Originally Posted by
CBBaron
wide range 11 speed cassettes were very expensive but recently they have dropped to more reasonable prices.
Shimano and SRAM both have 11-42 cassettes that fit standard freehub bodies and the new GX full pin 10-42 is just a little over $100 USD.
If you want lower than 1:1 get a smaller chainring
The cassette spacing is a problem for some people but many riders would not miss it. I
find myself changing 2 gears at a time much more often than I have ever felt I needed a gear between 2 that I currently have.
It may not be for everyone but I like it.
You're not going fast enough. When wind resistance becomes much more of a problem you'd welcome the more closely spaced gears. Because of this, I think 1x setups are only suitable for generally slower speed setups (MTB, Fat, cyclocross, basically anything but road.)
Personally I don't have trouble with chainrings so I'm not going to be jumping on the bandwagon anytime soon. Besides, I've seen a few people come into the COOP with chain drop problems on their 1x setups. They needed chain guides eventually, but I don't see the advantage to a 1x setup when you need a derailleur like object just to keep the chain on the front chainring anyway...