Originally Posted by
carpediemracing
I rode my bike set up in 1x10 for much of a season when
I broke something on my bike during a race. I just blocked out the small ring. I didn't think it was a big deal until I fixed it and got to use the small ring again. It was a relief. 53x39, 11-25, and my training is mostly (99%) flat roads and I only do big ring crits. In fact I never shift into the small ring in races because it only increases the chances of dropping my chain, even though I run a N-Gear Jumpstop, I have a well adjusted front derailleur, etc.
Also when I only had the 39x11 in that race I beat a Cat 2 sprinter who runs a 54x11 or a 55x11. He gave it a good shot apparently, I thought he simply didn't sprint. Having said that I prefer to sprint in big gears, 53x11-13 for the most part, jumping in the lower gears.
I only plan to use the 1x in flat crits and the occasional flat, fast group ride. The 28t gives a bailout (it's a 10 speed 11-25 other than the 28 stuck on the end) and the ratios are close enough. I even took it on a gravel ride or two last week; I had to stand on the steeper sections (not necessarily optimal, but not any problem either).
I don't really use the small ring around here except on Z1 rides (or Z2 rides on climby terrain). The last road race of the season was 61 miles, 2800+ feet of climbing (not mountainous, but not remotely flat) and I never touched the front derailleur all race, climbing seated ~95% of the time. I made the break of 3, and stayed away for 40 miles for second place. After that, I figured a front derailleur for our pancake-flat crits would be unnecessary.
I like the simplicity, the clean look, the quiet in all gears, and the extra chain security with a narrow-wide ring. I have dropped chains to the inside in crits on occasion; that wasn't the reason to go 1x, more that I had 2 identical bikes and could afford to limit the gearing on one of them in the name of trying something different.
After all, 2x5 gearing wasn't too incredibly long ago, and had far more overlap between available ratios.
If it were my only or primary bike, I wouldn't have done it. If I don't like it in the long term, it's not exactly an irreversible change.