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[quote Wanting a front mech mount these days is like wanting a floppy disk drive on your computer though!
Am I so outdated that actually I really still want a front mech ..... Certainly for 2 x 10 or even.....horror of horrors....3x 10.......
Really is it just me a old person time with front mechs?????
Resistance is futile.
Wife has a new, high end, enduro, carbon frame. She's running 3x9.
It's actually really useful to be able to dump a lot of gears with one push of the front mech shifter.
You can dump gears just as easily with one push of your thumb with 1x too, but I can't really think why you'd want to dump so many gears in one go. You're supposed to look up the trail and anticipate gears ahead of time so you should never/rarely find yourself in the wrong gear - nothing worse than hitting a hill in too high a gear then having to grind up the cassette, or swap chainrings under power, it's not very mechanically sympathetic no matter what drivetrain configuration you're running.
The question is that now with 1x11 and 1x12 you can get the range why on earth would you WANT a front mech and front chainrings?
I went 1x10 because the simplification appealed to me and it got rid of problems the front rings and mech were giving - mainly clogging with mud and ceasing to work anyway. It took a bit of getting used to and I did have to make compromises on the ratios as I am still running an 11-36 cassette so was blowing out of my backside for a few initial rides until my fitness improved, but i've not looked back since. Also since going 1x10 I haven't snapped a chain and my chain usage has dropped from about 3 a year to 1 a year, so all in all its less stress and wear and tear on the drivetrain.
Going 1x10 with an 11-36 cassette took a bit of work and some compromises and therefore a leap of faith that you would get used to it and ultimately prefer it, as I did. But with the latest 1x11 and 1x12 offerings and the gear range they offer its no longer such a big transition.
Different things appeal to different people and dealing with a problem, like I was, usually prompts you to look to something different. If you're happy running 2x or 3x then great and two fingers up to those who criticise. Until you get a new bike with no front mech attachment of course.
I've got one on my new bike, a mount that is. Also got the shifter and mech, can't make my mind up if I'm going to fit them or not.
I like 1x for simplicity but for range and gear spacing 2x seems still to offer some advantage as it allows a closer ratio cassette, which for a sit and spin climber (what my fs benefits from) seems better. I'm not that flexible in my ability to spin different cadences so getting close to my comfort zone makes a big difference.
The 1x hardtail goes up by brute force and stubbornness!
My new one has got one, I think most of my mates with very recent bikes have them too.
2x or even 3x isn't obsolete, I think even the new, new 50t XT set coming soon has a 2x11 option (not with 50t though).
1x11 is fine for me, I'll avoid acting all Gnar and saying it's because I can climb cliff faces without a granny, it's more like I don't need a massive top for pushing the pedals past 30mph because if I'm going that fast I'm holding on for dear life'
Oh the real downside of having a 2x drivetrain - you can't mount a bottle opener to your frame (if ever there was a solution looking for a problem, it's that).
Oh the real downside of having a 2x drivetrain - you can't mount a bottle opener to your frame
No need, an spd pedal is probably the best bottle opener I've ever used.
With that 1 x 12 is not the weight distribution messed up?
Real world for me with mix of natural trails being linked by roads 2/3x 10 still works and when I actual ride in the mountains I am clearly not fit enough to push 1xn11.
Also is the suspension really that affected or are we talking marketing hype?
Also is the suspension really that affected or are we talking marketing hype?
Based on nothing but riding it my four bar fs bike doesn't like being "mashed" up hill. It just seems to squat and wallow. Sit and spin and it'll climb much better.
I'm not sure that's what your asking though.
I stuck with 3x on my rigid 29er cos it's intended to do a mix of road and off-road. On long adventure rides I'd appreciate the low end, and on roads I use the big ring.
Re suspension I thought that with 1 x n that some suspension benefitted for the chain line being ' straighter' not dealing with the shifting ...?????
2x Di2 with Synchro shift is too good to ditch front mechs. You use it like it's 1x but with better range and better cadence management. Better function in filth too.
Not cheap granted, but then neither is Sram 1x11/12.
You mean there are cassettes with more than 9 cogs these days? Why did nobody tell me?
simondbarnes - Member
[i]Oh the real downside of having a 2x drivetrain - you can't mount a bottle opener to your frame[/i]
No need, an spd pedal is probably the best bottle opener I've ever used.
Better than a bottle opener?
Better than a bottle opener?
At least as good 🙂
The question is that now with 1x11 and 1x12 you can get the range why on earth would you WANT a front mech and front chainrings?
because with a 2x10/11 you can use the front mech and just one trigger pull, to effectively dump a whole range. say a small rise.
I think the suspension design advantages were first developed for 29ers (same with the whole 1x concept really). to fit in the wheel, the links and levers, and and the frame and have decent travel, something had to give, and that ended up being the front mech.
I can't imagine what the chain line would be like on 1x12
What molgrips says has crossed my mind....
We went to swinley on Sunday..and grinding it out up some of the steep trails, I actually thought there's no way I could do this on 1x11.
3x10 and the granny ring used when popped!
3x9 and using Strava. Boom.
The question is that now with 1x11 and 1x12 you can get the range why on earth would you WANT a front mech and front chainrings?
Someone's already offered one answer but I'll go ahead and point out that I prefer to spend £30 on a cassette than £300.
Also I've had long rides in the past where chainsuck has happened in one or two rings. Not ideal but I was able to avoid using those rings and still complete the ride without too much swearing.
3x12. It'll be the next niche for STWers now that fat bikes and gravel/adventure bikes are so common.
You make my words, they'll be modifying their new Eagle drivetrains to make gears so low you go backwards.
Tom KP
I've not used a fro the mech in over a year, it's been 3 on my trail/am/enduro weapon/bike/quiver killer machine. I just don't miss it. I'm a better rider for it, I'm stronger and smoother. As said above looking ahead helps and being able to shift 5 or 6 in one go too. The range is so close to my 2x10 it makes the 2x pointless. As for weight distribution it feels like people grasping for reasons.