Originally Posted by
Koyote
Right. And so why not just run 2x and get closer spacing with a better chainline? I've been running that on my gravel rig from the start, have ridden over plenty of rough stuff, and have never dropped a chain.
After reading
Koyote's post, I was going to chime in with a reference to
Eric F's gravel bike from the So Cal forum, because the latter seems to have no problem riding gravel with a regular Ultegra (i.e., not GRX) RD. On the other hand, when I went 1x on my hybrid (which is only ridden on paved roads and MUPs), the chain would occasionally get pulled inwardly off the chain ring when it is on the largest cog, even though I had a chain line that bisects the cassette, so I had to add a chain keeper.
Originally Posted by
Eric F
Regarding ranges of 1x vs. 2x, this is a handy calculator that will allow you to compare 2 different drivetrain configurations...
Bicycle Gear Calculator
That is the one I use too; good reminder about the compare feature. which while not hidden is not the most obvious.