Bucking the Trend - Going back to 2x11

[mbruno]

Alright folks, I know 1x11 has been all the rage for the past couple years. I've enjoyed the fruits of racing on a 1x setup for 2 years now and couldn't imagine going back to 2 chainrings... Until a couple weeks ago...

One afternoon, trying to do sprint intervals on my cross bike on the road, I ended up spinning out on the flats with a 42t up front and 11x28 in the back. I usually do my road intervals on my road bike, which seems apt in the summertime. But, during the autumn months in the throes of cross season, I don't want to get all thrown out of whack training on a bike with slightly different geometry than the one I'm racing on.

Then, a few days later I'm racing (quite poorly I might add) at Marty's, trying to follow Billy E's wheel. Every time he jumped out of the saddle on a climb, I tried to follow and always felt either under or over-geared. I was running a 42t ring with 28x11 out back, he looked to have a 46/36t rings with an 11x25 out back.

I've been thinking about it a bunch lately and think a lot about straight on power sections, like those couple flats at Whirlybird. Every time I upshift on a power section, I feel behind the gear for a bit, a bit more behind the gear than is comfortable. I wonder what it'd be like going back to 11x25 and having those nice little jumps between gears?

Anyone have any thoughts on this? Dumb question, I'm sure everyone has thoughts on this. FYI, don't try to dissuade me, I already pulled the trigger on the components I need to make my pit/training cross bike 2x11. Internets... GO.

 

[ChrisG]

You've just described a good deal of the rationale behind my setup.

I run 38/44 on the front with 12x25 (10 speed). I cut my racing teeth on 8/9 speed setups (both road and mountain) and staying on top of the gear is something I'm very, very aware of.

I keep thinking about what sort of 1x11 setup I would run, should I end up there one of these days.

 

[hotsauce]

Take my opinions and analysis with a grain of salt, I'm a first year cross races, obviously not on the pointy end of the sport as you are, and sitting on an Amtrak train to Boston with nothing to kill but time.

You identify two separate issues here:

1. running out of gears
2. jumps between gears are bigger than you'd like

On point 1, you're running out of gears in training which leads to making changes to your race bike. Why not just go to 44t front ring on your pit bike and do intervals on that? Or make the setup on your road bike as identical as possible to the cross bikes? Not super hard to do, especially if you have the same pedal setup and a few extra stems laying around. Or do your intervals on grass or up a hill so you have more resistance?

Looking at gear inch mins and maxes:
Old:
42 x 28: 40.5 inches
42 x 11: 103.2 inches

New:
36 x 25: 38.9 inches
46 x 11: 112.9 inches

On the hardest gear, you gain 9.4% more and in your easiest gear you get 4% less. Would an extra 9.4% be enough for your training or would you be spinning out in 46x11 too? Pure speculation but I'd guess you ride a standard crankset on the road which is a far cry from your new setup and you'll be looking for more gears in training.

On point 2, I think it's totally personal preference. If you're more comfortable at a wider range of cadences then a 1x setup is less of an issue but if you prefer to spin at X cadence then you could benefit from the wider range of gear selections. Just remember that you're more likely to drop a chain, have cross chain issues, etc. At the pointy end of the race it could make a difference but its something to weigh the pluses and minuses of, and it sounds like you have.

My take:
It's my first season racing cross and riding SRAM 1x. So far I love it, It just works pure and simple. Only dropped a chain once after wiping out like an idiot in my second race. I started on a 42t front with 11-32 out back but recently moved to 40t front since I never touched the bottom of my cassette, even in training or on pavement. I do intervals on my road bike on the trainer so spinning out in training isn't an issue for me. I think the "perfect" set-up for me would be 38t or 40t front with 11-32 cassette. I'd be content at mid-90s cadence all the time if I could, so I'll take the smaller gears.

The jumps at the top of the cassette are a little steep but as long as I can spin at 80 rpm or above, I'm happy. Though thinking about it again, maybe the lack of a low end was the difference between me walking and riding the steep uphill at day 2 at Bubble Cross.


But, bottom line is do whatever the heck you want, especially if you're in the UCI field!

 

[Delish]

This is my first year on 1x since prolly 2011. I miss a lot of things about 2x...all the things you describe. I don't like the big jumps for racing or training. I had been on a 12-26 cassette with 38/46 front. I have dropped the chain exactly the same amount on 1x as I did with 2x which is zero.

 

[seanrunnette]

I did 1x for a coupla years, then built up a B bike with 2x and started riding that WAY more. Like being able to drop from the 44 to the 34 in a flick, and liked the amount of room I had in terms of gearing. Ran 12-25 or 11-28 depending on the wheelset and the day. I did drop occasionally, but it wasn't enuf to make me sad. I'm down to one bike, and it's a double. Just switched to Wickwerks rings, but the front cage is cracked Still works, and it's getting warrantied, but I was really really careful shifting the big ring at Bubble. So, yeah, complicated, but I like it. If it was easy or convenient, it wouldn't be cx. At the pointy end, where you race @mbruno, anything that's more efficient and makes you happier is go!

 

[The Heckler]

Been living the 1x A, 2x B bike life all this year.

Love it.

It great having the 46-36 set up on the B for the training. I put down a 50 hour August on my cross bike which ruled as far as getting used to the bike goes. I think the A is a 42T ring.

I am running 11-32 cassettes on both so everything is interchangeable and chain sized. I do know what you mean about gear choice, I miss the fight gears to an extent but having spent so much time on that 11-32 leading up to cross I got pretty used to the jumps.

Going forward I will probably always have an A and B bike if only for training purposes. The only way I would go 1x on both is if I also had an identical C bike for training. (WHICH WOULD RULE!)

 

[Pearl]

but what about the weight bro

Sometimes I think 40x28 is too big on some climbs, I don't remember you being a masher/spinner. I would do some math and see if that "sweet spot" you're looking for isn't inbetween the FD!

 

[mbruno]

I feel like the increased weight could (and should) be off-set by a comparable decrease in weight off my body...

It's not so much the "sweet spot" I'm missing. I don't think I've really ever felt like I've run out of gear running 1x. For a climby'er course, I'll throw an 11x32 out back. It's more the small jumps between gears that I'm missing.

I'm not saying that 2x is the right thing for every course. For example, at Bubblecross day 1, 1x was definitely the way to go. There was this transition between the sand and double-track mountain bike section that would have been just too complicated for me to think about managing 2 chainrings.

I think @The Heckler is right, I should just get a "C" bike.

 

[Pearl]

on top of the C bike, you also need a avatar, you man of mystery you!

 

[hotsauce]

It looks like 2x11 was a winner at SCCX under @mbruno. Can everyone switch so I can buy your clutch derailleurs at rock bottom prices?

 

[Pearl]

you can still run clutch RD with 2x11 doe

 

[hotsauce]

Ah, I was only thinking of the SRAM road 1x products. Looks like anything marketed as "X-Horizon" is 1x only but some SRAM MTB clutch deraillerus are different. I guess I should know better when posting on a MTB centric forum.

 

[mbruno]

It looks like 2x11 was a winner at SCCX under @mbruno. Can everyone switch so I can buy your clutch derailleurs at rock bottom prices?

Nope, didn't get the components in time. Was running 40t up front w/ 11x28 out back. Should have my 2x11 bike set up for next week.