Ultraorange

My old trek 520 is going from a single speed commuter to a 1x. Now it comes down to this, I am so out of the loop when it comes to shifting I don't know where to start. I would like to do a SRAM build as the bike build is using as many American brands and parts as possible. So I'm doing my damnedest to get a set of SRAM TT bar end shifters for a Paul Thumbie. What I can't figure out is what derailed to put back there. I here the difference between Force and Red is weight(I'm a baby Clyde) so that is where I'm leaning.

What sort of feedback can any of you give me? If you think I should run back into the arms of Shimano do you think 105 is good enough or is ultegra that much better to spend the 20 bucks? And brifters are not an option rather have a thumbie.

mdilthey

I would say, go with a mountain bike derailleur and cassette. You lose some range with the road stuff that is totally unnecessary, the MTB drivetrains have tons of range for a tiny weight penalty and no performance difference.

Sram X5 or Shimano Deore is plenty good enough, but if you can go with Sram X7/X9 or Shimano XT/XTR then you'll notice crisper shifting and less dropped shifts near the extremes of your gear range, since the action of the derailleur arm should be a little more precise (my experience).

As for the front, I am currently running Shimano with a Wolftooth 38T chainring, but next week I'll be using a Sram Apex BB and crank with a Wolftooth 38T ring. On the Shimano crank (Shimano Sora), I had to add two spacers on the spindle to reach my largest cog on my 11-36T cassette. You may or may not need a spacer, but the spacers I used were like 0.1mm x2, so almost nothing. I would hesitate to space the spindle of your crankset any more than a fraction of a milimeter or risk an unsafe connection to the non-driveside crank arm.

Let me know if you have any other questions. I did a lot of fooling around with this build and a LOT of troubleshooting with the experts at my local shop.

fietsbob

Rohloff.. 1 in front 1 in back, 14 inside the Hub. (ditto Alfine or other Shimano IGH 11 or 8 inside the Hub )

To Burst your bubble SRAM is all made in Taiwan Factories , the investors and HQ managers and that may be state side ,
But the production and development overhead is less in Asia.

MileHighMark

My gravel/commuter is set up with a SRAM 1x drivetrain. Front ring is currently a 38t X-Sync and the cassette is their 11-36t PG-1170 unit. Shifts great, and absolutely zero dropped chains.

hueyhoolihan

^^^ agree. it's a reasonable setup.

and it looks like sram offers a bar-end. maybe a 10 and 11 speed thumbie too.

bmike

Rohloff for me. But I had 1x for awhile and liked it. When my road tourer needs a new drivetrain it will be 1x10.

If you ride rough stuff consider a derailer with a clutch. Overkill for most road uses, but it really helps keep the chain on and engaged, and almost eliminates all chain slap. Combine this with a narrow / wide chainring (I have used the wolf tooth) and you don't need a chai keeper.

I would go x9 of you go 10. I'm not sure what the 11spd option is.
And depending on where you plan to your and what your riding style you can add a 40 or 42t cog.

saddlesores

friend of mine tours on a dahon, 1x8, seems happy with it.
you could check the dahon website to see what setups they use.

DAHON Bikes:*Vector DD30

this ones a 1x 30 speed using a 3spd hub.

LuckySailor

Mine is an XTR with a SRAM chain, 10 speed cassette 10-36. Dura Ace bar ends. Love it!

fietsbob

Like derailleurs? Look at the SRAM Dual Drive Rear Hub a cassette Driver & 3 speed IGH in one.

Darth Lefty 

If you want to take a journey into Shimergo-land, it's possible to use a 9-speed cassette and chain, and SRAM 9-speed shifters with Shimano Dyna-Sys RD's modified by adding spacers at the pinch bolt to change the RD's leverage.

Examples

SRAM Type-2 Derialleur - Will it work with 9 speed shifters? - Page 2 - Pinkbike Forum

Bump! SRAM 9spd shifting Shimano 10spd help- Mtbr.com

SRAM 9 speed twist shifter + Shimano 10 speed derailleur- Mtbr.com

Or, Gevenalle sells Microshift-derived shifters that work with the Dyna-Sys RD's.

MileHighMark

If you want a really wide range cassette, SRAM just announced their XG-1150 (10-42, 11-speed, $144 MSRP). It requires a hub with an XD driver/freehub, though.

Darth Lefty 

Price coming down on that thing but it's hard to see how they made it cost so much when you could theoretically bolt a chainring to the back of a 10-speed cassette.

MileHighMark

I think the 10-tooth small cog makes it a little more complicated. I've seen/ridden the XG-1150, and it's an impressive design. I suspect that it wasn't trivial to balance cog stiffness, weight, and cost. Eventually I'll switch over to an XD hub/driver so that I can take advantage of the 10t and 42t cogs.

Leebo

What kind of gear inches will you be needing. Hills with a loaded tourer?

Ultraorange

That I'm aware of since I was unable to find domestic manufacture of a rear mech. If I could afford a Rohloff it would already be on the bike.

Ultraorange

I travel light even in motorized transportation, right now its whats in the panniers and me. Lets call it 300lbs. As for my normal local commute its groceries and through KCMO so plenty of very long hills.

Ultraorange

Quick update I accidentally bought a SRAM Force rear mech, still working the ebay for shifter. So far some great(and expensive) advice.

Darth Lefty 

I don't know if there ever was, at least in any quantity. The old ones came from France and Italy.

fietsbob

Shop for a Used One.. Thats how I got mine it was part of a complete Used Bike Buy racks Mudguards and all ..

MileHighMark

Which cage length? The WiFLi (med cage) model can handle a 32t cog, but anything larger will be a crap-shoot.

Ultraorange

I know the asset I have been given has a high gear of 28 and it will clear that fine. I've been riding fixed and single speed for a few moons with a normal drive of 46 front and 16 rear so the though of a 44 28 is so weird.

hueyhoolihan

don't worry, it'll all come back to you about 1/2 the way up the first-multi mile +7% grade.

unterhausen

I'm not sure I can imagine touring with a 44 28 as my low gear. Maybe if I go back in time to when I was too young to know any better. I just went through these calculations for my rando bike, and the main reason driver was a couple of multi-mile 20 percent grade hills I rode last year. For that, my 34/32 wasn't really low enough, and I'm talking unloaded

Ultraorange

Mashing makes my knees feel better and I'm not sure why, riding a 42 24 on my road bike I'm taking the front off the ground. I may know how to peddle, but I'm still learning how to ride a bike.