Bolding is mine.
Originally Posted by
cyccommute
...I also disagree with your statement about front shifting becoming redundant.
It depends on what kind of range you are satisfied with. I know that I’ve got a range outside of the norm but it’s still possible. 1x just can’t get to the same range. For example my 44/34/20 with an 11-36 ranges from a 16” low to a 105” high. A 1x with a
44/11-42 has the same high but a significantly higher low (27”). That’s a really tall low for a loaded bike. On the other hand, a
24/11-42 has the same low
but it spins out below 20 mph. That may be good for trail riding but it would get old over a 30 or 40 mile downhill. A
good high gear 10-50 system or a
good low range 11-50 system is better but still suffers from a similar problem. Not as great but it’s still there.
The first part is what I said so I don't think we disagree. Just that we have different priorities. If I were riding groomed gravel I could just use my road/endurance bike with gravel tires or even a 650b wheelset to get fatter tires.That's a compact double 11-36 and a second wheelset could have 11/40. Actually, that's my real goal for that bike. One bike that covers that side of the spectrum well enough with good range and speed. I wouldn't really want to build yet another bike that replicates that basic ability.
For a dedicated gravel bike I want something that extends further towards the other end of the spectrum, having road covered. I want a bike that can do rougher gravel and is trail/technical capable. In that regard, low is what I want, not extended high range. We can talk about 20 mph being slow but off road 32 kph (how I think of it) is pretty darned good. Seldom am I cranking logging roads at that speed unless I'm going downhill or being chased by a grizzly bear.
Again, I'm not saying one is better than the other, just that I can see a place for 1x on certain builds.
And, not to flog a tangent, but if a dropper is in the future you want real estate for the lever on the bar that's easily accessible. I didn't really understand what the fuss was about until this last trip to Moab. It became apparent how important it was to be able to activate the dropper with the hands on the bars instead of taking them off to reach the remote some place other. A small thing that might not matter to most but it's all part of the overall system.