Originally Posted by
rekmeyata
...
I don't really see why someone would want a 1x setup unless you have issues with chain drops due to very rough off road conditions such as downhill racing.
....
Some people do not worry about wear or chain life, etc. To them simplicity in operation is the deciding factor. A 1X system has one shifter, you sequentially shift up and down without having to think about which shifter to use or how to avoid cross chaining.
I am not one of those people.
That said, I have a Rohloff touring bike and two derailleur touring bikes. Four years ago when I came home after a five week tour on my Rohloff bike with it's sequential shifter for all 14 gears, it took me several long rides on a derailleur bike with a triple to get used to thinking about using two shifters and how to avoid cross chaining again. That takes a bit more mental effort that I am happy to do myself, but some would prefer to avoid that.
People that do not care about wear or lifespan of components do not need to think about cross chaining. To them every possible gear is there to be used. And those people may be happiest with a sequential shifter, provided it gives them the range of gears that they desire.
And I think one thing we can all agree on, most bicyclists that tour on a bike do not replace chains and cassettes themselves, they hire a bike shop for that kind of maintenance. And many of those people are the same people that would prefer a single sequential shifter. Until they find out how much a new cassette and chain costs, when a mechanic replaces them, at which time they wish they had a 2X or 3X system.
Thank you for the link on 1X vs 2X or 3X systems.