Gravel bike ratio?

Avoid roads.

Was happy with GRX 1x11 with Rotor 38T ring and Sram 10-42 cassette.

Now happier on 1x12 GRX with 42T ring and 10-51 cassette. As good a range as 2x 11 speed GRX, simpler and more stable. Don’t mind the ratio gaps (which are similar to 11 spd 10-42).

Previously had 2x GRX 810, and a Classified set up with a 46 T ring and 11-34 cassette.

GRX 1x12 suits me best out of all the above.

My gravel bike and my hardtail are 1x. If I had the choice, I’d definitely go 2x on my gravel bike. There’s plenty of times when you can use a big front ring and it allows you to have a slightly small inner ring as well. You’re inevitably going to ride on roads a significant percentage of most rides here in the UK.

2 x 11 for me, based on my riding, my routes and a desire to sometimes attach luggage.

42x10 is almost identical to 46x11 (slightly taller), so unless it’s the gaps that bother you, there isn’t a downside to a wide spread 1x .

I’ve got the West Highland Way, John Muir Way, Rob Roy Way amongst other stuff on my doorstep, so don’t need to use roads much if at all.

Double post amongst multiple Bad Gateway STW™️ messages.

I lost the first effort of this post to a 502 😟

I like the flexibility of 2x. My gravel bike also does duty as a winter road bike, and with GRX 2x11 it's fine for club rides. I suspect that with 12s now an option it would be a harder choice.

2x11 more suits my doitall bike needs.

I also have a second set of wheels with a more 'roadie' cassette and slick tyres.

Based on my old 3x9 bike, I found that 95% of my riding was in that middle ring (39) with an 11-34 cassette. The bottom gear was 30x34.

Looking at the G$X 2x11, it looked like I'd spend most of my time in the area where the two chainrings overlap. That means lots of front ring changes and either being on the big ring and the larger half of the cassette or the small ring and the smaller half of the cassette. That kind of defeats the chain line argument. I think the 1x option makes more sense for me when I upgrade and leaves the left shifter free for a dropper.

Based on my old 3x9 bike, I found that 95% of my riding was in that middle ring (39) with an 11-34 cassette. The bottom gear was 30x34.

Looking at the GRX 2x11, it looked like I'd spend most of my time in the area where the two chainrings overlap. That means lots of front ring changes and either being on the big ring and the larger half of the cassette or the small ring and the smaller half of the cassette. That kind of defeats the chain line argument. I think the 1x option makes more sense for me when I upgrade and leaves the left shifter free for a dropper.

2x11 for me. Plenty of range laden or unladen, relatively cheap rear cassettes, goes well in roadie mode. Works great for my usage.

It's all a bit personal, but I went for 2x10, to avoid the gaps.
This meant that I had to wait for several months, as there were precisely zero 2x10 groupsets in the UK
It was worth the wait, though

Fellow Sheff local. 1x11, 38t oval, 10-42 cassette.

Not fussed about road top speeds - I have road bikes for going silly fast on which are more aero and faster rolling aside from the bigger gears, plus I’d aim to descend off road wherever possible on the groveller. It’s high enough not to bug me which my old converted mtb on 36/11 with 650b wheels did. I’d take more bottom end for loaded touring rather than more top end.

2 x 11 for me, based on my riding, my routes and a desire to sometimes attach luggage.

Begrudgingly agree this is what I should have..or the 1X12 with the 10-51 cassette mentioned before. I've currently got 4oTx11-42 on 650b wheels and run out of gears both ends locally. I've actually got a 36T oval front ring to try - theory being most of my local stuff I'm lucky enough to put together with minimal road and when I put a 700c wheelset on it in the summer with slightly more road orientated tyres. and do some bickpacking I'll not by too fussed about tapping along too fast.

22-32-42 here with a 12/36 9 speed cassette.

be a leader, not a follower................  ;o)

or the 1X12 with the 10-51 cassette mentioned before

Yeah, if I was buying now then that might have been an option too. Still, most of my other bikes are Shimano 11 speed so at least there's some degree of commonality.

2x - 46/30 and 11-32 (11sp) here.

Only had the one (relatively flat) ride, but definitely used the full range - a lot of the time spent in the 46 up front. Pretty sure even bits of the Monsal and HPT I was in 46/11 Low end I'll probably find I'm lacking and if so will look into a lower range cassette

1x11 for me. I'm happy over a wide cadence so don't get bothered by gaps in the cassettes and running a 42 chainring gives me a speed of 45km/h at 90 rpm which is sufficient on the road, any quicker and I'll likely be tucked because I'll be going down hill!

I am tempted to go from 1x10 to 2x10 it quite a spinney 38t with 11-40, I did score an 11+46 cassette that should work and then I could bump up to a 40 or 42t ring comfortably and have a smidgen more top and bottom end.

But 2x would beat it further still especially for loaded up rides.

2X I always hated the 1X jumps on the road, if off road only I be happy with 1X.

scotroutesFull Member
2 x 11 for me, based on my riding, my routes and a desire to sometimes attach luggage.

That’s the same here. I like the range especially when doing some touring. I would consider 1x12 though

I live somewhere with no big hills and was happy using 1x on a road bike and even more so on a cross bike off road.

I guess I am just not as fast as those who say the gears are not high enough for the road as I used a 44t with an 11 - 32 for off road and a 44 with an 11-26 for on road.  44/11 gives 27mph at 85RPM and 44/32 always felt ridiculously low and never really used it.

2x10

38 26 at the front 36 11 at her back. Which works just fine for me. But 50-10 is actually a bigger range with similarly jumps, so I’m living in the past.

1x12, Round 40T, 52-10 cassette.

I’m never in a rush, so if I’m between gears, I just go a bit slower.

Not tried 1x on gravel, mine is 2x. It works, not sure where the 1x advantage comes in for someone like me who uses it as a winter roady and only does gravel on dry dusty summer days!

2x10 for me, 46/30 up front with a 11/36 cassette, like some of the others on here mine doubles up as a winter roadie and the nature of my riding mean that i usually end up riding a significant amount of road between gravel sections, if however I was riding 100% gravel from my door i'd be happy with a 1x set up.

mine are both 1x12 AXS, both with 40T rings, and cassettes are 11-50 and 10-52. Good range for what I use them for.

1x here,, 40t chainriing and 11 speed 11/42 cassette. My Camino spends most of it's time on the road, and on my road wheels it's neatly 45kph before I spin out so there's enough top end for me. In practice it just means I start coasting on the downhills sooner.

At the other end, I did end up pushing with luggage on some hills on the Second City Divide, but I suspect I would have on 2x too.

I'm happy with 1x for where I live and 90% of the riding I do, but that said if 2x GRX had been available at the time I would have got that instead.

2x here. Scotland roads and hill tracks.

I had 2x10 34/50 11/32 Tiagra on the Merlin and when loaded and off-road or up steeper big hills it was not low enough.

I'm now on Apex 2x11 42/28 11/36. Arguably a tad too low - I might see if I can get a 44 or 46 on the front, but it's a tank of a bike so cruising suits it.

2x11 using grx shifters but road cranks and front mech. Bike gets used for a mix of everything. I just switch the wheels for pure road rides with a smaller cassette.

1 x 12 here with 42t ring and 10 - 44 cassete.

1 x 11 40t /  11-46T suit my needs, although with luggage i need more

I had 42 chainring and 11-42 cassette until last week, moved to 44 chainring and 11-46 cassette (as per my Freeranger thread) - more range and both ends and not expensive plus could still use original Force 1 shifters & mech.

I've also a road bike with 2x on and quite frankly hate it, dropping down at the front and then wanting smaller cogs on the rear is a PITA - whereas with 1x it's just up or down on one shifter.

Scottish Borders so plenty of climbing whether on or off road.

2x10 on mine.

It has a 34/48 chainset and an 12-36 XT cassette although I've run it with road cassettes occasionally when I know I'm not going to be doing steep off-road.

It gets all sorts of use including as a winter road bike.

However I've ridden borrowed 1x bikes and I think if / when I get a new gravel bike I'd probably go for a 1x.

I was on 1x11 grx, and I found that the gaps did bother me, (i am aware however that they don’t bother some people)

so I went over to 2x12 (ultegra di2)  i much prefer it, I haven’t lost any range, but the smaller gaps suit my meagre power output better.

probably worth pointing out that my bike is setup more towards the roadie end of the spectrum.

2x10. Much prefer it because of the tighter jumps between gears. Much better on the road too. Gearing is now 46/34 with an 11/34 cassette. Great for monster climbs on the road, and descending. Gears jump is nice and tight.

1 x 11 GRX here, don't mind the gaps and like the simplicity of both use and subsequent cleaning. I have 2 x 11 Ultegra Di2 on the proper roadie and while the gaps are obviously more noticeable on the gravel bike I'm not generally trying to keep up with people so it's all good.

Did end up pushing up a few hills on the KAW when laden, but that kind of thing is sadly such a vanishingly small proportion of my riding that it doesn't make sense to me to go with 2x.

I'm 11 speed, 40T chainring and 11-42 cassette in Devon. The 10t would be good for the road and I could do with a little more at the other end if I ever loaded up with luggage.

1x12 40T and 10-51 would be what I'd go for.

1x11 on the gravel bike, which I've used all winter in road mode. Has been totally fine.

One thing I notice vs the 2x on the road bike. 1x is a lot quieter.

I think this is like asking "what mountain bike ratio"? Gravel isn't really a single thing anymore and you can't apply one person's particular tastes to how you ride, where you ride.

For me, 1x wouldn't work at all. The gears are too widely spaced and I use the top end. So I run 11-28 11 speed with a 34/50 chainset. I doubt that's very common, but it's suited me on big days touring with panniers on the bag through the Pennines or the Highlands, training in winter and riding it like an old mountain bike in Scotland. It's almost certainly not the right gravel set-up for you though.

1x11 with a 38 on the front (smallest ring for my SRAM Red carbon cranks). An 11T on the back will only see you spin out on a decent hill, and even then, so what? Largest sprocket is a 30T for me, but I like a challenge.

As someone who rides quite a bit of road, as well as gravel: I like 2x (48/32, 11-34). Big ring is mainly for on-road and fast off-road; little ring is mainly for off-road and for climbs (I'm heavy, I need the help). I usually just automatically shift chainring whenever I see the entrance to the next bridleway/path/etc. And it all depends on you and what you're doing; if I was riding purely offroad on something with Even Bigger Tyres (think: drop bar 29er) then yeah, 1x would probably make sense. As it is: if I feel limited offroad, I probably should have brought the MTB.

Main downside: I cannot deny that a front mech is another thing to gum up with mud, and you inevitably get more chain drops than you would with a 1x system. For what I do with the bike, it's the right thing for me.

you inevitably get more chain drops than you would with a 1x system.

FWIW I can't recall the last time I had a chain drop when using a front mech. Certainly not this century.

I run 36- 11-50.

I'd rather have 2x for a bit more on the top and bottom.

I’m on a 42t ring with 10-44t cassette and the majority of gravel rides I do involve a fair bit of road as well. No real issues with spinning out tbh but I do notice the jumps compared to my old 2x road bike. Have flung light road wheels with a 10-40t cassette and found it to be similar overall in terms of speed as my old road bike as well.

My gravel bike has to be a good road bike first and foremost, so 2x for me. If off-road is the priority I wouldn't be on a gravel bike anyway.

I've had a gravel bike with 1x on it and imho it compromised ratios or the smaller gaps in favour of chain retention levels that I don't need, and the perceived simplicity was for me negated by the cost of good 1x kit. I also don't like the extremes of chainline 1x needs, functionally it's workable but it bugs me.

My gravel bike has done loaded rides across France and out to Lake Constance, Alpine bikepacking trips, 300, 400 and 600km audaxes and about half of my winter road miles over the last 10 yrs, plus all the local rides on lanes and tracks. 2x10 just suits me better for that range of riding. Considering how wide-ranging a good gravel bike should be I'm suprised how many are 1x only now.  Yes, 1x can do most things well but choice is good.

FWIW I can’t recall the last time I had a chain drop when using a front mech.

Same - clutch mechs make enough difference there.

FWIW my Topstone is currently set up 46/30 and 11-34T. It's worth mentioning that I'm also using 650 wheels / 47c tyres as that obviously affects gearing too.

Oh, and that my legs don't spin at 95rpm

I have the luxury of two gravel bikes, an old CX bike that has become the 'winter' gravel bike, and a summer gravel bike.

The summer gravel bike is for longer, faster and hillier routes and I would never go to 1x, it's too pretty for the gopping great big rear mechs and cassettes (j/k! ish... 😎) and I've never liked how 1x feels/sounds at the extremes of the range. I doubt I'm really even giving much weight away to a 1x setup.

I'll concede though that I've never figured out the right ratios for 2x, 48/31 and 11-34 means a lot of front changes as I seem to hover at the overlap between chainrings most of the time. I have some 46/30 chainrings to experiment with.

I don't really need to same range on the winter bike as I don't tend to ride hilly routes over the winter, rather I go mud-plugging on local singletrack. 1x suits this fine and once everything is coated in filth I don't notice the slightly less smooth shifting and drivetrain noise.

FWIW I can’t recall the last time I had a chain drop when using a front mech. Certainly not this century.

Same, only time I've dropped a chain recently was my 1x CX bike.

I like a ratio of 1:2  - 2 proper bikes for each gravel bike

I have legs used to MTB gear steps and I very rarely road ride in groups, so 1x on a 10-42 works quite nicely for me. Still pedalling at 30mph so should probably drop a chainring size or two.

Being honest I prefer it from looks and use as well, but I quite happily had a mountain bike double on to go graveltouradventuring with camping kit because it fit the job.

When i was fitter 10s 11-36 was plenty for charging around on a cross bike doing everything. Nowadays i like the look of the new Grx stuff!

(Point taken re drops; I should note I don't have a clutched rear mech on my 2x setup, it was the year before GRX).

I think this is like asking “what mountain bike ratio”? Gravel isn’t really a single thing anymore and you can’t apply one person’s particular tastes to how you ride, where you ride.

I agree, except that a fair few of the setups described so far all seems to bottom out with a 0.9-0.95ish ratio, basically something a little under 1:1 both 1x and 2x, which I find interesting, seems like there is such a thing as too spinny for most people with Gravel bikes.

The few with bottom gears above that magic 1:1 ratio seem to have what sound more like road bike 2x drivetrains, and obviously value closer steps between gears.

I think I will try the slightly wider range 1x10 setup before I go and switch a 2x setup, generally 1x suits me, if I can eek a little bit more low range for laden climbing without horrible jumps at the tall end (tricky on 10 speed I know) it would still be my preference overall.

1x11 with an 11-51 and currently 32T chainring.

1×11 with an 11-51 and currently 32T chainring.

That must spin like a bu99er!

What kinda hills you normally climbing and is this for being fully loaded as that's a full-on MTB ratio?

2 x 11 with 48/34 up front and 11-36 out back. Works fine for the mystic east (I have a lower ratio set for fthe ront for more serious uphills)

Where did you get 11spd 11-36 cassette?

Seem to recall struggling to find one

Ta

1x10 , 42 chainring and 11-46 cassette

some big gaps in the ratios but it doesn’t bother me like it would on the road.

id quite like a bigger gear at the back, simply as when I’m on the gravel bike, putting out any effort comes secondary to eating cake and pub stops.

1x11 with 36t chainring and 11-42t cassette works for me. Enough low range to get me up anything I need to, and 36x11 lets me spin along the flat at 30kph which is enough for me. I do very little tarmac/road though.

a fair few of the setups described so far all seems to bottom out with a 0.9-0.95ish ratio, basically something a little under 1:1 both 1x and 2x, which I find interesting, seems like there is such a thing as too spinny for most people with Gravel bikes.

I'd certainly consider a 11-36T cassette on my Topstone when the current 11-34T wears out, but Shimano don't make one so I'd be looking at one of the lesser-known brands 😄 That would lower my spinny gear to 0.83 from 0.88 (my Amazon currently has 0.85).

https://airbike.uk/products/11-speed-cassette-11-36t-shimano-compatble

Or even...

https://www.tweekscycles.com/sram-pg-1170-11-speed-cassette-414401/

@13thfloormonk Not sure but I think I got lucky at Merlin sometime last year.

To revive this thread....

I previously had a 11spd GRX 1X setup with 40T - 11/42T and was a bit unhappy with the range for my intended use and terrain.

This week I've fitted a Garbaruk long cage & pulley wheels (new from Bikeinn), a superstar 42T oval chainring and a lightly used 11spd 11-50T Sunrace MX80 cassette I robbed off another bike (and a new longer chain).

Oh my, what a difference. Soooo smooth gear changes and the extra range (5% at the top and 13% at the bottom) just about hits the spot. I can't see the aluminium 50T sprocket having the longest of lives but hopefully it won't be used too much,

Changing the rear cage to a Garbaruk longer one is not that noob spannering friendly but not that tricky (you have to be comfortable taking the rear mech off the bike, making it do some weird yoga style contortions and removing the cover off the clutch mech before the cages comes away). The end result is not exactly a cheap retrofit and obviously still only 11spd but I'd recommend if you are feeling more range would help your current 1X setup.

But if I was buying new now and your gravel use might involve long climbs (or steep climbs) and/or loaded bikepacking I'd seriously think about buying right first time and having the option to have this much range out of the box. With the new 1X 600 series GRX 12spd it does not have to cost too much.....

Where did you get 11spd 11-36 cassette?

SRAM PG1170 is the only name-brand one, I think.

1x11 for me, 44t front and 11-46 rear.

Previously was standard 42t and 11-42.

If I was prepared to pay the cash for the cassette (and a new freehub), a 10-46 would've been ideal.

Borders, so plenty of hills and a 50/50 mix of back-road tarmac and off-piste farm/estate roads and fire-roads.

Oh yeah, the original question. Fwiw, I'm on 2x. For me, gravel bikes are great for mixed terrain - if I wanted to be just off-road, I'd ride a mountain bike. I'm not going to be hitting rock gardens and stuff fast enough downhill to be worried about chain retention, and I've no desire to run a dropper, so for my purposes, there's just no upside to 1x.

1×11 with an 11-51 and currently 32T chainring.

That's winching up enduro territory gearing, have it on my FS.

Must spend a lot of time in the 11 based on when I ride XC on my HT.

That’s winching up enduro territory gearing, have it on my FS.

Yeah, I'm running slightly higher gears of 32-10/51 on my FS (and a bigger wheel circumference), and I find that limiting for road sections. I'd be incredibly frustrated by that on a gravel bike.