well in the case of the new shimano XT, yes. It is a bit cheaper, less to replace. Simple. I like it alot. I was riding a 1x10 expander for the last couple summers and got a sram x1 1x11 last fall (amazing!). and I have a 1x10 mod on my fat bike (also wicked). 50T is no incremental jump. I have heard 44 and 45 with 42 being common place but 10-50 just blows that away. You can run a 34 and have a massive MTB gear range, but at some point the derailleur must get too close to the ground!?