Good morning,
I was thinking more around the Tourney, Claris, Sora level where Shimano shifts a lot of product in 2x7/8/9.
Halfords for example have the Apollo Paradox, a 2x7 Tourney bike with handlebar shifters, downtube style rather than STI, for around £220 at these sort of prices and expected use a 1x8 would probably be just as practical and the small cost savings would be worth having.
At the moment non enthusiasts often expect 2x as that has been the norm since the 1970s(?) so whilst a 1x8 may serve their needs perfectly well there is an image problem.
I suspect that at this level, chains with a 1K/2K mile lifespan would not be well received.
You want £25-£30 for a chain (105), I only paid £250 for the whole bike and have ridden it for 4 months, my last chain (5 speed freewheel) lasted 2 years !
So 8 speed, possibly 9 could be the limits of what the customer would accept price and durability wise in this sector of the market.
As Halfords Apollo/Carrera rarely go above Sora nowadays, Tiagra upwards means Boardman they are harder to say
You can't have 105/Ultegra if you use Microshift rather than Tourney/Claris.
The Specialized Diverge Base comes in at £1,099 and that is 8 speed Claris with discs, and that's expensive in most peoples mind, unlike Halfords it would be a big problem if they somehow lost access to 105/Ultegra/Dura-Ace.
Whilst there is a Claris disc brake I haven't seen it on many bikes whether this is due to price or availability I don't know.
Bye
Ian
10/11 is vintage.
