Originally Posted by
DesmoDog
While I am also a fan of ditching front derailluers and chain rings, one detail seemingly overlooked here is location. If I lived in Denver, Colorado a super low gear would be much more important to me than it is in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Ditto a higher gear... the elevation changes go both ways after all.
Horses for courses and all that.
Absolutely.
My current build is a 34T with 9/48 that will net me 25.1mph and 4.7mph respectively (with a cadence of 90).
Pretty common 3x setup I've seen is 44/32/22T with 11/32 which nets 26.6mph and 4.6mph.
That's pretty darn close and I submit that anyone that doesn't find enough gear in the 1x above won't find it in the 3x below it either necessitating a different setup.
For an awful lot of riders like myself that don't need to change the gearing on that 3x, the 1x IS the better solution for reasons enumerated earlier.
For you 3x aficionados, nobody is calling your baby ugly. Run whatcha brung and enjoy!