A 1x drive train

[Deleted member 1258]

Me too, I want to actually see and try them. I'm interested in the Camino AL Rival 1 but I'm not sure which size to go for I'm 5ft 10ins which is right between the medium and large.

I was looking at the Camino Al Apex flat bar, their small is my only option, though the seat tube is on the short side of right and the top tube is on the long side of right. my current bikes are a 48 seat tube and 52.5 top tube and the Camino is 46 seat tube and 53 top tube.

 

[Punkawallah]

I've looked at a 1x drive train, and wondered whether it's practical or just a fashion choice. Anyone have information vis excessive chain wear?

 

[TheDoctor]

I've been riding one for years, albeit 7 speed.
Chain wear isn't particularly an issue, I get about five years or five thousand miles use out of a chain, cassette and chainring, and they cost about £25 to replace the lot. In my case it was more a sense of 'What do I have in the parts heap?' rather than a fashion choice, but I can't say I miss setting up front mechs, as I was always a bit rubbish at it.
My next build will be a 9 speed, so the chain will be a little narrower, and moving a bit further side-to-side.

 

[Punkawallah]

So, 7 speed works, at least - thanks for the 'heads up' :-)
Mine is a 5x2, and gives me the same 'effective' number of gears, allowing for duplication in gear inches. Unfortunately, don't think I can get a 7 speed between the drop-outs - my Dawes is a bit narrow, and I can just about manage a Shimano 6 speed.
The 'cross chaining' with a 10 speed is what would concern me.

 

[chriswoody]

@Punkawallah With regards chain wear, I'm running a 1 x 11 on my Kona and I've been really impressed with the longevity of it all. The bike has covered about 4000 miles since new, now bearing in mind that's mostly off-road and year round, no salt, but plenty of gritty/sandy mud. I'm currently still on the original 11 speed cassette and have recently fitted the third chain. So just under 2000 miles per chain at a guess. This third chain is meshing beautifully with the original cassette and will probably go another 2000 miles.

For off-road riding I'm a real convert to 1x, I never intentionally set out to buy a bike with a 1x groupset, but the Kona fitted the bill perfectly for what I wanted out of a bike and the thought of 1x intrigued me so I just went for it and I'm really pleased with it.

 

[Punkawallah]

Thanks for the input :-) Currently doing about 3k miles per chain on my Galaxy, all seasons, but obviously there will be no direct comparison between my road miles and your off road miles. I'll have to keep an open mind on it . . .

 

[IanSmithCSE]

Good morning

I find myself with an "accidental 1x7", about 6 weeks ago I needed a bike in a hurry and ended up with a 50/34 11-32 (11,13,15,18,21,24, 28,32)

Although that is 8 speed, 7 with big ring and big sprocket excluded is the same range as my preferred 52/42 11-25 so apart from checking if the front mech works it hasn't been used in those 6 weeks or around 1,000 miles.

Around town and as a commute bike it is fun, as a fast pleasure ride it is not and I am just about at the point of calling an end to the experiment and putting on a "proper" 11-25 cassette.

With a 50t ring the 15-18-21 sprockets are just a bit too far apart for the majority of my rides and whilst it is nice to not need to change the rings for a lower gear the 24-28 gap is again too large, leaving me over-geared in 50x24 and spinning madly in the 50x28. Swapping for a 44 would bring the 11 and 13 into use more but would make the 28 redundant along with the 32 bringing it down to 1x6.

If 1x6 were the only bikes available then I would be very happy, but I also have the option of a Di2 equipped bike with 11-25 also with a silly 50x34 compact, but Di2 makes the occasional chain ring change so little hassle that I haven't gotten around to changing the 34 ring.

Bye

Ian

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I've just had a wander around Hawk Cycles. Most of their hybrid bikes had single chain rings. If they weren't practical then they would have stuck with the 2 or 3 that they had a few years ago.

On low end stuff, single chainrings are done for penny-pinching reasons. Take a look at the £100 Challenge MTB's that Argos seems to flog quite a large number of. They've got a single up front and, IIRC, a 6-speed 14-28 on the back. You can't get a cheaper or simpler geared transmission than that. The reason it doesn't cause a problem is most of their customers buy the MTB's for short distance urban transport and don't take them off road!

 

[Kajjal]

1x is very different to how it was originally. To begin with the gear ranges were not there with people having to choosing a lower top pedalling speed or struggling up steeper hills. It is is different now but the drawback is the increased cost of cassettes etc. I stuck with 2x as it gives me good gearing for speed or steep hill climbing with gaps between the gears that works for my riding. My old mid 1990’s orange MTB is 3 x 8 which is still fine to ride up actual mountains as again the range of gears works but the tyre grip uphill runs out before the gears do !

 

[Baldy]

On low end stuff, single chainrings are done for penny-pinching reasons. Take a look at the £100 Challenge MTB's that Argos seems to flog quite a large number of. They've got a single up front and, IIRC, a 6-speed 14-28 on the back. You can't get a cheaper or simpler geared transmission than that. The reason it doesn't cause a problem is most of their customers buy the MTB's for short distance urban transport and don't take them off road!

Yes but, the top end bike have 1x as well and many long distance enduro riders use them. So there are other advantages besides keeping costs down.

 

[T4tomo]

I was thinking about a 1 x drivetrain. I figure a 7 to10 freewheel is more than enough. I will just tool around a bit I am near 70 and retired. So how easy are those 1x drivetrains? Also I was thinking a chankset of 32, 34, or 36. Low enough for some hills but high enough for a bit of flat out but not too fast speed. Any info?

My Gravel / winter road bike (2 sets of wheels) is a 1x10 spd. Its running TPR Hylex brakes which don't come with integrated shifters (TPR was a good budget option to get hydro discs at a price point) so Evans / Pinnacle put a bar end shifter on, so its slightly quirky but works well. 38 & 11-34 is what I have on it, which is low enough for me on the hills but I'm ~20 years younger than you, but still has a decent top speed on the road, without spinning out, and the gaps between gears are fine with it having 10 cogs. Now I'm used to it I really like it, and for offroad tracks etc , the "sequential gearbox" is ideal. You need some sort of chain retainer on the front if you are converting / building from scratch.
I wouldn't shift away from a double for the best road bike though.

 

[Venod]

You need some sort of chain retainer on the front if you are converting / building from scratch.

A clutch type derailleur has a stronger spring than older types, I don't run a chain retainer and have no problems.

 

[T4tomo]

A clutch type derailleur has a stronger spring than older types, I don't run a chain retainer and have no problems.

That'll work too, clutch derailleurs weren't a thing when mine was made, and I haven't had a chain dropping or slapping problem. Pretty much all the new clutch derailleurs are 11 speed though aren't they, so probably not an option if you are building a 1x drivetrain for 10 speed or less.

 

[mikeIow]

I’m 2/3rds through my Pandemic Pedal now: on my Specialized Sirrus X 3.0 - single 40 on the front, 11-42 10-spd on the rear.

Aside from the (unrelated and known issue, it transpires!) front left crank falling off below Bath, the bike has been grand.

A lower gear would have stopped a little pushing….but the bike+kit does weigh over 35kg…tent and all - I haven’t had too much trouble
Oh yes, & despite having a single front cog, the chain has fallen off it about 3 times

I am now a fan of just the single shifter though…avoids the overlap and sense of pointlessness about some of the gears!!

 

[Punkawallah]

Pointless? Look upon them as 'spares' :-)