Originally Posted by
antokelly
I'm not really all that impressed by the 2x systems. I'm really not impressed by the 1x systems. The article says that the SRAM has a 630% range. My gearing 46/34/20 with an 11-34 rear derailer has a 711% range.
You can compare the two systems here. If you raise the cadence to 120 rpm, the 2x system is spun out at 34 mph but I don't spin out until 40 mph.
I
do like speed but there is another aspect to the lower high end of the 2x system that I find problematic. You do end up coasting more on downhills. Here in Colorado, you can easily run across downhills that go for 8 or 10 miles. Coasting that far leaves can leave your leg muscles rigid and makes uphills at the end of the downhill harder. They hurt a lot after you've been locked in a coast position for a long time. Some resistance on the pedals that a higher gear gives you allows you to keep the muscles moving and they don't get locked up as much.
The shift pattern of wide range 2x systems is goofy too. Say you are riding in the 36x24 gear and you need to downshift in a hurry to the inner ring (24x24). You go from 40 gear inches to 27 gear inches. If you are riding at 90 rpm in the higher gear, you have to increase your cadence to over 150 rpm to keep up. It feels very unnatural.
Originally Posted by
antokelly
thing i like about that set up from sram is no front mech, straigh through gearing should make for handy changing great range of gears.the way i look at these new gears if there tried and tested by the crazy mountainbikers then touring lads shouldn't give it much bother.
You are getting caught up in some clever marketing. The article's charts are about 2x systems...that's how they get the "630% range"...but all the pictures are for 1x systems. A 2x system is still going to need a front derailer. And a 1x system doesn't have the range of a 2x system...not even close. With a 36 tooth cog and the 10-42 cassette, the range is 300%. The top speed is still the same but the low gear is significantly higher.
You can compare the 1x system to my set up here
Now if the low end is important to you, you can achieve the same low gear I have by changing the chainring to a 24 but then your top speed is even more severely limited.
At 120 rpm, you spin out at 23 mph. That's going to mean a
whole lot of coasting. That gets frustrating very quickly.
By the way, that PinkBike article plays fast and loose with the Shimano set ups. Not many mountain bike riders are going to use a 42/32/24. If you use a more normal mountain bike crank with a 22 inner, the range increases to 591% and if you use a 44 outer, the range is 613%. Sram's advantage evaporates pretty quickly. Change to a 20 tooth inner and the triple set up has the advantage.
The 1x and 2x systems might work well on race courses where you know what is coming up and can plan your gearing around it. But once you start to analyze the numbers, they don't look as good. Out in the real world, they are very limited with funky shift patterns and limited ranges. I'll keep my triples.