[Closed] 1×11 or 2×10

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Sram 11st (10-42) vs 2x10

Basically for any chain ring you can see what you do and don't get. I think you can end up with 2 1/2 gears missing with 11sp

I'm running a 30t up front, have used 32 and 34 as well. Depends on your riding and fitness really. I find I have more useful gears. IYou will need to go XX1 for 28t option

someone who has gone from 2x to 1x, have they found climbing more difficult or long rides needing faster gears.

*raises hand* had no issues at all. As it happens I went from 3x9 to 1x11 and don't miss the granny or big ring. So much so that all my mtbs are now 1x11. Note that this is with a sram 10-42 cassette, 30t on the (effectively a 29er) fatbike, 32t on 26" ht and 27.5 fs trail bike and 34t on the 165mm 27.5" 'gravity' bike

I love the idea of 1x11 but I don't love the cost.

To be honest I will be moving to 1x11 when I can get it sorted on my XC bike, 1x10 on my trail bike 11-40. That is a bit limiting (as the numbers above show)

For SRAM 1x11 I'd be looming at 32t unless it was really hilly. The leaves you with the range of roughly 2x with a 12-32 cassette. I would have a 30t in the spares box for certain things (like this Sunday when I'm racing a lot of long ups and I'm not feeling on good form)

I'm currently riding a 29er 2x10 and to be honest it's only the steepest of climbs I use the two larger rings, should fine judging buy what you guys are saying.
Cheers

There is a lot to be said for spiderless/splined crank interfaces. I own a 28T ring. I don't use it, but I could...

😉

I have gone from a 3x9 to 2x10 to 1x10 and then 1x11, the 1xX gearing is the best mod I've done and it's now the standard for anything I would buy in the future. I live on the South Downs so most of my riding is about either going up or coming back down again 😀 When I first converted from 2X10 to 1x10 I made sure the low gearing was pretty much the same so I was confident in climbing my local hills, this ended up with a 30t chainring and I have stuck with this. It does mean that on my 1x10 bike I spin out on the downhill sections but I'm fine with that and happy to let gravity do its thang. I've been over to Afan for a weekend when my bike was 1x10 and had no problem with the climbing or decents there!

Personally I wouldn't go back to 2x10

The top end on the 2x10 is pointless anyway. 28t chainring, 11sp, job done, not missing any usable gears.

Ive 1x10 on my 29er hardtail, hardest gear is 32x11, I have never spun out on it off road. Tried on road down a hill recently, think I spun out at about 32mph, the 38x11 on the 2x10 is pretty pointless.

Have not touched the 10t on my trail bike with a 3030t ring either

Ive 1x10 on my 29er hardtail, hardest gear is 32x11, I have never spun out on it off road. Tried on road down a hill recently, think I spun out at about 32mph, the 38x11 on the 2x10 is pretty pointless.

You may reach terminal pedalling velocity higher, but 32-11 is very skinny above about 22mph, so slight downhills on the road (not all of us drive to ride) can be a pain. 1x11 (SRAM at least) mitigates this.

1x11 is great for me, but you're not me OP, it may be great for you, but it may not.

deanfbm - Member
The top end on the 2x10 is pointless anyway. 28t chainring, 11sp, job done, not missing any usable gears.

I went from 3x9 to 2x9 when I fitted a bash - then 1x9 when my shifter packed in

I then went to 1x10 (34 with an 11-36 cassette) and it was fine - if a little hard on longer climbs. But you got used to it over time

I then had a bit of time off the bike - and when I went back I just put an extender on so now it's 34 with 11-40

As njee said - it worked for me. I suppose the only way to find out is to try it before buying but you'll grow into it

EDIT: I don't really race

I just don't get it.

I tried 1x10 for six months on my Solaris: 28T NW chainring, 42 tooth sprocket and a RAD cage. It worked just fine. The downsides were not that great and if I neeed to go 1x to get the geometry I wanted I might consider it, but overall I just couldn't see the point.

Once I've set it up I've rarely had to touch a front mech. They've never given me any problems, they weigh next to nothing and I don't drop chains.

The 1x10 setup meant I didn't have a big enough gear for road sections and my bottom gear was still 10% higher than the 22x36 I had with my 2x10 setup. I could still get up everything I could ride before, but after six months I developed a sharp pain in my left knee. It may have been coincidence, but it's getting better now that I've gone back to 2x10.

Also, I may hardly ever use my lowest (22x36) gear. But when I do want it (like at the end of a long day) I really want it.

Still, each to their own.

I agree with roverpig. Phrases like "you get used to" not having a proper bottom gear and the idea that nobody should ever want to pedal above ~20mph seem ridiculous to me.

So as with everything, it's horses for courses, and 1x is not for me.

Phrases like "you get used to" not having a proper bottom gear and the idea that nobody should ever want to pedal above ~20mph seem ridiculous to me.

EDIT: I don't really race

I do, and still find it fine (as was 1x10 with 36t and 11-36), so that's another use case it works for 🙂

Phrases like "you get used to" not having a proper bottom gear and the idea that nobody should ever want to pedal above ~20mph seem ridiculous to me.

But it's not always like that, it's personal. I agree, I don't want to compromise, I don't want to walk up hills or 'get used to' anything. I find 1x11 perfect for what I want to do. I've taken my MTB on road group rides, and averaged >20mph, barely touching the 10t (32t chainring). It's more than enough up to about 26mph (far better than the 11t).

That still may not suit, but for me, it's perfect, not a compromise in the least.

I was worried about spinning out, in reality with a 32t front ring - no chance. Still hitting 35mph+ downhill.

Agree Sunday + Rover, I just couldn't see 1x working for me. I'm still running 3x as it came on the bike. I rarely use the big ring (Although I have) so could go 2x easily enough but 1x just wouldn't give me the range and saving a few grams just isn't worth it.

The only think that comes close to offering the range would be 10-42 but I'm not in the habit of spending more to get less as I really can't see the point.

[quote="g5604]I was worried about spinning out, in reality with a 32t front ring - no chance. Still hitting 35mph+ downhill.
32x10 @ 35mph is about 140rpm, and you're nowhere near spinning out ??

The biggest difference is the ££££. The gear range is near enough the same. I've had 1x10 (32 to 11-36) on bikes before and it was a comprimise in terms of simplicity and ground clerance Vs gears, and it was good for it's intended purpose, but 2x10 is good at other things. 1x11 is just a no comprimise option, but it costs ££££ where 2x10 SLX or X5/X7 just does the job.

Been using 2x9 for years and then spec'd the new bike with SRAM XX1. Bloody love it personally! Hasn't stopped me getting up any of the climbs I do, plenty gears for pointing down the way, raced with it and used it for a week in the Alps last year. One of the best bits of kits I've used. It is expensive, but any other new bike I would choose in the future will have it too.

32x10 @ 35mph is about 140rpm, and you're nowhere near spinning out ??

It's a bit over 120rpm with 2.3" tyres, so getting very spinny, but not quite as implausible. Point is that it's good up to c30mph, and even on the road I rarely pedal much above that, crouching is more effective!

From memory/feel it was about 28/29mph that 39/11 got too spinny for me to bother pedalling and just tuck on a decent.

Prices will most likely come down in a year or so like any new kit. At least I hope so. I'm new to Sram drivetrains but very impressed with X1 so far.

Prices will come down when SRAM start doing different things with cassettes I'd say, X1 is getting there, but it's still all quite intricate (and hence lighter than XTR 10 speed, despite the increased number and size of sprockets).

When you can get a heavy pinned steel cassette we'll see prices nearer £50 or so I reckon.

The thing that everyone seems to miss when talking about 1x11 vs 2x10 vs 1x10 is the effect of chain ring size upon how your suspension works. Bikes that climb well in a granny ring will bob loads in a middle ring. Bikes that climb well in the middle ring will stiffen up too much in the granny ring.

I've just had a look through my Strava data and on the odd road segment I'm frequently hitting over 30mph downhill and not spinning out with 32-11 27.5" or 34-11 26". On the steepest quickest bits I occasionally hit 40mph and that's too fast for my legs to add anything but who pedals that fast off-road?

When you can get a heavy pinned steel cassette we'll see prices nearer £50 or so I reckon.

But what's the point then? Instead you could run a double with minimum weight penalty but improved gear ratio's.

i went from a 3x10 set up to a 1x10 set up after spending a few months experimenting on a single speed. all wagon wheelers (which i love)

i know its not exactly what the op was asking but i managed much better than i though i would with less gears. i'm not really bothered about the weight saving (or racing these days) but i think gearing is ultimately dictated by were you ride and how you ride.

if i lived somewhere flatter, id be running a single speed set up all the time. I'm also riding alone almost all the time so choosing to limit things a bit makes sure I'm still making life hard...

But what's the point then? Instead you could run a double with minimum weight penalty but improved gear ratio's.

It'll still weigh less, simplicity, better chain line, reduced wear, aesthetics. Dunno, I'm not that fussed by the cost of the current stuff! As I said in my previous post though, 1x11 isn't a compromise for me, functionally I prefer it to 2x10. I don't need a wider range, it brings nothing.

But I was merely pointing out that SRAM XX1/X01 are not expensive solely because it's new.

One of the advantages is the disadvantage. It's a bit like singlespeed, sometimes it's just nice to be forced into a set of gears, the reduced range stops me from twiddling up hills and also helped cure me of my too-high-gear descending. it doesn't really make sense but neither does just about anything else about mountain biking.

Also last night I set up a front mech for the first time in ages and that can **** off. On the other hand... It's now snowing and the one thing 1x gearing is [i]really[/i] bad at is snow, since you can't do the "steady power in a low gear" thing

On 40 front with 11 rear 43 mph downhill it the limit of where the spinning legs become blurry in motion...

It makes me wonder how do people cope with those steep, rooty, muddy climbs having single ring (32 or 30) - there are some around that the only way of getting to the top (at least for me) is getting to 24-36 and try to spin as gently as possible, controlling the rear wheel not to over-spin too much. No chance I'd make it on my middle ring (which is 30t)!
In the summer - no problem, you can even stand on the pedals. But does it work in winter glop? I'm talking about the mentioned technical and steep climbs...

Pretty certain there are some very steep, very technical and sometimes very long climbs which my mates and I wouldn't be able to ride up if we didn't have a granny ring. Depends where you ride, I guess, and how happy you are to get off and push once in a while. Or am I wrong? Can a 1 x set-up give you as low a gear as the lowest 2 x?

Ride singlespeed for a few months then 1 x anything will seem easy.

Can a 1 x set-up give you as low a gear as the lowest 2 x?

It can, depends entirely on chainring size. I used to run a 32/44 double, with an 11-34. Even accounting for different wheelsizes I now have an easier gear with 1x11 on a 32t ring.

We're all different though. I've not had smaller than a 28t chainring in 10 years, and don't miss it. I'm fairly fit, the bike's quite light, I'm not seeking the most crazy technical climbs I can. IMO by the time you're in 22-32 or whatever you've got so little momentum that you'll stall on anything tough anyway. A bit more speed works in your favour, and I'm strong enough to be able to make it work.

I can't think of any climb at all that I've failed on 1x11 that I would have made if I'd had a lower gear, and I can only think of two climbs full stop that I've failed on - one I've never cleaned, and only seen one person do it, one I've done in the dry, but just too steep in the wet, again it's a minority who clear it.

That's not to say it's perfect, but for me it works very well indeed.

Can a 1 x set-up give you as low a gear as the lowest 2 x?

it *can* (dependant on the c/ring choice) but I found that if I was in the grany ring on my 3x9, and getting into the biggest sprocket, (22-34) I'd be faster walking anyway.

Pretty certain there are some very steep, very technical and sometimes very long climbs which my mates and I wouldn't be able to ride up if we didn't have a granny ring. Depends where you ride, I guess, and how happy you are to get off and push once in a while. Or am I wrong? Can a 1 x set-up give you as low a gear as the lowest 2 x?

Ride singlespeed for a few months then 1 x anything will seem easy

Can a 1 x set-up give you as low a gear as the lowest 2 x?

Not according to that SRAM chart above, you'd need a 28t chainring which seems far too small for flat and DH riding...and that only takes you down to the ratio provided by a 24t granny on their chart, most of my Shimano 'double and bash stuff' has had 22/36 as the chainrings....a 22t x 36 lowest ratio is lower than that SRAM 28t x 42 on that chart...which always brings me back to sitting firmly in the 'whats the point?' camp....

For steep, techy uphill stuff i love being able to stick it on the 22t granny and have a huge range of low gears...and for pedalling on the flat and certainly on DH stuff i like to have the 36t chainring and then the spread of gears out back with nice close ratios.

I ran a 1 x 9 setup on the hardtail when i bought it and didnt like it, uphills were a slog and i could spin out downhill...seemed a lovely idea for the simplicity of dropping a shifter from the bars and reducing clutter but in reality it only provided me with the gears i wanted for the middle ground of any particular ride...as soon as anything became extreme uphill or extreme downhill i didnt have the suitable gears and after a while this started to grate, i'm not interested in getting off and walking up hills i know i can cycle up with the appropriate gears so i soon fitted a double and bash to that bike...perfect, no large gaps in ratios, no loss of gear ratios at the extreme ends...a gear for every situation basically and for me thats what a MTB is about.

re. the dropped chain thing, admittedly i wasnt using a narrow/wide chainring on the 1 x 9 but i lost the chain off the front a few times, it wasnt any better for chain retention than any other groupset i've ridden, i can count on one hand the number of times i've lost the chain from the chainset on a 'double and bash' setup.

Cost is an issue for me too, in my opinion MTBing should be (fairly) cheap, we ride bicycles not hi-tech, over engineered motor vehicles...the chain is still shifted by derailleurs and our legs still provide the 'engine'....in the grand scheme of things they are not particularly difficult to build and maintain...

...so spending money on a clutch mech, bash guard, chain device, narrow/wide chainring, expander sprocket, RAD cage, replacement 16t sprocket to compensate for the jump in ratios you've created etc etc....just seems mental when i can order a new 2 x 10 drivetrain from Ribble for £145....the SRAM 11-speed groupset is around £500 from most places, that rules me out when is doesnt give me anything that a 2 x 10 doesnt already have...in fact it takes away ratios!

I dont get it either.

I'm not sure why this is such a divisive topic, what works for others may not work for you. Simple.

For steep, techy uphill stuff i love being able to stick it on the 22t granny and have a huge range of low gears...and for pedalling on the flat and certainly on DH stuff i like to have the 36t chainring and then the spread of gears out back with nice close ratios.

Am I right in thinking you're a Surrey Hills native? If so we're riding the same trails, and personally, I have absolutely no use for a 22t there! That's not to say you don't, but apart from the aforementioned two climbs I've struggled with (and would do so irrespective of chainring size), 1x11 has been fine, in fact 1x10 was absolutely fine too. What prompted me to change was realising that I was doing 30 miles up there without coming out of the 42t outer when I was running 2x10.

I have 2x9 and 27 to 34 is about as spinny as I think sensible, with the option of standing if it is steeper. Much more than that and it is bordering on unridable.

I was toying with a 1x10 setup and a 30 front ring to 40 rear would be almost as spinny I reckon.

Thanks for all your feedback lads, as usual it seems it's a case of horses for courses. Most of my riding hope Valley or cannock chase, going to coed y brenin in June, so a good mix of seep techy stuff, I guess I'm gonna have to try and demo something with 1x11 fitted .

njee20 - Member
EDIT: I don't really race
I do, and still find it fine (as was 1x10 with 36t and 11-36), so that's another use case it works for

Snap! (Apart from the race bit and wouldn't go back to 2xanything. My other bike is 1x er, 1 🙂 Gets you fit!

10 @ 35mph is about 140rpm, and you're nowhere near spinning out ??

I am pumping the trail at that speed just like I would on a 3x. The spreadsheets might say differently, but in reality you are pumping, turning or braking long before you run out of low end.

Don't get me wrong, I understand all the advantages of a 1x or 2x setup but for me, I love the versatility of my 3x10. It's like three different 1x bikes in one 😀

It means when out playing, I can twiddle my way up a steep slippery gully one minute and then do 3 miles down the road at 24mph the next minute.

Yes there's loads of overlap but that's good because I'm only ever a click or two away from the right gear.

Anyway, as mentioned, by all means listen to anecdotes but only you can decide the option that suits you. Unless you just want to be fashionable of course......

Only use 1 x 10 on my bikes now and it has made me a much better climber

I run a 30t ring and a standard XT 11 - 36 on the back

Because i no longer have a silly little 22 or 24 chain ring i can no longer drop it into a silly little gear - so i don't loose all my momentum when climbing stuff

Its also built up the strength in my legs a lot 🙂

I went from 3x9 to 2x9 with 26/36 up front. Then got fitter and put a 38 up front. Then realized i stopped using the granny ring so went 1x11.

I've had no issues with low or high gearing and I moved from 2x9 running 11-34 with 26/38 to 10-42 with 32. To give you some background I am relatively heavy at the mo due to my medication and also not particularly quick/strong right now as a result. Still, I can winch up most natural stuff from Snowdon, Long Mynd, Malvern, Peaks to any of the climbs on the major Welsh and Scottish trail centres and go pretty quickly coming down too. The gearing doesn't limit me.

I ran a 1 x 9 setup on the hardtail when i bought it and didnt like it, uphills were a slog and i could spin out

I don't think it's fair to compare an 11-32 or 34 cassette to the SRAM 10-42, it's got 44% wider ratios!

doesnt give me anything that a 2 x 10 doesnt already have...in fact it takes away ratios!

11x loses one top and one bottom gear, OK it's a loss, but how long do you actualy spend in the top gear? I swapped my 1x10 to a 12-36 (by accident) and didn't notice untill it was worn out!

I can see the agruments in favour of a tripple if you have to do a lot of downhill or flat road miles, but really 11x and 2x10 are so close in terms of ratios that the only thing splitting them is increaced cost decreaced weight and better usability (be honest, front shifting is rarely perfect).

I'm not a fanboi, I don't own any 11x drivechains, but the arguments against it are (IMO) purely financial ones, there's no functional downside unless you really do need a 22-36 bottom gear or 36-11 top gear, the former of which I can't ever say I find useable* and the latter isn't useable off-road, it's only 20% (2 MTB shifts) below 52-13 which was the highest gear of most road bikes untill 9s came allong.

*too much torque makes the wheel slip, if it's that steep the front wheel lifts, below walking pache there's no momentum so it's too easy to stall on obstacles it's just not a useable gear, infact much below 22-28 is barely ever used/useable except for short sections.

1x11 doesn't just lose one at the top + bottom, it loses plenty mid range that make riding smoother with less of a jump.

Anyone that can't set up a front mech to work properly needs to get on a general maintenance course. If you can't set up a front then how on earth do you get a rear shifting smoothly?

Out of interest what sort of riding do those running 1x usually do? I personally cover most aspects from trail centers to long distance bw trips taking in road work. Having tried 1x11 I just can't see how it would be anything but a compromise for my riding.

Out of interest what sort of riding do those running 1x usually do? I personally cover most aspects from trail centers to long distance bw trips taking in road work. Having tried 1x11 I just can't see how it would be anything but a compromise for my riding.

I think the important thing to bear in mind for any gearing discussion is that it's both the riding you do and how your body pedals best - some are much more powerful & efficient within a narrow range of cadence, other have a broader rpm range within which they're happy pedalling. Also, the more you push yourself within your ability, the more your cadence range will tend to narrow. I know I can spin really quickly on road sections and am happy to stand up and grind at low rpm on steep stuff, so basic 1x10 is fine for me. If I were XC racing I'd want some lower gears so I could maintain a higher cadence on climbs because that would help my endurance when pushing myself that hard.

Out of interest what sort of riding do those running 1x usually do? I personally cover most aspects from trail centers to long distance bw trips taking in road work. Having tried 1x11 I just can't see how it would be anything but a compromise for my riding.

General trail riding, occasionally trail centre's, uplift days, DH days, DH racing, enduro racing, etc.

Run a 34T front, 11-42 on the back.

Never felt like I need more gears top or bottom.

Last bike I rode with a double on the front nearly ended up thrown in a bush. With no guide I don't think i've ever dropped so many chains in a day.

Out of interest what sort of riding do those running 1x usually do?

Bit of everything, more the XC bias - local riding is Surrey Hills, so 30+ mile rides there, bit of road to and from trails, some local bridleway stuff, XC racing all over the place, the odd trail centre.