Something here does not compute. If you don’t need so many gearing options and want to simplify, I get it, I love my 1x8 mountain bike and my single speed ‘cross bike. What I don’t understand is the fixation on weight and high-end parts. There is nothing stopping you from pulling off the left shifter, FD and two chainrings. The only good reason to spend so much on parts is to get faster, so it makes no sense to throw aerodynamics to the wind (pun intended) by riding upright on flat bars. It also makes no sense to put such a huge cassette on the bike. If you don’t need the smaller two chain rings, you won’t use the biggest few cogs on an 11-36 cassette, so why not just go with a 11-27 to give yourself more options in a range you’ll actually use?