1x8 is actually a great option
 

My new commuter had a single 48t chain ring up front. The spider supports a double but its not needed so I left it as is. With a 12-28 on the back I actually really like it for commuting. By no means a touring or group ride bike but, its so much simpler. Just use the gears you have and be done with it. It can run a cheap 7-8 speed chain, the spacing is such tuning is dead easy. As a commuter its almost ideal. No cross chaining to worry about, no minute FD adjustments. Less cables, one less shifter. Nice.

Here is my 1x10 with a 40T front with a 11-36 cassette. Range is 1.11 to 1 up to 3.63 to one. It's turning out to be a good set-up.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=381764

Thinking about a road bike setup 1x10 44-48 front and a wide range 12-32 at the back. I think that would be very versatile and as step up from the machine I just built. I have a compact 34-50 11-34 build I use for brevets but I end up shifting a lot more than I prefer for non climbing applications.

My winter commuter has a 1x8 with a thumb shifter on the stem. 42 t chain ring with a 30-12 cassette.

1x14 All in the rear hub is my Fave ..

I ran a commuter 1x8 with a 44 ring for over a year and I agree that it's ideal in many respects. Not the least reason is that there are no missed shifts in front, ever, but also no periodic adjustments, less weight, no equipment failures - which are precisely the reasons we'll pay big bucks for expensive group sets. Except with fewer gears, obviously.

I changed mine to a triple for a hilly charity ride and then to standard double when that was over. The irony is that my 39x25 low gear now is almost exactly the same as the old 44x28 on the old 1x8 setup so I've got no edge on the hills. My beater now has the single ring setup, 7 speed actually but 11-30, and I've no inclination to change it.

I hate front derailleurs. I removed mine from one of my mountain bikes, and I'm tempted to do it with others.

My main commuter is now a Birdy folding bike which came with 1x7 gearing. 18" wheels, 11-28 cass, 52t chainring.

It was pretty decent for my commute, although there are some stretches where there's not enough gearing, other parts where lower gearing would be nice. Not a deal-breaker by any means.

Except the guy I bought the bike from offered up a Sachs Dual Drive rear wheel...

And so now it is 3x7, with the 3 in the hub...

I leave the front mech as a chain-keeper, esp when using std triple style ramped rings.

My old commuter was a hybrid with 3x8 gearing. On my commute, I never took it out of the center ring and almost never used the lowest two gears. I went with the Nexus 8 IGH on my new commuter and couldn't be happier.

I've determined that on my commute by itself, I can use a 30" gear on a bad afternoon, and not more than 100" on a good morning. I could do an 8x setup with an 11-30 or 32 cassette, and considered just deleting my left shifter and running on the middle ring. But on this bike the middle ring is the wrong size and I just don't want to spend any more money at all on it.

The schwinn jaguar i have sitting in the garage unused (women's, too small, no fenders) is 1 up front & seven in the back. It works ok, though i think switching it to an internal 8 speed hub would be an improvement.

- Andy

I had one of my commuter bikes set up as a 1x9 for a while, thinking it would be simpler for riding but found otherwise. My commute route has a lot of hills. With a 2x9, I often shift with the front derailleur between the big and small rings on big hills, eliminating the need for a lot of shifting among cassette gears. With the 1x9, I was actually having to shift a lot more -- up and down the cassette when encountering hills. My bike had downtube shifters at the time, and it was definitely more of a hassle shifting with the 1x9 setup. With bar-end or STI shifters, it wouldn't have been that big a deal, but it was with DT shifters. I've since switched that bike back to a 2x9 with bar-end shifters, and it is much simpler to ride.

I've been thinking of building a new commuter with a 1x setup. Do you have to get a special non-ramped chainring up front to keep the chain on at the extremes of chain line?

That, or something to act like the DR to keep the chain from falling off, or both. I rigged one with a pipe clamp and aluminum strip, you can buy a chain guard or chain keeper, or the cheapest way is simply use a cheap front DR and set the limit screws.

It came that way. Since it has no cable guides for a fd I'd say its a single speed crankset. Looks like the spidee is for a double but the outer position is filled with a chain gaurd.

1 x 7

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikep...oncommute1.JPG

My wife likes her 1 by 8...

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikep...14breezer1.JPG

My winter bike is 1x10 with a 42 small ring and a small carbon dummy ring where the large ring would normally be. With 12-26 in the rear it works fine for commuting and group rides. It also has a chain catcher to prevent drops on the inside although I don't know how necessary that part is.

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...0&d=1400766741

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=382065

some pretty bikes. Puts my frankenhybrid roadie to shame. :)

This is Sassy, my 8-speed beauty (Nexus IGH).
[IMG]https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5313/...dd8dba02_c.jpgP1050728 by Giant Doofus, on Flickr[/IMG]

Nice. Grip shifter? Never found one of those I like. Thumb levers, stis, or triggers for me.

Yes, grip shifter. It's the only thing about the bike I'm not in love with. It's okay, though, so I won't swap it out.

2011 uptown 8 LS?

- Andy

Ride around 5000 km per year with a 1xN set up, they are pragmatic and reliable. Commuter is 1x9, 12-36 cassette and 39 t chainring. Road bike is a 1x10 with 11-36 and 38 t chainring. Plus a folder with nexus hub.