1x for Road

Not quite the same user case but I have ridden my 1x cross bike on some road sportives, including Paris-Roubaix, with on-road tyres.  I have a 40T or 38T front ring with an 11-36 cassette. It’s SRAM Force CX1 mechanical not AXS but that shouldn’t matter in your thinking.  It works well, once you accept that your top end is a little less than some others. On a commute I don’t see that being a problem.

I currently run  56T single on my aero bike with 11-32T cassette (Shimano drivetrain) and can manage easily on most stuff until it hits 10%+. 

I've got a 2x road bike and 1x gravel bike and I much prefer 2x for the road. I'd prefer it if the gravel bike was 2x as well. 1x works well on my MTB, but is limiting in almost all there use cases.

Pretty sure I couldn’t push a 56t chainring lol - that’s monstrous! I had a semi compact setup with 36-52 for a while but prefer compact gearing.

Lack of top end spend would probably be so rarely an issue I think I could live with it. Maybe I should workout exactly which sprocket I regularly get down to and work out the gearing based on that 

Work out your ratios and go from there. I prefer 2x for road but whenever I'm on my 1x gravel bike it isn't massively limiting for normal riding. It really only becomes a problem when you want both a massive range and close spacing.

Work out your ratios and go from there. I prefer 2x for road but whenever I'm on my 1x gravel bike it isn't massively limiting for normal riding. It really only becomes a problem when you want both a massive range and close spacing.

My old Kinesis Tipster was set up 3x9 11-34 30-34-50. I never used the top couple of years and something struggled at the bottom end.

My Camino is 10-51 38T 1x12 so top end is ample and I've got a much better climbing gear for the Peak. People comment on ratio gaps but it's not really an issue riding on my own. Big groups might be a different story but I've not got that many friends.

Been thinking similar. I run 50/34 and 11-25. Swapping to 1x with a 44 ring and the SRAM 12spd 10-33 cassette would knock a fraction off both top and bottom.

The big issue is that I'd want Force/Ultegra level as a minimum - but mechanical only - and that doesn't seem to be a thing anymore (have used AXS and Di2 and they're both technological marvels, but I strongly believe a bicycle should be a purely mechanical device). Would GRX 12s mechanical work with the SRAM cassette?

Why, if you already have a 2x groupset, would you change though?

It sort of makes sense on niche cases like 

TT bikes - most courses are flat

Hillclimb bikes - most courses are steep

Gravel bikes - front mechs get killed by mud and slop

But for a road bike, gaps in the cassette drive me up the wall.  And that's despite my most ridden bike the last few years being my fixie so I'm used to having a somewhat flexible cadence.

I never get into the big ring with the smallest 2 sprockets. I do however use the small ring with the biggest cassette cog.

The 'correct' way to solve that might be to get a sub-compact chainset?  Either GRX (I think it still uses road bike's chain line) or any 5-bolt chainset with something like 34-46 chainrings. It might make the big-ring more useable for you in the middle of the cassette.

Why, if you already have a 2x groupset, would you change though?

It sort of makes sense on niche cases like 

TT bikes - most courses are flat

Hillclimb bikes - most courses are steep

Gravel bikes - front mechs get killed by mud and slop

But for a road bike, gaps in the cassette drive me up the wall.  And that's despite my most ridden bike the last few years being my fixie so I'm used to having a somewhat flexible cadence.

I never get into the big ring with the smallest 2 sprockets. I do however use the small ring with the biggest cassette cog.

The 'correct' way to solve that might be to get a sub-compact chainset?  Either GRX (I think it still uses road bike's chain line) or any 5-bolt chainset with something like 34-46 chainrings. It might make the big-ring more useable for you in the middle of the cassette.

It’s not the gearing that’s making me consider swapping but the diabolically stupid Shimano brakes…..lost a few calipers to micro leaks and now the rear one has randomly pulled to the bar for no good reason. Having a battle trying to get it going again - I must have air in the system somewhere but struggling to remove it. Got a genuine Shimano bleed kit arriving today to try on the weekend - just wondering if the epic bleed solutions one I have is past its best. 

Take it to a shop for them to fix if you're struggling? Too many compromises with 1x on road for most people. Shimano road/gravel hydraulics have been great for me, and weirdly easier to bleed than the MTB versions.

My wife and I have 2x and 1x respectively on otherwise identical gravel bikes. A proper roadie would probably prefer the 2x with slightly closer ratios but really there's very little in it.

I’ve gone 46 and 10-44 for the road.  This still gives me a chance at big hills but means I don’t spin out until a decent speed. 

I have a Supersix Evo CX as my road bike, which ships with 1x SRAM Force 40T & 11-36. I changed to an 11-40 and have been loving it on short blasts and some longer ~70 mile hilly rides.

Upgrade-itis did hit however and I've ordered the bits to go 1x12 where I'll stick with the 40T but go 10-36 to gain some top speed and just get a bit fitter for the longer uphills! I've never had any issues with 1x and it's only on long high-speed downhills I ever run out of gears but I just tuck in and freewheel!

My 1x11 Camino is my road bike. I'm on a 40t chainring with an 11-42 cassette. I spin out at about 45kmh, which I'm basically never doing on the flat so in practice the lower top end just means I start coasting on downhills sooner. I don't really find the gaps to be a thing, and if you're looking at 12 speed then I guess it's an even smaller issue.

Caveats are that I usually ride on my own on 38mm tyres and I'm more interested in the endurance side than the speed side. 1x works fine for me now, but if I found myself on a lot of faster group rides maybe I'd have a different view.

If I were buying again I'm not sure I'd go out of my way to go 1x.

My 1x11 Camino is my road bike. I'm on a 40t chainring with an 11-42 cassette. I spin out at about 45kmh, which I'm basically never doing on the flat so in practice the lower top end just means I start coasting on downhills sooner. I don't really find the gaps to be a thing, and if you're looking at 12 speed then I guess it's an even smaller issue.

Caveats are that I usually ride on my own on 38mm tyres and I'm more interested in the endurance side than the speed side. 1x works fine for me now, but if I found myself on a lot of faster group rides maybe I'd have a different view.

I’m sure there was a 3T race bike that was 1x only.

If I ever get round to replacing my road bike I’ll go with something that also does ‘light’ gravel and 1x11 Cues looks like a good option?

This is my main road bike (Autumn Bike) - https://sites.google.com/ryden.bike/ryden-bikes/bespoke-bikes#h.v15ugtws6u4t

1x geared to match 34x28 lowest, pretty much. Wolf Tooth 40T chainring. It's a 10 smallest cog.

Love it, I don't mind the gaps in the ratios and I've never needed more than 40x10. I'm not racing.

I have two gravel bikes a 1x Cannondale with mechanical Force and a 2 x Revolt Rival AXS. The 2 x group set is much better as I have a bigger gear range top and bottom. 

The big advantage in 1x AXS is cost and that makes perfect sense on a commuter. If you’re not racing or chainganging it then set it up with easy gears it will be fine. 

I have two gravel bikes a 1x Cannondale with mechanical Force and a 2 x Revolt Rival AXS. The 2 x group set is much better as I have a bigger gear range top and bottom. 

The big advantage in 1x AXS is cost and that makes perfect sense on a commuter. If you’re not racing or chainganging it then set it up with easy gears it will be fine. 

I ran a commuter 1x9 (11-34) and later 1x10 (11-36) with a friction shifter and 42t N/W ring for a few years.

I did it primarily for simplicity, which it achieved. However when I used it for winter road rides at the weekends the the jumps between gears were noticeable, and the lack of really low gears was an issue. 

Similarly I've done 1x for gravel but have come back round to 2x on the same basis that closer stepped gears in a 'high' and 'low' range do actually make such bikes more versatile overall. 

Not that I would dismiss the 1x road concept, I think a 1x12 (or 13?) drivetrain could work to smooth out the steps a fair bit, the bottom gear has to be a ~1:1 ratio (for me at least, YMMV), a 10-42 or 11-42 cassette with a 42 or 44t ring would make good sense these days. And I guess you could achieve something similarly acceptable with 1x11. It would never have the tallest top gear, but how often do most people really need a 52-11+ ratio? 

Like all bikes, it would be a compromise, but if the primary use is commuting with some sensible paced weekend rides 1x could work. A wee bit less maintenance is a benefit, there's a smidge less componentry making part replacements a touch cheaper over time perhaps. 

Worth it if you're looking for the benefits such a setup would offer, just considering whether or not you'd miss those closer spaced gear or not. 

1 x road is fine if you are riding solo or with other riders on 1 x but if in a group who all run 2 x it's a pain to keep up with the accerations and on the flat wheb then are rolling along on 50+ x 11 etc and you are spinning your tits off with your (relatively) small front ring

Mines 10-46 on 46 mechanical 11 force 

Like: simple, reliable, 1 handed control, big range, clutch bumpy quietness/security.

My riding is endurance / climbing focused rather than out and out speed. I favour the shit end of the road quality spectrum country lanes. The ratio gap is not an issue for me.

Caveat: my next +1 bike will be more speed/performance focused road and will be electric 2x just because that's what those bikes all are and it's nice to pretend you're racing sometimes.

For commuting 1x all the way. 

For going as fast as you can 2x

So just for further context it’s 99% commuting. Occasionally on a sunny day if I don’t have time to go off doing mtb then I might have a 2 hour spin around the area. Never group rides.

For any meaningful length of time I can’t see past mtb. 

Thanks for all the comments - food for thought definitely. Going to have a good go at bleeding the brake again tomorrow with a new bleed kit / following exactly shimano’s guide. I have been playing with settings on the di2 and the synchro shift is interesting - so just shifting up and down on the rear shifter and the bike moves the front mech up / down at a fixed point. I think the points it shifts at are slightly different to where I’d want them but etube gives you the option to move that.

I run 1x 11 sram red with a 44t and 11 -28. works fine, even on medium paced club rides. No massive climbs, just rolling roads. i don't spin out. Love it. Mind I also ride fixed in the same groups  Then l do get dropped down hill. 

40 x 10-44 AXS on the gravel bike that does a lot of road miles too. Spins out after about 32mph but then I'm usually going downhill at that speed for just a few seconds. It works so well, I wouldn't even consider 2x shimano now. 

40 x 10-44 AXS on the gravel bike that does a lot of road miles too. Spins out after about 32mph but then I'm usually going downhill at that speed for just a few seconds. It works so well, I wouldn't even consider 2x shimano now. 

On my gravel bike who’s is used 80% on the road I use a 44t chainring and 10-45 cassette and that does me where I live. I found with the stock 40t chainring I was spinning out too much.

But I don’t race or ride in groups and just bimble along at my own leisurely pace. 

Don’t Hope make Shimano compatible Calipers? Just put those on and keep the remainder of the setup.

I have Orbea Terra running 38oval front 11-42 rear (11sp)

It handles club runs no prob, only spinning out on long downhill drags (Brockley etc)

Climbs fine, used these gears for gritfest and they weren't the issue.

44 11/42 on my gravel bike, is perfect for gravelling, a couple of steeper climbs can be challenging

on the road it tops out a bit too soon for my liking, and longer climbs can be a little demoralizing

the 2x8 claris on my road bike offers a little more flexibility, got a soft spot for it on the road even if im not too sensitive to gear spacing

new 13 speed red xplr goes to 46 you could have 46 up front with 10-46 you’d have a slightly bigger range than a compact with an 11-34 cassette with no redundant gears.  That’s what I’d do if I was loaded.  The misses has a similar set up on her bike but with 12 speed rival works a treat.

Unfortunately I’m not loaded……if I do change I’ll be selling my ultegra setup on eBay and shopping round for the grouoset parts for AXS to try and find some (relative) bargains. 

Still haven’t tried bleeding the brake with the new bleed kit yet - went out on the Sentinel slogging round Rowberrow today. Had a lot of fun actually - the mud made it quite amusing. 

new 13 speed red xplr goes to 46 you could have 46 up front with 10-46 you’d have a slightly bigger range than a compact with an 11-34 cassette with no redundant gears.  That’s what I’d do if I was loaded.  The misses has a similar set up on her bike but with 12 speed rival works a treat.

Just been looking on https://sheldonbrown.com/gear-calc.html and to get 1*11 that matches the gears I use on my 3*9 hybrid, I'd need something like 34 ring with 11-42 cassette.

I have a compact chain set with 11-34 on my road bike, but at 96Kg instead of my old usual 80Kg and only managing ~216W for 20mins instead of my old 290W+, 34/34 puts me into z5 at not much more than 4% gradient.

If I don't end up getting an ebike soon, I'm thinking I will take the hybrid to the modest Hampshire hills around Old Winchester Hill, so I can possibly climb at z3 as an option!

I used 1x11 on the road for audaxes for a few years. I was using my cyclocross race bike which was 1x11 so made sense to sit swap to a bigger chainring, cassette and chain for the audaxes. Racing was 40t and 11-36 and audaxing was 44t and 11-46. The rival1 rear derailleur coped fine. Shimano grx 812 didn’t cope with the 46. Absolutely fine in both those situations, and I’m sure would work fine for your commute (I’m 1x1 on commuter). Only became an issue when I used the bike for circuit racing where the gaps were an issue more than the inches. Or on chaingang. So I used a different bike for those. Pair Hope Rx4 calipers may turn out to be the best option?

I tried RX4 calipers - gave up on them in the end. When set perfectly / new they were fantastically powerful. The rear I used for a few years and most troubles came after I switched frame. It was working ok for a bit but the piston seals started leaking and it was always a bit finicky after that.

The front though - that can get in the sea. Initially set it up perfectly. Firm lever, so much power and silent. Then after a few rides - maybe 3 or 4 - it sprung a leak out of where the hose went into the caliper. Spent ages messing about with new copper washers before I eventually managed to get it to seal properly. Then it also started leaking out of the piston seals for no good reason. Spent a while sorting that but then it was rubbing whatever adjustment you did to placement of the caliper / equalising the pistons etc etc. Gave up and sold them and bought new ultegra calipers again.

I think I may have defeated the stupid bleed process last night - unless shimano brakes do random shimano things again mysteriously in the garage. Had to have the bike totally vertical and move the angle of the handlebars around at various angles. Think I’ve got the majority of the air out although the lever isn’t quite as firm as the front brake. 

I've recently (well, several months ago) swapped 2x11 105 (compact chainrings) for a SRAM XPLR AXS 1x..
I THINK it's a 42 chainring, with 11-46.. It's really nice having just the one ring up front - i've got grave and road wheelsets, and apart from noting a slightly more spaced out gearing, it works just fine..

DrP

I use 1x for road and gravel; SRAM Force 1 - came with 42T and 11-42, now running with 46T and 11-46.

Greater top & bottom gears, works well.

Road-wise I either ride by myself or do Audax type events, don't see a need for 2x (and closer ratios) and while a bit higher gearing would be nice for the long, long descents it's not essential.

Another 1x convert here for the last 9 years. I initially had my bike set up with a triple (Van Nicholas Amazon), but spent the vast majority of the time in the middle ring. Options were limited back then so I updated it to Di2 with Ultegra shifters and an XTR rear derailleur to get the 1x setup. I've had various combinations from 44 front with 11-40 rear to the current ratio of 40 front with 11-46 rear which allows me plenty of range for on and offroad excursions. Like others here, I mainly focus on longer audax type rides and by the time I start to spin out downhill, I can gain as much speed by tucking in as I could by having bigger gears, with the bonus of forcing me to have a rest!

Another 1x convert here for the last 9 years. I initially had my bike set up with a triple (Van Nicholas Amazon), but spent the vast majority of the time in the middle ring. Options were limited back then so I updated it to Di2 with Ultegra shifters and an XTR rear derailleur to get the 1x setup. I've had various combinations from 44 front with 11-40 rear to the current ratio of 40 front with 11-46 rear which allows me plenty of range for on and offroad excursions. Like others here, I mainly focus on longer audax type rides and by the time I start to spin out downhill, I can gain as much speed by tucking in as I could by having bigger gears, with the bonus of forcing me to have a rest!

I've been running 1x for years for commuting and local loops when I can't face the mud anymore.
Mine is 48t and 11-36t with 700 x 32 slicks.
It was 11-50t but I rarely used the bigger gears. 

1x for me for a good 10 years+ - Road bike was 42 x 11-36, gravel 42 x 11-42. Currently running 42 x 10-45 GRX 12 speed, which I really like. I can understand the 'gap' thing a little bit, mainly when road riding in a group, but by far, my fitness/weight etc... has the biggest impact on performance, not what cadence I'm turning.