur: you won't need the extender, the tension will be much better, and you'll have a lot better chain wrap all through the cassette so shifting will be much improved. 2. You can leave the inner ring on there instead of using spacers or shorter bolts, it works perfectly and just looks a bit crappy. Not a hack or bodge, but be realistic about what gearing you need. I find I don't spin out a 42x11 in the real world and 42x32 is about the same lowest gear as a 28 cassette on a compact chainset so I don't have problems on hills.
I have hacked my drivetrain on my commuter... 42t narrow/wide front ring with an 11-32 on the rear. If you take a link or two out of your chain you can probably increase the rear mech tension while still allowing access to the biggest cog. If have had no issues since I converted (about 6 months ago)!!
For new Shimano Road (R9100, R8000, R7000). My friends tested it using Standard medium cage RD w/o extender with 11-40t XT 11s cassette and so far, the drivetrain doesn't have any problem. (Ultegra RX RD is highly recommended)
I've previously hacked 1x on 2 cross bikes. First time around: SRAM Red crank with the 53T removed leaving the 39T. I used a short cage SRAM Red rear derailleur and no chain guide or keeper. Dropped a chain several times when in the smaller cogs (11-28 XG1090 cassette) on the rear so I shortened the chain and had fewer drops. On my 2nd time around I used an Ultegra 6800 crank with a Wolf Tooth 42T narrow-wide ring and a medium cage Force 1x RD (11-34 cassette) with 2012 Red shfiters. This setup was quite nice and stayed until I sold the bike. Next 1x setup on a future build will be Di2 road/mtb component combination.
After riding my ultegra groupset with double speed chainset for years I always hated the front derailleur and thought it was such a waste. I barely ever used smaller chainring with 11-28 cassette only on super steep uphills that had decent length to them. I now want to convert all my bikes to single speed chainset and at least 11-32 cassette. I will use my hybrid bike as a guinea pig to convert that first and then if I like it I will do my road bike as well.
Ultegra hydraulic discs and a black chainring teamed up with a RX rear mech and roadlink feeding a xt cassette - like the hack though and hope it helps others try out 1by setups.
Interesting video to show how to do it but if you have already got a dual chain ring and you do the work on the rear of the drive train but keep the front the same you will be able to climb anything when it gets tough with no downside. I can see that 1x is a benefit to manufacturers as it should be cheaper but can't see any to a user.
hacked together a 1x with an early 80s panasonic frame/fork and a set of 29er mtb wheels. all i bought was the 700x23c tires which are cheap. best way for a mtb guy to try road biking.
I'm think of converting my 3x7 to a 1x9 on my 26" bike. I don't feel like dealing with cross chaining or tuning the front derailleur, either. 1x9 should give me a wide enough selection for the occasional bike path, but with the simplicity that pavement is just fine with. And I'm going to convert to ebike in the future, too. So a 9 speed cassette will be plenty of gears for use with a 500W middrive. I just need to figure out what size chainring I want in the interim.
My TT bike: Wolftooth narrow wide chainring, properly sized chain with no excess, sram red wifli hacked with 15t pulley wheels. Never dropped the chain. No clutch and no chain keeper is not a problem on the road, its not like you are riding through rock gardens. (psst find my photo and show it on the bike vault). Separately I use the derailleur hangar on my hill climb bike. 46/30 up front and 40t big cog in the back. If you go slower than 30/42 you are walking anyway.
In the days of the square taper bottom bracket you would have had an added advantage when going 1x: the possibility to adjust the chainline by using shorter spindles.
I did a super cheap 1x conversion. Adjust the limit screws on your front derailleur until you can't shift of the middle sprocket & then tear off the cable and shift mechanism from your left handle bar. Mission accomplished.
I went though all this exitement on my mountain bike 10 years ago, less bar clutter plus you save 200g from no front derailleur one less chain ring and no cable and outer. I just don't get the point on a road bike. You'll either be spun out every time you ride downhill over 45 kmh or grinding up every gradient over 10%. I have a 53-36 with an 11-36 mountain bike cassette on the back, works like a charm, massive range.
no discussion of chain line. as roadies, we're relegated to the outer position w/ 1x set ups unless we run a 42 or so on the inner as I did on my gravel. 1x specific cranks aren't yet common enough to obtain 'cheaply' so it looks like outer only.
My bodge experience with 1X:Commuting home on a balmy September's eve, I was at a light (junction) by the university when I spied some fair, impressionable coeds hoping to dazzle them with a masculine display of acceleration from a well trained track-stand. (Being an "off the market" married middle-aged man this is sort of self indulgent attention I am morally limited to.) As I hurled myself and steel steed forward in the small-ring, my cadence was abruptly halted in the middle of the intersection and I had to coast to the other side. The intended audience was not even paying attention (which they usually don't), which in this case was a relief. I surveyed the cause and found that my inner ring was collapsed in on itself. "What an absolute display of metal crushing torque!" I though to myself. 'Twas not the case. Ignoring regular maintenance protocols prescribed by this channel, I found that I was missing two chain-ring bolt, and a third was loose. Being prepared and casually dressed, I had my multi-tool and my t-shirt available, so I removed the now badly deformed sprocket which had wedged itself between a crank and the frame. I replaced the big ring, using the existing double ring bolts and the bottom hemming of my t-shirt to take up the slack (like a washer) of the now-too-long bolt. I then proceeded to humbly ride my new and temporary 1X set-up, carrying my "tacoed" inner ring, my ragged-bottomed shirt, my bruised ego back home to the first woman I ever successfully impressed.
Jon, I wish I was on the same continent; I would be pleased to share that story in person. I am honored never the less. How can I send a photo of the garbled chain-ring in lieu?
I use 1x11 in my road bike, I went the other way around and opted for a smaller chainring. It cuts a couple gears from the top but 44/11-28 gives me the same high gear what the GOAT Eddy had. If it was big enough for Eddy, it's big enough for me. Never dropped a chain or had any problems on regular RD and narro-wide chainring. I can highly recommend.
My Specialized Sequoia came with 2x9. I had front derailuer noise that was impossible to get rid of. I converted it from drop bars to Jones Bikes H bars, 38 tooth chainring and 11-42 cassette. Had to replace the rear derailleur, brake levers and switch to a thumb shifter. It turned out fantastic. Rides very good.
Cheers Jon. It sounds like my bike "library" is quite similar to yours. I've actually converted three of my di2 road bikes, and my fat-bike to 1x. Using ultegra 6800 mid-cage derailleurs + wolf tooth roadlink, paired with either sram 11/36 road cassette or shimano 11/42 xt cassette. Oh, and also have the sram xd hub on a set of local made carbon disc wheels with 10/42 cassette. Love all of them and have been putting more miles on them that my 2x setups. I've been meaning to submit one of them for the bike vault... anyway, when I want to feel free and not think at all while peddling, 1x is a treat - easier or harder is all I have to consider when clicking that shift button :)
Not 1x for me but I did extend a campagnolo short cage this way into a 11-34T shimano casette hybrid setup for climbing. Not recommended but works great.
Zeben84 yep. I am going to be playing around with other cassettes too, 36 and beyond to see how the fit. So don't want the chain too short right now. Cheers. Jon
WOW Please call me if you ever need your attic cleaned Jon.. If you have a Campy chorus 11 Speed derailleurs up there collecting dust.. Who know what one may find up in your attic..
Jon, I think I speak for a lot of viewers when I say I'd love to see a "GCN behind the scenes" of your bike collection/garage/attic/shed :D Given how many people are doing 1x conversions, why haven't Shimano come out with a dedicated road 1x groupset yet >.< ! With Ultegra RX and now the new MTB 1x12, I wonder if Shimano do have something on the way... I hacked my old commuter bike to 1x9 speed, it was absolutely great for commuting and a light bot of offroading - shame I sold that bike really. Building up a CX bike soon and that will certainly be 1x and I hope to convert my TT bike to 1x too.
That drivetrain is awesome that is what I'm gonna do 50t up front and 11-28...on back... I live in florida I think that 28t will be enough but should I invest in a 32?? idk
I hope you will not mind me asking but any chance you could put up a video on Hand Cycling for us Disabled Riders please? It is so difficult to find anything of this calibre easily? Thanks in advance Aindre
Hacked mine. Standard Q ring, clutch rear Sram Force derailleur, 11-42 cassette. Down shift too fast while spinning you might drop the chain, and I don't know if a N/W ring will still that. Does everything just fine.
I think the need for narrow-wide chainrings are overrated for road use. I went for 1x on my flatbar commuter bike 3-4 year ago, because the front mech needed cleaning and lube all the time. I am not using narrow-wide chainring, and i have only dropped the chain a very limited amount of times. The main advantage of 1x for my point of view is much easier cleaning of the chainring. I consider removing the large chainring on my race bike too. It so few times i need the 52T and it would be so much easier to clean.
Steffen Stengård Villadsen I thought the same thing until I dropped a chain 13 times in one ride....narrow wide chaining stopped it and haven't dropped one since
I was tight on budget so i got an affordable bicycle with 3x7 gears rear gears are 14-28 & after trying to climb a hill i started to think that i should've invested more cos the lower gears aren't low enough
I got the notification for this as I was shopping for my new chainring bolts. John, I have a similar setup 2007 era R600 crank 110mm BCD and a Raceface 42T, what length bolts did you use? How did you decide to set up your chain line, inner vs outer mounting the ring?
I just finished my 1x build, My chainring is on the outside of the crank mounts, and the chain line seems ok. Look for my Stevens Prestige in the next few days coming to the bike vault(I need to clean it first).
I just got a new Checkpoint ALR 4, 2021. It’s a 2x10, GRX 400. I really wanted a 1x, but this was available and affordable in a scarce market. I also really liked the fit and ride of it. What parts would I need to upgrade to a 1x system for it?
Hello Jon and GCN. Would you say that a clutch derailleur for a 1x drive train on a road is NOT necessary? I've you been riding enough the set up of the video to get an opinion on this topic?
Hey John, one thing you forgot to mention is the chain line. I had to run a chainring with a slight offset to get the chain line as centered on the cassette as possible. If you run a chainring that doesn't line the chain up centered on the cassette, your are going to run into some serious cross-chaining issues when shifting at the high or low end! Great video as always! Cheers 🍻
How did it go? Any chain drops? I'm currently doing the very same hack but keeping the 13-29 cassette, until I find out whether it's enough or not. Great video!
I just removed the front derailleur on my rain-commute bike (yes I have one of those 🤓) I was always riding in the big ring and on two or three tooth in the back. Why? no rubbing at all.
I use a full 105 5700 groupset with a N/W chainring up top and an 11-40 cassette on the back. Chainline was coincidentally perfect with the chainring on the inside of the (formerly double) crank. Works with standard road shifters but decided to swap out the rear mech for an old 9 speed XT one I had kept for spares - its old enough to have the same cable pull ratio
I have a problem with 1x chainring ... everything works fine .. but my chain comes off the 1x ring ... that happens when I change gears or in the same gear cruising & it happens out of the blue. Any ideas ? Thanks
Are you thinking of converting to a 1X drivetrain? Let us know. 👇
On a roadbike? Never. Why would I sacrifice the extra ratios of a 2X ? The newest Ultegra rear mechs will handle a 34 cog cassette. I already ride a 50/34 chainset so with that rear mech I can handle anything.
I've recently completed a conversion on my steel audax frame to a gravel-lite setup with a Shimano CX50 crankset, 40t Hope retainer ring, a 10sp 11-36 casette and a 9sp Deore XT rear mech. Slightly less hacky than your method but it works an absolute charm, as the pull ratio on the mtb mech is almost identical to that of the 10sp 105 STI shifters. Ive been running it on and off road and absolutely love it! The stronger spring in the mtb mech coupled with the retainer ring keep the chain pretty firmly in place without any drama too.
Ill stick my current setup
Here's where I am with 1X.......... I wish you luck in the future, but I can't invest in you so I'm out,
No. Not on my road bike. Maybe I'm just not strong enough, but I often use the small chainring on my 50-34 11-30 setup. I have Sram Eagle on my mtb and even on that bike I'm not sure yet. I do like the smaller steps between gears of a 2x.
For many years, I ran a 2x drivetrain on my main road bike with 34-50t compact chainrings on the front and an 11-26t cassette on the rear. This bike is never used on gravel or rough pavement and is never used in mountains (it's mostly used in low rolling hills). After two years of never needing to use the 34t chainring, I converted the bike to a 1x. This was three years ago. I have a SRAM drivetrain and all I needed to do was switch to a 50t SRAM X-Sync 1x chainring at the front and an 11x28t cassette at the rear. 28t was the largest cog my rear derailleur could accommodate. I used that setup successfully for two years (about 10000 miles or 16093 km).
At the beginning of this year, I switched to a 52t oval Rotor QX1 Aero chainring on the front (equivalent to a 54t round chainring) and an 11-32t cassette with a SRAM Red WiFLi rear derailleur with a medium cage. I would have preferred an even bigger chainring -- like a 56 or 58t -- but the only ones I could find were poor quality and did not position the teeth in the correct location. The reason for the bigger chainring is to reduce friction by moving the chain closer to the center of the cassette during most use (a trick used with triathlete and TT bikes).
_Here are some potential problems to avoid:_
*Rear derailleur hanger extender* - The top jockey wheel of a rear derailleur must not only clear the largest cog in the cassette (typically with 4-6 mm to spare) but the track of the rear derailleur as it moves across the cassette must be at an appropriate angle so it maintains an acceptable distance from each cog. Rear derailleurs that are designed for wide-range cassettes are designed with both requirements in mind. All the hanger extender does is enable the top jockey wheel of a standard derailleur to clear a larger cog. It does not change the tracking angle of the derailleur. This means the top jockey wheel may be too far away from the smallest cog if it is beyond its range. The result is poor shifting. The best solution is to get a rear derailleur that is designed for the cassette range you plan to use. If you must use a hanger extender, then be very careful to check the hanger+extender alignment to the wheel. Any hanger alignment errors will be magnified with an extender and that, too, will degrade your shifting. Park Tool Dag-2.2 will help you to both measure the alignment and bend the hanger+extender into the correct position.
*1x chainring* - The most important design feature of a 1x chainring is not wide/narrow teeth -- rather, it is the location of the teeth. Theoretically, you want the teeth to be centered in the driveline to the center of the cassette. If you compare it to a 2x setup, the 1x chainring teeth should be in the middle between the outer and inner 2x chainrings. In practice, SRAM recommends that you favor the outer cog of the cassette by 1-2 mm. This is why a 2x outer chainring is unsuitable for a 1x setup -- it's teeth are too far off-center (toward the outside), which perpetuates the cross-chaining problem to the largest cog. _But here's the problem that catches some by surprise:_ There are some cheap 1x chainrings on the market that do not locate the teeth in the correct position for a proper 1x drivetrain. Therefore, if you decide to experiment on your own (like I have) you need to do your homework on drivelines (a.k.a. chainlines) and measure the current driveline offset of your bike at the rear cassette. Then make sure the 1x chainring you use is compatible with your driveline.
*Chain length* - The chain in the video looked too long. I recommend shifting to the biggest cassette cog, thread the chain through the rear derailleur and around the largest cog and the chainring, then pull the chain together until the rear derailleur cage is pulled nearly as far forward as it will go _without rotating the top jockey wheel too close to the cog._ Mark this chain length and add two links to it. This method takes the most work (and strength) but it produces the best results.
_Tips:_
Road racing frames with shorter chainstays are problematic for 1x because they have more dramatic angles in their driveline when cross-chaining. One way to reduce this problem a little, is to use a 10-speed cassette and rear derailleur. It will move the largest cog closer to the center of the driveline. Some cyclists who criticize 1x for having steps between cogs that are too large will probably blow a fuse over such a suggestion. But I rode a 2x6 drivetrain for many years and never noticed a problem. I could still find an acceptable gear ratio for the cadence I wanted to use. And, when you consider the redundancy in gear ratios of a 2x system, the actual "usable" gear ratios that you have is less. So I have no problem with the step size from 11 to 32t on a 10-speed cassette in a 1x system today. And I doubt I'll have any trouble with an 11-36t, either. Use what works for you and don't let others force you into their idea of "perfection".
If you lube your chain with wax, be aware that 1x systems can take a little more work. You need to manually push a freshly waxed chain onto the wide/narrow teeth of a 1x chainring while slowly turning the crank for the full length of the chain in order to push out extra wax from the gaps in the chain. If you don't, the freshly waxed chain may derail off the chainring when you first use it. Most 1x chainrings have longer teeth than their 2x counterparts, but the tooth length of all 1x chainrings are not the same. For example, the teeth of my Rotor QX1 Aero are 8.0 mm long and the teeth of my SRAM X-Sync are 7.0 mm long. The longer 8.0 mm teeth can make it even more difficult to break in a newly waxed chain because the longer teeth engage the gaps of the chain earlier and must push more extra wax out of the gaps. This may not be a big deal to most waxers because the benefits often outweigh the problems. But it's something to be aware of.
Comprehensive reply there my friend, nice work!
SRAM tech docs say to add four links to the chain rather than two (3 links plus the power link), I'm not sure why but this applies to Rival and force 1x
Wow, that's a lot of writing!
_@Casey Sanders_ - I think you're talking about clutch rear derailleurs. Add 2 links (1 inch or 25.4 mm) for a standard rear derailleur and add 4 links (2 inches or 50.8 mm) for one with a clutch. Remember, the procedure I described above already includes the chain length needed for the cage and jockey wheels because the chain is threaded through it when making the measurement. Since a standard (non-clutch) rear derailleur was used in the video and that's what I use also, I avoided talking about clutches. I see no need for them for smooth paved roads because there is minimal chain slap to dampen. Plus, the clutch adds unwanted friction to the drivetrain -- something I'm trying to reduce.
SRAM's 1x systems are designed primarily for cyclo-cross and gravel bikes. They aren't making 1x components for pure road cyclists like me -- yet. But a road rear derailleur (no clutch) with a medium or large cage works fine with a wide-range cassette in a 1x system if you stick to smooth roads. So I don't think that a new rear derailleur design is needed. The primary reason to change the rear derailleur is if you are adding a new cassette that has a wider range and needs it.
The only "problem" using a SRAM 1x system on a pure road bike -- and it's a minor one -- is that SRAM's X-Sync chainrings all have the wide teeth shaped with a bulge to clean the mud and debris out of a chain during cyclo-cross. I believe this adds friction. Plus it makes for a slightly noisier chainring. If they decide to market 1x for pure road bikes, they'll need to make 1x chainrings with smooth teeth optimized for that application. In the meantime, I wouldn't recommend an X-Sync for a pure road bike *if you're seeking every affordable marginal gain.* I used an X-Sync for two years on the road -- it works fine. But, now that I have my oval Rotor QX1 Aero chainring with smooth 1x wide/narrow teeth, I doubt I'll ever go back to either a 1x chainring with cyclo-cross teeth or a round chainring again. I'm not 100% convinced that the longer 8.0 mm teeth of the QX1 are needed or really help. But I have to defer to Rotor on that because they have loads of experience with oval chainrings and the tooth length may partly satisfy the requirements of a non-round shape.
Please do a you set up for road bikes
I'm setting up a giant tcr 1x11 I have an xo mt bike derailleur I was thinking of using
Thanks for your insight
Just made the switch to a 1x drive system. Can't believe how much it has simplified my ride! I lost a gear or two on the high end, but I'm 70 years old and I can still hit 30 mph without spinning out. Not needing to switch from large to small rings up front, especially when I'm doing a lot of up and downhill, just eliminates a lot of bother and making fine adjustments in the rear after you switch front rings. No down side for me.
I got a 2017 Trek Crossrip 1, it had a 48/32 chainrings with 11-32 cassette. With shimano Sora 9 speed shifters/derailleurs. I found myself never going to the smaller ring upfront, only trimming. So it was logical to just put a narrow-wide 48t chainring. No other modifications, just removed the shifter cable, front derailleur and switched to 48t narrow-wide chainring. Works like a dream! No more worries about trimming, and for my fitness / endurance rides 1by works great! I do think this is the future. They used 2by and 3by because technology wasn't quite there yet to put many sprockets in the back. Now we have that. 9 is enough for a recreational rider like me, I'm sure 12 will be plenty for more advanced riders.
I really want a video where we go through Jon's attic and see all these bikes!
Old Trek 720
With a 10 speed 11-40 cassette coupled with a 42 tooth wide narrow. Rear derailleur is a Shimano Zee mtb short cage with a Microsoft 10 speed bar end shifter. Works great! Never dropped a chain with this setup.
i wish my shed was full of "bits and pieces" like this :(
Yeah, an Eddy Merckx EMX-525 frame is more expensive then my complete "summer" racebike :(
I have heard of a Narrow wide before and even seen them on RUclips but this is the first time a someone explained what it was thank you
Mc Jcg my pleasure
I do it on my commuter bike. Even with big hills. It is an older bike with a 7 speed cassette, so I opted for a 40 tooth front ring, which gets me up most hills with the 28 in the rear. It is just easier to maintain, especially in the winter months.
I've just stumbled across my old Pinarello Dogma frameset also in my loft and blow me my 2016 Super Record groupo,
Let the 1 X build commence. 🚵🏼
Lol
Colnago rang me and are making me a frame.
Can't wait to use this as my pub bike.
I have been riding a 1 x for years. Started with a 48t track crank and a 14-28 6 speed cassette on an old steel frame about 30 years ago. Latest is a super lightweight Neil Pryde carbon frame with sram red and a 50t narrow/wide with a 11-30 cassette. Plus many other 1x builds on all types of bikes, Road, Mountain and Hybrid. Always on the lookout for broken left hand shifters that I can strip down to provide a lightweight brake lever.
Hello!!! I've got a Giant Contend SL 1 Disc 2018. This is an endurance road bike, remember that point, it is important.
I got a Roadlink deraileur hanger extender and put it on. However instead of placing the extender downwards, I set it pointing back as far as it would go so it would clear bigger cogs.
Now what I noticed straight away was that when I set it back as far as it would go, it set back further than what I noticed on other road bikes that did the same thing. My theory is that this was possible because it's an "endurance" road bike, and that because it's endurance, it's designed to come with a 32T cassette, which means it needs to clear cogs a bit bigger than a standard road bike. So I think the deraileur hanger of an endurance bike is set back a bit more than a standard road bike for that reason.
Now before I purchased the Roadlink I knew that you could clear a 42T cog on a road bike with a medium-cage GSG road deraileur, which is what I have. So I ordered an 11-42T cassette and Roadlink. When I fit the Roadlink on, I saw it set back further than expected, and because it's set back more than a standard road bike, I'm able to clear the 42T cog with room to spare without a B-screw. I believe I should be able to clear a 44 without a B-screw and 46 with a B-screw, so I'll be trying that in the future.
Moral of the story? If you have a standard road bike and a medium-cage GSG RD, you'll be able to clear a 42T with Roadlink. But if you have an endurance road bike, you should be able to clear more than 42T as endurance bike RD hangers are set back further than standard road bikes. Bet you didn't know that eh, quite exciting news isn't it?! There is another factor coming to play as to why I've got such large clearance, and that is chain length. A shorter chain pulls the upper jockey wheel away from the big cog, giving you more clearance. It also gives you the chain tension to run wide ranges, and also helps keep the chain on the chainring even without a narrow-wide. Just remember to put the chainring on the outer position as without a narrow-wide the chain will fall off the chainring when in the small cog if the chainring is in the inner position. When the chain is at it's loosest, you want the chainline to be straighter. The acute chainline from outer chainring position to big cog doesn't result in the chain coming off a standard chainring because there's a lot of chain tension when in the big cog.
When installing, set the chain on the big cog, then shorten the chain until the chain is almost straight through the jockey wheels. Your bottom jockey wheel should be pointing more forwards than downwards. Basically when your chain is in the second biggest cog, the chain length should be such that the RD should be about in the position people normally have it when on the biggest cog. Know what I mean? Works a treat.
Have I been helpful, I've been very helpful haven't I?
I recently converted my Kona Jake The Snake commuter bike to a 1x10. 42t Wolftooth oval chainring and 11-36 cassette. Switched out my 10-speed 105 derailleur for a 9-speed long cage Deore. It works like a dream.
So all I need is a Dura Ace Di2 equiped Merckx carbon frameset and I can hack a one by system. Bargain.
Frazer Goodwin or any frameset.
Just wish I had such spare kit kicking about ;-)
Frazer Goodwin 😉
I have…none of those… but I do have my imagination where anything is possible. 🥳
11-40 runs nice using a wolftooth hanger (similar to the red thingy) and a medium cage 105.
Yes....I ran 11-40 with Roadlink and works well. Slight loss in accurate shifting though,but you get used to it.
You don't even need a medium cage derailleur for this, since the derailleur capacity is reduce due to the lack of second ring. Short cage works just fine.
How to make a 1X for cheap - stay in the same front chainring
Haha that's one way!
...and remove the front deraillure
Not ideal....chain ring tooth angle and size is different to 1X (as pointed out above) , which make extreme angles noisy....
Tim Peterson, then the chain will be falling off cause the chainring has guides for going up/down (depending on where it's located). You NEED the narrow-wide chainring to keep it in place. Or the derailleur.
Tim Peterson I did that once, lost the chain 3 times on a downhill.. now I stick to dérailleur or narrow-wide chainring (on my cross bike)
Replaced rear derailleur with a low cost SRAM Apex 1 derailleur, 11 to 42 cassette, and kept the normal 50 tooth chainring. So far so good.
Is this a series you plan to update us on later? I'd love that, please let us know how it goes, maybe even some available upgrades. This concept is awesome.
I have converted my giant defy with roadlink extender and added a 11 40 shimano cassette. Worked all ok since August last year. Still have ultegra dual rings up front. Spacer needed when adding the mtb cassette.
Works a treat and no roads need you to leave the saddle.
I have four 1x rigs. Love it. Three are converted from standard and one is the latest SLX 1x11 iteration. Not sure I'd convert my road bikes over though. I did, however, convert an old GT ZR road bike from drop bars to straight and put on a WickWerks narrow/wide 42t CX chainring with 11/36 in the back. Light and quick!
Have used a bodged 1x system for British hill climbs last few years, all Shimano components, nothing special, just mounted the inner chain ring on the outside, and took a few chain links out to keep the tension tight! Haven't dropped a chain in 2 seasons of racing! Might go narrow wide chain ring this season though so extra safety
I have built up a Specialized roubaix frame bought off ebay with Sram 1X11, I live in North Yorkshire just outside the North Yorkshire Moors national park, lots off steep hills 20-25% in places. I'm 67 and fitted a 42 chainring and Sunrace 11-50 cassette., on these hills I can get up them - just, with 1X I am always in a the right gear for the different roads and constantly change gear easily when going up or down hills, no messing around finding the right combination of front and rear gears. I can get 23-28 max on the flat when I can find it without windy conditions, (for a short period).
Just ordered 1x10 parts for my flat bar road bike, Zee mech and Zee shifter, 11-36 with a 46 narrow/wide.
For anyone who's curious about a 50t Chainring + 11-42t 11-speed Cassette combination, here's my setup:
50t Wolf Tooth Narrow-Wide Chainring for Shimano R7000 Crankarm.
11-42t 11-speed Shimano XT Cassette on an 11-speed hub without spacer.
Shimano Ultegra RX derailleur with Wolf Tooth Roadlink DM.
116 Chain links Shimano Dura-ace (Any chain suitable for the Chainring will do too).
Although the Ultegra RX has the clutch mechanism, I like that it gives the option of turning it off for smoother shifting. I found the clutch not required on asphalt when paired with the Wolf Tooth Chainring--No chain slips so far after 400miles. On light gravel paths (~2" obstacles), it runs well without relying on the clutch as well. The clutch is still useful to minimize slaps on bumpier trails.
The cassette spacer on an 11-speed hub had me puzzled. While adding the 1.85mm spacer is recommended when pairing an 11-speed MTB cassette to an 11-speed road hub and tuning unloaded appears to validate it, riding the bike revealed otherwise--excessive noise on high gears (small sprockets). The skewed chainline was the main contributing factor after fiddling with the derailleur high limit screw and tension.
Removing the spacer had solved the issue and even with a slightly more skewed chainline on the low gears (large sprockets), the noise was minimal.
If available, I'll suggest going for more than 116 chain links for this configuration to reduce the derailleur extension on lower gears--Shimano sells 11-speed chains with 126 links. Sadly, I'd only found the 116 links version available in the shops nearby.
Hope this might help anyone save a few (mis)steps and pain. Ride on!
Run Di2 and you can use your road brifters with a mountain bike mech, no more worries about chain tension, and no need for a hanger extension.
I have a 1X with full Ultegra , 11-40 sunrace cassette , wolf tooth hanger and 44T wolftooth chainring on a Kona Rove Ti. Works fantastic.
Short cage Chorus 11s fit a 32 just fine. I'm running 1x Chorus with a custom 14-34 cassette (bad knees) and a 40T elliptical chainring without a derailleur extender.
I took the small chainring and downtube shifter off my 1987 Centurion Dave Scott, using washers to take up the slack on the chainring. I left the cassette as is, so it worked fine. Slight amount of crossover that I would imagine could have been dealt with somehow if I had felt like it.
Great video John, but there are many ways to do this. I have a Surly Cross Check that I hacked to 1x. I have Sram rival shifter, so I was able to use a Sram Gx (mountain bike) rear derailleur with a long cage (no extender needed). I went with a 11-40 cassette from Sun-Ring to help me up the mountains here in Utah. Up front I used a 44T standard chain ring with a chain-keeper. This eliminated the need for a narrow-wide chain ring. This has been a great set-up for several years now with no shifting problems, and no dropped chains (even on many long gravel rides).
I am a total 1x convert. I use Sram 10spd shifter (road, tt, and mtb) with x5 rear derailleurs and 11-36 10spd cassettes on my road, time trial, cyclocross, and mountain bikes with different size chainrings, all 1x. One of the things I enjoy most about this set up is that I can swap cassettes, wheels, and derailleurs between different bikes. Simple, seamless, and efficient. What's not to love about 1x ?
The wolf tooth hanger extension didn't match up with the B-tension screw on mine so I switched to an MtB derailleur & Wolf Tooth Components Tanpan Shimano. Shifts like a dream + clutched for better chain tension & barrel adjuster inline.
I made my SRAM red etap wifli groupsett 1x with a SRAM CX1 chainring and a 11-32 cassette. It works absolutely perfect, I never dropped a chain, even on gravel roads or fast races.
I'm gonna experiment with a 3T Overdrive 9-32 Cassette.
1x is the way to go and most importantly: it looks amazing!
Nice!
I'm looking to set up a allez 1x bike with this set up. What parts do I need for shifting? I'm used to shimano shifters (shifting RD on right brake lever) but understand the shifting on etap is on left and right brake levers?
Matthew Han you need a rear derailleur, right and left brake lever, and a narrow wide chainring. 💪
+ Cassette and chain
Good video! I live in pan flat Florida so have been using 1x on my road bike for a while now. SRAM eTap rear mech paired with an X-sync chainring has been a great combo. I run an 11-26 out back full time and have 46 and 50 tooth chainrings that I can switch between as the need arises. 50 tooth is the standard setup.
Glad you enjoyed Jon's video Nicholas!
I dumped my 3X ringset on my trike a few months back and will never go back! . I kept all my stock pieces other than 1x cankset&chainring. Total price was about $40. Total weight loss of bike was 2.0 lbs!
PS: I noted some comments below where posters' kept stock big chainring. Dont do it! Spend a few bucks and get a 1x (thick/thin) chainring. It will save you some frustration.
PSS: Vs swap out rear gears for a 32T+ big ring setup....or even a 10T small-ring setup ($$), this is what I did:
For my daily training stomping grounds (flat), I run a 50T 11x32 setup.....when I decide to do some hill riding, I simply swap out the 50T chainring for a smaller chainring and all is good. Takes only a few minutes, and only costs the price of a second 1X ring!
I use my 3x mountain bike on the road as a fitness tool and this is what I do. I decide before every ride which drivetrain I want to use. I keep it there for the whole ride and use all of the cassette in the back. This allows me to enjoy the ride, grind away and not worry so much about shifting. And of course I still have a 2x or 3x system if I want.
To each their own and do what you want. The point is to get out and enjoy moving.
Doing it this weekend. But got to get the 11-36T soon
Other ways to do this (that I have done):
1. All SRAM 10-speed MTB rear mechs work with all SRAM 11-speed road rear shifters. So if you have SRAM shifter you can buy a cheap GX clutch derailleur: you won't need the extender, the tension will be much better, and you'll have a lot better chain wrap all through the cassette so shifting will be much improved.
2. You can leave the inner ring on there instead of using spacers or shorter bolts, it works perfectly and just looks a bit crappy.
Not a hack or bodge, but be realistic about what gearing you need. I find I don't spin out a 42x11 in the real world and 42x32 is about the same lowest gear as a 28 cassette on a compact chainset so I don't have problems on hills.
I have hacked my drivetrain on my commuter... 42t narrow/wide front ring with an 11-32 on the rear. If you take a link or two out of your chain you can probably increase the rear mech tension while still allowing access to the biggest cog. If have had no issues since I converted (about 6 months ago)!!
For new Shimano Road (R9100, R8000, R7000). My friends tested it using Standard medium cage RD w/o extender with 11-40t XT 11s cassette and so far, the drivetrain doesn't have any problem. (Ultegra RX RD is highly recommended)
I've previously hacked 1x on 2 cross bikes. First time around: SRAM Red crank with the 53T removed leaving the 39T. I used a short cage SRAM Red rear derailleur and no chain guide or keeper. Dropped a chain several times when in the smaller cogs (11-28 XG1090 cassette) on the rear so I shortened the chain and had fewer drops. On my 2nd time around I used an Ultegra 6800 crank with a Wolf Tooth 42T narrow-wide ring and a medium cage Force 1x RD (11-34 cassette) with 2012 Red shfiters. This setup was quite nice and stayed until I sold the bike.
Next 1x setup on a future build will be Di2 road/mtb component combination.
After riding my ultegra groupset with double speed chainset for years I always hated the front derailleur and thought it was such a waste. I barely ever used smaller chainring with 11-28 cassette only on super steep uphills that had decent length to them. I now want to convert all my bikes to single speed chainset and at least 11-32 cassette. I will use my hybrid bike as a guinea pig to convert that first and then if I like it I will do my road bike as well.
Ultegra hydraulic discs and a black chainring teamed up with a RX rear mech and roadlink feeding a xt cassette - like the hack though and hope it helps others try out 1by setups.
Interesting video to show how to do it but if you have already got a dual chain ring and you do the work on the rear of the drive train but keep the front the same you will be able to climb anything when it gets tough with no downside. I can see that 1x is a benefit to manufacturers as it should be cheaper but can't see any to a user.
Oh JohhnyTech, using Chorus, you always make the best choices!
Done this twice on MTB's, both times 1x10. Once with a hybrid, with 1x10. And on my CX with 1x11. Never dropped a chain with narrow wide rings.
👍
hacked together a 1x with an early 80s panasonic frame/fork and a set of 29er mtb wheels. all i bought was the 700x23c tires which are cheap. best way for a mtb guy to try road biking.
I'm think of converting my 3x7 to a 1x9 on my 26" bike. I don't feel like dealing with cross chaining or tuning the front derailleur, either. 1x9 should give me a wide enough selection for the occasional bike path, but with the simplicity that pavement is just fine with.
And I'm going to convert to ebike in the future, too. So a 9 speed cassette will be plenty of gears for use with a 500W middrive.
I just need to figure out what size chainring I want in the interim.
My TT bike: Wolftooth narrow wide chainring, properly sized chain with no excess, sram red wifli hacked with 15t pulley wheels. Never dropped the chain. No clutch and no chain keeper is not a problem on the road, its not like you are riding through rock gardens. (psst find my photo and show it on the bike vault).
Separately I use the derailleur hangar on my hill climb bike. 46/30 up front and 40t big cog in the back. If you go slower than 30/42 you are walking anyway.
In the days of the square taper bottom bracket you would have had an added advantage when going 1x: the possibility to adjust the chainline by using shorter spindles.
I did a super cheap 1x conversion. Adjust the limit screws on your front derailleur until you can't shift of the middle sprocket & then tear off the cable and shift mechanism from your left handle bar. Mission accomplished.
My setup R8000 rear mech with M8000 11-40T without extended
I went though all this exitement on my mountain bike 10 years ago, less bar clutter plus you save 200g from no front derailleur one less chain ring and no cable and outer. I just don't get the point on a road bike. You'll either be spun out every time you ride downhill over 45 kmh or grinding up every gradient over 10%.
I have a 53-36 with an 11-36 mountain bike cassette on the back, works like a charm, massive range.
Running a 50x32 in Yorkshire will also require new knees.
Underrated comment.
Are we gonna get a video of you testing and tweaking this hack? 😁 you have me genuinely interested in doing this !
Could do Richard!
no discussion of chain line. as roadies, we're relegated to the outer position w/ 1x set ups unless we run a 42 or so on the inner as I did on my gravel. 1x specific cranks aren't yet common enough to obtain 'cheaply' so it looks like outer only.
My bodge experience with 1X:Commuting home on a balmy September's eve, I was at a light (junction) by the university when I spied some fair, impressionable coeds hoping to dazzle them with a masculine display of acceleration from a well trained track-stand. (Being an "off the market" married middle-aged man this is sort of self indulgent attention I am morally limited to.) As I hurled myself and steel steed forward in the small-ring, my cadence was abruptly halted in the middle of the intersection and I had to coast to the other side. The intended audience was not even paying attention (which they usually don't), which in this case was a relief. I surveyed the cause and found that my inner ring was collapsed in on itself. "What an absolute display of metal crushing torque!" I though to myself. 'Twas not the case. Ignoring regular maintenance protocols prescribed by this channel, I found that I was missing two chain-ring bolt, and a third was loose. Being prepared and casually dressed, I had my multi-tool and my t-shirt available, so I removed the now badly deformed sprocket which had wedged itself between a crank and the frame. I replaced the big ring, using the existing double ring bolts and the bottom hemming of my t-shirt to take up the slack (like a washer) of the now-too-long bolt. I then proceeded to humbly ride my new and temporary 1X set-up, carrying my "tacoed" inner ring, my ragged-bottomed shirt, my bruised ego back home to the first woman I ever successfully impressed.
Tim Peterson haha. Lovely story Tim. I feel like I should have you in the set with me to explain it.
Jon, I wish I was on the same continent; I would be pleased to share that story in person. I am honored never the less. How can I send a photo of the garbled chain-ring in lieu?
Tim Peterson tech@globalcyclingnetwork.com thanks!
I already have a 1 x drivetrain for in the cyclocross season I recommend that.good video j.
Cheers Pat
I use 1x11 in my road bike, I went the other way around and opted for a smaller chainring. It cuts a couple gears from the top but 44/11-28 gives me the same high gear what the GOAT Eddy had. If it was big enough for Eddy, it's big enough for me. Never dropped a chain or had any problems on regular RD and narro-wide chainring. I can highly recommend.
My Specialized Sequoia came with 2x9. I had front derailuer noise that was impossible to get rid of. I converted it from drop bars to Jones Bikes H bars, 38 tooth chainring and 11-42 cassette. Had to replace the rear derailleur, brake levers and switch to a thumb shifter. It turned out fantastic. Rides very good.
Nice. Could do a video about your experiences too? I would be interested in it.
Cheers Jon. It sounds like my bike "library" is quite similar to yours. I've actually converted three of my di2 road bikes, and my fat-bike to 1x. Using ultegra 6800 mid-cage derailleurs + wolf tooth roadlink, paired with either sram 11/36 road cassette or shimano 11/42 xt cassette. Oh, and also have the sram xd hub on a set of local made carbon disc wheels with 10/42 cassette. Love all of them and have been putting more miles on them that my 2x setups. I've been meaning to submit one of them for the bike vault... anyway, when I want to feel free and not think at all while peddling, 1x is a treat - easier or harder is all I have to consider when clicking that shift button :)
Thanks Simon for watching 👍
Doing it next month 😁
(I'm on Si's side, 1x is definitely 'a' future.)
Cool, let us know how you get on
Not 1x for me but I did extend a campagnolo short cage this way into a 11-34T shimano casette hybrid setup for climbing. Not recommended but works great.
Great to hear that its working for you
i think you could shorten the chain by one or two more links honestly, this would add a little bit more tension in the 11 sprocket !
Zeben84 yep. I am going to be playing around with other cassettes too, 36 and beyond to see how the fit. So don't want the chain too short right now. Cheers. Jon
Been thinking about doing this mod for my Allez sprint, never use small ring on it
Let us know if you go for it!
d b that's what I did on mine. 50t with an 11-40 cassette (might go to a 36t instead
WOW Please call me if you ever need your attic cleaned Jon.. If you have a Campy chorus 11 Speed derailleurs up there collecting dust.. Who know what one may find up in your attic..
Jon, I think I speak for a lot of viewers when I say I'd love to see a "GCN behind the scenes" of your bike collection/garage/attic/shed :D
Given how many people are doing 1x conversions, why haven't Shimano come out with a dedicated road 1x groupset yet >.< ! With Ultegra RX and now the new MTB 1x12, I wonder if Shimano do have something on the way...
I hacked my old commuter bike to 1x9 speed, it was absolutely great for commuting and a light bot of offroading - shame I sold that bike really. Building up a CX bike soon and that will certainly be 1x and I hope to convert my TT bike to 1x too.
John what tyres are you using?
*does his magic*
Here you go
That drivetrain is awesome that is what I'm gonna do 50t up front and 11-28...on back... I live in florida I think that 28t will be enough but should I invest in a 32?? idk
I hope you will not mind me asking but any chance you could put up a video on Hand Cycling for us Disabled Riders please? It is so difficult to find anything of this calibre easily? Thanks in advance Aindre
There is a new ultegra rx800 clutch derailleur with a medium cage. It is reasonably priced.
Hacked mine. Standard Q ring, clutch rear Sram Force derailleur, 11-42 cassette. Down shift too fast while spinning you might drop the chain, and I don't know if a N/W ring will still that. Does everything just fine.
Definitely inspired to have a go myself.
Go for it Shaun!
Please do a you set up for road bikes
I'm setting up a giant tcr 1x11 I have an xo mt bike derailleur I was thinking of using
Thanks for your insight
I think the need for narrow-wide chainrings are overrated for road use.
I went for 1x on my flatbar commuter bike 3-4 year ago, because the front mech needed cleaning and lube all the time.
I am not using narrow-wide chainring, and i have only dropped the chain a very limited amount of times.
The main advantage of 1x for my point of view is much easier cleaning of the chainring.
I consider removing the large chainring on my race bike too. It so few times i need the 52T and it would be so much easier to clean.
Steffen Stengård Villadsen I thought the same thing until I dropped a chain 13 times in one ride....narrow wide chaining stopped it and haven't dropped one since
I was tight on budget so i got an affordable bicycle with 3x7 gears rear gears are 14-28 & after trying to climb a hill i started to think that i should've invested more cos the lower gears aren't low enough
Ahhhhhhh... I miss Jon Cannings!
I got the notification for this as I was shopping for my new chainring bolts. John, I have a similar setup 2007 era R600 crank 110mm BCD and a Raceface 42T, what length bolts did you use? How did you decide to set up your chain line, inner vs outer mounting the ring?
Robert Williams still experimenting on the chain line. Cheers
Used single speed bolts
I just finished my 1x build, My chainring is on the outside of the crank mounts, and the chain line seems ok. Look for my Stevens Prestige in the next few days coming to the bike vault(I need to clean it first).
How about a video for how to hack a 1X drive train off your road bike. I think that is what aquablue sport are in need of at the moment.
I really like the hack GCN :)
I just got a new Checkpoint ALR 4, 2021. It’s a 2x10, GRX 400. I really wanted a 1x, but this was available and affordable in a scarce market. I also really liked the fit and ride of it. What parts would I need to upgrade to a 1x system for it?
My Hack is a 46 chain rinG with a XT RD for a 40t cassette
Great 1x
But I am keeping the inner 34 granny ring aswell......
How’d you get in without the clutch rear derailleur?
Trying to do the same thing due to the current parts shortage
Hello Jon and GCN. Would you say that a clutch derailleur for a 1x drive train on a road is NOT necessary? I've you been riding enough the set up of the video to get an opinion on this topic?
Hey John, one thing you forgot to mention is the chain line. I had to run a chainring with a slight offset to get the chain line as centered on the cassette as possible. If you run a chainring that doesn't line the chain up centered on the cassette, your are going to run into some serious cross-chaining issues when shifting at the high or low end! Great video as always! Cheers 🍻
How did it go? Any chain drops? I'm currently doing the very same hack but keeping the 13-29 cassette, until I find out whether it's enough or not.
Great video!
You should see my 10speed/9speed/8speed drivetrian combo
No way do I want a 1x drivetrain, but I still found your video very interesting .
That's good to know, cheers David!
I just removed the front derailleur on my rain-commute bike (yes I have one of those 🤓) I was always riding in the big ring and on two or three tooth in the back. Why? no rubbing at all.
Definitely doing this😇
I use a full 105 5700 groupset with a N/W chainring up top and an 11-40 cassette on the back. Chainline was coincidentally perfect with the chainring on the inside of the (formerly double) crank. Works with standard road shifters but decided to swap out the rear mech for an old 9 speed XT one I had kept for spares - its old enough to have the same cable pull ratio
if I use a rear derailleur with a clutch and a non narrow-wide chainring, the chain shouldn’t come off, right?
Front Chain Guides for 1x systems have been completely neglected for Road ... or have they ?
@Jon Cannings Do the zip ties on the chain stay actually work as cable stoppers?
Do you think manufacturers will be producing off the shelf 1x road bikes anytime soon ?
i keep having drop chain in the chainring area. how to ensure the chain tension is correct? i may have a bit too long chain
I have a problem with 1x chainring ... everything works fine .. but my chain comes off the 1x ring ... that happens when I change gears or in the same gear cruising & it happens out of the blue. Any ideas ?
Thanks
No mention of front shifter?
Odd. I got a 1x chainring and didn't have to add a adapter on both my bikes for the rear derailleur. I also have a 11-32t cassette.
Greetings. Have a 12 to 28Teeth Shimano 10 speed cassette. How many teeth should the front chainring have? Is 40Teeth good for road?