Originally Posted by
markjenn
The argument for 1x with respect to chainline is that by having the front chainring in line with the middle of the rear cluster, the worst-case chainline is much better than the worst-case with 2x and the majority of one's riding time is in the middle of the cluster where the chainline is essentially straight. But I agree that this is probably unimportant - there are some good reasons to want to stick with 2x over 1x, but better chainline is not one of them.
- Mark
Okay, I get it. Thanks for the explanation. My thinking was that when in the middle of the cluster any chain line issues were minimal enough to be ignored and when at the extremes you might be more likely to shift the front ring to minimize them. Not sure which is more likely to be the case and indeed it may vary with the rider and the conditions. I figure the issue is minimal enough that for me it doesn't factor at all.
FWIW, I have toyed with converting my MTB to 1X, but the principle of "good enough is good enough" has prevented me from doing so. I could keep making very small incremental improvements to the bike and each would actually be an improvement, but I'd be throwing a lot or time, money, and effort into very small improvements. If I am to look at it honestly, since my racing days are in the past, doing much to it at this point would be going well past the point of diminishing returns.