You really went the extra mile here and it's appreciated. This has helped me loads to decide which way to go. Thanks

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful and thx for watching!

@Leo-gt1bx

Жыл бұрын

What did you go for?

As Mr Quindazzi says the most important 1x problem is that you have to commit to a single chainring. If you go too extreme you will end up lacking. 34T will allow you to be almost in an MBT but you will not be able to race to much, and 46T might give you enough speed but you will have to be very strong to be able to climb a lot, even on a 10-36T cassette. The bottom line is that on gravel you might go 2x to have some "good for everything" bike or go 1x a commit a little more on what are you going to mostly do with your bike, road or climbs....

@High_Octane

2 жыл бұрын

2x 46/30 with 11-36 is the most versatile budget friendly setup for gravel bike i can think of. gives less than 1:1 ratio and huge top end.

@peterkiss1204

2 жыл бұрын

I use a 11-50 Sram casette with a 42T narrow-wide chainring. But there are 10-52 casettes for even more range. I don't think, range would really be a limiting factor on a 1x system.

@azathell

2 жыл бұрын

@@peterkiss1204 Yeah, 10-52 (which I think is the max range right now) Gives you range but you still have to commit on the chainring. You either go for a roadish 46 or higher, or go MBTish for a 40 or lower. It looks that those 10-52 will give you everyhitng but there will be climbs too steep for a 52 (C) to 46(CR) or descending roads where your 10 - 36 will not be enough. It´s important to make sure of what are you going to do the most and prepare for that, while making sure that you know what you are missing.

@peterkiss1204

2 жыл бұрын

@@azathell As I see you really don't need anything too much below 1/1 gear ratio. It already is almost as easy as walking. I rode a 48T chainring with a 9 speed 11-36 Shimano casette before changed to 12 speed. The 11/48 gear ratio was plenty enough for me, and would be probably for most cyclists. The only reason I changed to 42T is because the 12 speed system required a narrow-wide chainring, and I couldn't find a bigger one that fits my frame and crank set.

@imola8

Жыл бұрын

​@@High_Octane what casette do you use?

this was by far the most clear explanation i've seen on the advantages/disadvantages between 1x and 2x. suuuuuuper helpful, thanks!

I recently decided to refurbish my old bike and think about modernizing the drivetrain. I had my last bike 25 years ago so it's been a while and so much has changed since. Nice to see this video. Saved me some time and an Excel spreadsheet;)

Just found your site and it’s great! I’m also an engineer so I really appreciate the details. I did similar analysis on 1x a couple of years ago. I changed my 3 mountain bikes to 1x. Best move ever. My girlfriend is a novice rider and struggled with 2x. She was always cross chaining and confused, especially in the woods. Now that she’s on 1x, she’s significantly improved because she doesn’t think about shifting. I strongly recommend 1x for anyone new to mt biking because of the simplicity. Keep the good videos coming!

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Nice! Yea it’s way easier for newer riders not worrying about a front mech. Thanks for watching!

BEST description on the topic....and CLEARLY showed the side-by-side comparison and where the literal differences are. BRAVO!!!!!

You did an amazing job of analyzing and providing an understandable description of the advantages between 1X vs 2X.

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Thx for watching!

The most informative video I found in YT about gear ratios and 1x & 2x comparison. I have decided to go with 1x12 system for my MTB. Thank you!

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Nice! Glad it was helpful

Thanks for geeking out and making this video. I found it very informative. I like the 1x systems for their simplicity. Also I go back to the many times that the chain was rubbing on the front derailleur and driving me nuts. Yeah, it was out of adjustment, but now no worries about that.

@sepg5084

3 жыл бұрын

At least on a 2X you can tune your derailleur to get rid of the rub. What i do not like about my 1X is when my chain is on the top gear, a part of it rubs on the second highest gear because of the angle. Also the sound that the chain makes on the chainring when i am at the lowest gear which is again caused by the angle. Both indicate additional friction that could be avoided on a 2X setup if you choose your gears adequately.

Best gear ratio video ever. Change chain ring will jump a few gears, this can be annoying at times. Yes, experience with your bike will minimise the pause effect but still not as intuitive compared to 1 by - "not quite the gear I wanted, try the next one". For people new to cycling, this ease of use characteristic of 1 by is a bonus.

This was one of the best videos Ive listened to discussing this topic. Got my GEEK fix and confirmed some of the stuff I was thinking as I decide which drivetrain to use on my first gravel bike. Thanks!!

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching; I know it was a long one!

Fantastic video! Thank you so very much for all of that information. I have been wanting to make the shift into 1x for a while, this answered all my questions.

2x all the way, i have 1x mtb, 1x fatbike, 2x road bike, and recently purchased 2x gravel bike, and I'm convinced in a good choice. 1x drivetrain isn't good enough on the tarmac, if the relief is flat and hills, you have to play or shift several cogs to be ok, but on the 2x you just switch from big chairing to the small, and thats all. Another big issu with 1x is the high speed on the tarmac, 40x11 isn't enough for moderate cadence And of course, any cycliste must have some knowledge how 2x chainring works and how to adjust front derailleur, i mean trim position or fully engaged to avoid the chain and derailleur contact

@h1n1worm

3 ай бұрын

Nowadays, you can only find one or two 2x bikes in model ranges; the majority are 1x

New sub here and going through your videos. The quality is incredible. I have to say, this is the most informative 1X vs. 2X video I've ever watched!. Everybody else seems to mention the jump in 1X gears, but not explain WHERE those jumps are. I had a 1X Salsa Cutthroat a couple years ago and was never bothered by the gearing. I also came of a mountain bike so that may be why as you mentioned. When I bought my Diverge, it was 2X and I did notice I was only using about half the gears so I decided to order my new bike with GRX 1X and this video confirms I probably won't notice the difference except by not having to deal with adjusting my front mech every now and again. Thank you!

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Wow, thanks again for the great feedback! I’m starting to think I could probably get away with 1x for 90% of all scenarios. We shall see what I end up with next.. haha

Great video! I had this very debate when I was deciding which gravel bike to buy. I have increasingly favored 1x drivetrains on my bikes over the last few years. I find 1x stems better suited for off-road riding or casual street riding. The larger jumps are more noticeable and less desirable when you are going faster and trying to find that optimal cadence as you mentioned in your video. It looks like Shimano tried to eliminate that as much as possible and, like you, I am second guessing my decision to go 2x on my gravel bike. I definitely should have studied gear ratios a bit more to better understand how my ride would have been impacted by the ratio gaps. My logic was oversimplified in that I decided that 1x11 would not yield appropriate ratio gaps and that I would need at least a 1x12 to achieve a more appropriate progression of ratios. Perhaps that is somewhat accurate, but after looking at how Shimano does it, I think I would have been just fine because regardless of whether you go 11-40, 11-42, or 11-46, all three have the same progression of 11-13-15-17-19-21-24. Then, along comes Campy with their new Ekar 1x13 gravel groupset. Have you seen it? They offer 3 different cassette options: 9-10-11-12-13-14-16-18-20-23-27-31-36 9-10-11-12-13-14-16-18-21-25-30-36-42 10-11-12-13-14-15-17-19-22-26-32-39-44 Looks like they are taking what Shimano does to the next level with packing the top end of the cassette with very tightly spaced gears. Had I gone with a 1x gravel bike, it more than likely would have been equipped with SRAM Apex 1: 11-13-15-17-19-22-25-28-32-36-42 They start ramping up the progression one cog earlier than Shimano with a larger jump from 19-22. My Specialized Diverge has a Shimano 11-34 configured as such: 11-13-15-17-19-21-23-25-27-30-34 The 48T big ring on my bikes does have me favoring the 17-19-21-23-27 cogs most which are all 2 tooth ratio gaps. Had I gone 1x SRAM with a 42T ring, I would be favoring the 15-17-19-22-25 cogs. My ratios would be very close to the same with the 1x setup except for when I was on the 22 and 25 where the gaps spread just a tad. Not likely a big deal. Sorry this is so long of a comment, but one last thing. After getting my Diverge, I ended up building a super budget gravel bike that I intend to actually ride on the local mountain bike trails. I have it setup with 650B x 47 tubeless tires and a 1x8, 38T ring with an 11-40 cassette. Those are some big jumps (11-13-16-20-24-28-34-40)! The little bit I have ridden it on trails does seem to validate my initial impression that 1x is better suited for slower riding. It is insanely fun and I can't wait to try it out with the recently installed dropper post! Thanks for hopefully reading this and I look forward to more content like this if you decide to make it.

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Hey man, excellent reply and observations! Thx for checking it out. Lot to unpack here, but basically, yes I’ve found that there’s more to it than just disregarding 1x bc the jumps will be presumed to large. On a side note, saw your 650B setup on the diverge. Something I want to explore soon! Looking forward unto your ride review on 650B.

@High_Octane

2 жыл бұрын

just get a mtb please lol

@aaronbehindbars

2 жыл бұрын

@@High_Octane I have one of those, too.

Just went back to a 2x system on my second mtb...first to address the chainline issues of the 1x system. Then the gear ratios. Good that I stayed with my 2x on my first mtb.

You continue to amaze me with your great content. I really enjoy your content and style.

yo, this video deserves millions of views. great job and easy to follow. thank you!

Fantastic video! With this data I am now confident to go for 1x on my first gravel bike. Thank you very much!

Finally a mathmatical geometric on the gearing of 1 by vs 2 by. I just ordered my Sram 1 by and have been searching the internet for fear that I may be missing the smaller gaps in the larger gears, and thankfuly you address the answer. I'll be fine! Great job!

This is probably my favorite video of yours. I love it!!!!!!

That was actually a sweet break down, thank you! I actually almost didn’t watch the video but you answered my question perfectly. I wanted perspective on 1x gap jumps. Some cassettes are more easily spaced from say 11-46 and some only have the big jumps at the end. New to biking since my teens and figuring out the best setup for my current options. I was thinking I’d prefer them evenly spaced and now i know I’d actually prefer all the big jumps with the bigger cogs due to how i remember riding long ago. Appreciate my man! Great vid!

MTB person here and this video was hugely helpful for me as well. I was quite literally thinking about doing some Matlab coding myself to quantity the difference between 1x, 2x & 3x MTBs too so I'm glad I stumbled upon your video doing the exact same. Definitely worth geeking out to some gear ratios

Oh my! This is really goooood stuff! Thank you for bringing quantitative insight of the ratios and you deliver it in such a simple way. Awesome!

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Thx for watching!

the best video i’ve ever found. finally someone explained quantitively! thanks from nerdy searcher of a bike!))

I like the explanation, clear and covers the details in the right sequence. Appreciate the effort put into this script

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for nerding out with us!

Great overview and breakdown. Answered my questions very well... many provide what they prefer and "feel" but never the actual facts to this detail. Keep it up - Subscribed!

@TheBikeSauce

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks David!

Best presentation I've seen on this topic. The graphs were really helpful. Thanks very much and subscribed!

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

thanks for this, have a grx 1x11 set up and was contemplating to go 2x for the jumps, your mathematical prowess made me appreciate what i have, cheers and ride safe

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

"mathematical prowess" 😆 Glad to have saved you some money!

@walkwithmetravel3596

3 жыл бұрын

The bigger jumps are only in the large cogs. The numbers are there for us to see, but it's great for someone to explain it.

Absolutely fantastic! Thanks for taking the time to do this.

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for nerding out with us!

Yup, I been a roadie for over 10 years. Just recently jumped to a gravel bike & hard tail MTB. Gear gaps are just insane, for a roadie...its taking time to get use to it

@Leo-gt1bx

Жыл бұрын

The gaps and extra cost of parts put me off.

@Ferrichrome

Жыл бұрын

I run a 3x9 and all the gear gaps are super close. I also have a roadie with a 2x10. I wouldn’t mind a wide range 1x9 or 1x10 since I am constantly double or triple tapping my rear derailleur on road drivetrains. In a 1x operation is really simple and every gear is uniquely useful.

@fender1000100

Жыл бұрын

Thats right 9 SPEEDS RULE for me. Too much whining over gear jumps. SERIOUSLY your legs don't care. They only know is it too hard or not hard enough. 9,10,11,13,15,17,20,23,26 45 on the front. Absolute perfection. No hill I cannot climb. And I can break 25mph on the flat. And for a 20 inch wheel folder and a 59 year old rider. That's all I need.

Great video, thanks! Thinking about next gravel bike and will now seriously consider 1x.

this is the best informative video on this topic i have ever come across. Excellent work.

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

That was a very clear and informative explanation. Many thanks!

Nice! There is something people forget to think about. Tarmac roads are designed for vehicle that will keep around 88mph so they spend a lot of money modifying the terrain to not have abrupt changes on the slope cause it could make the cars at 88mph to jump over the hills. Gravel roads are design to velocities close to 20mph, so you can save some money and allow fast changing in the slope. For road bikers, riding in automotive tarmac road, it means very small changing on the slope during a long ride, so small gaps are more important. For MTB rides, the changes in slope of the terrain are usually huge, so you frequently change 2 or 3 gear at the some time, so bigger step will not make much difference. For Gravel, if you stick only to gravel roads and singles tracks, the 1x MTB transmission steps is just fine. The 2x on a Gravel bike will make more sense when you are using the bike to travel, cause sometimes you will need small gaps to ride long tarmac roads and sometimes you will need the small chain ring to climb a single track.

Best most useful discussion I've seen on this topic. You did the heavy lifting and then simplified the results for the rest of us. Thanks.

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Nice, thx for the feedback!

@MrJx4000

2 жыл бұрын

Wow, this is just what I've been looking for (you obviously have some kind of analytical background--good work). I have a 1 x 8 hybrid with a typical 11-34 cassette and a 38T chain ring on 27.5" wheels. I rarely use my 8th gear, but I do wish I had a little bit more gear climbing ability. So I bought a 36T chain ring hoping that will help (haven't tried it yet--waiting for the snow to melt :-). If a 36T ring is still inadequate, then I'll try a 34T one. However, I will never go back to a 2x or 3x configuration. Thanks again for your video.

Great video man. I really enjoyed the graphs and your explanations were super clear. Thanks

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Thx for nerding out with us!

Yup, total geek out but thankyou! LOTS of effort. Much appreciated.

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Ha, thanks! Gotta incorporate the bike nerdery

Thanks for the video and sharing your thought’s I went with 2x GRX 810 31/48 up front and XT 11/42 in the rear, for just about anywhere you want to go.

Superb visual discussion of 2x overlap. You didn't miss anything.

Started out on a 1x mountain bike and always felt like I didn't have enough top end speed. Went 2x (50/34) on my gravel bike with an 11-40 cassette and I finally found an almost perfect system for climbing up and sprinting on flats and descents.

@Leo-gt1bx

Жыл бұрын

50/34 is a tad to much for me. I am running a 48/32 with an 11-32.

@Leo-gt1bx

Жыл бұрын

What speed is your drive train? I am so torn on trying a 1x or wether or not to replace my worn 2x9 with what I have. The cost will be pretty much the same but losing top and bottom gears scares me.

@fender1000100

Жыл бұрын

Depends on your needs. I have a Tern Verge X11. It has a 52 chainring on the front and a 10--42 on the back with 451mm wheels. And there's no hill I haven't been able to get up. And it is plenty fast on the 10 to 52. What people forget. Is having a bigger gear ratio at the top means little if you cannot get a good cadence. And I have experimented with a 56 tooth front chainring and actually went slower than the 52.

After I had my old mountainbike serviced, I noticed that while speeding up with the front on the smaller wheel, it didn't grab the chain and I almost died on a road, because I couldn't get my bike going. Ever since I used the big blade on the front and learnt to change only the back gear. Now I'm looking for a new bike and I want to buy a gravelbike as under the circumstances where I drive here in Thailand (rough and smooth roads, sand, and gravel on the road) I found a lot information about anything related to gravelbikes (and mountainbikes). And given the experience I had and your video, the choice is easy: I go for the 1x drivetrain. Last sunday I was in a shop which only had mountainbikes or racebikes, the seller was showing the 1x drivetrain bikes as the latest innovation. I thought it was ridiculous, but now I learnt that this is really what I want. Thanks for helping me decide!

Ok, you may have done the impossible: you made a video about gear ratios REALLY REALLY interesting! Besides all the diligence in getting your data together, you presented it all in a way that "us common weekend warriors" can understand and appreciate. I went 1X for my gravel, and while I went kinda cheap on the frame, the components are (for me) pretty snazzy with the SRAM Rival etap system. And while I thought wireless was probably wasted on a rider like me, I LOVE IT. Keep up the good work!

Your explanation is so enlightening, once you see the picture and you'll get it!

This is the analysis I have always thought I wanted to see and you delivered. Thanks for plotting it out! My bike is a 3x9 and I spend most of my time in the middle ring. After seeing this I think 1x would suit my riding over 2x. Thanks!

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Nice. All you can really do is try it and see!

Thank you, that was such a good explanation of both system's ratios. I am definitely in the roadie -> gravel camp and ultimately went with 2x simply because my do-it-all gravel machine does spend a good amount of time on asphalt. However, I'm less hesitant now to consider a 1x conversion for more dedicated gravel time or events. I'd be interested in that shifting discussion next. To run 2x, being comfortable with double-shifts is definitely a thing, though certainly made easier if one is fortunate enough to afford Di2 and run it in its automated mode.

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Ah yes, Di2.. the dream 😆

Great work providing solid data to make a decision. Thanks!

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

This video is fantastic. Very informative and helpful for decision making on which system to go with. Kudos to you

@TheBikeSauce

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@binshuo

2 жыл бұрын

@@TheBikeSauce being a programmer myself, I felt shamed to not have done any computation on gear ratio during my research. I’m planning to build a gravel bike and will probably also use it for bikepacking. GRX 1 by only goes to 43kph at 90rpm so it’s gonna run out of gear for on road descent. Campy ekar looks to be the most versatile 1 by groupset among the big 3 brands. Honestly it all comes down to availability. We are not in a position of picking in the current situation with the shortage going on

Wow! Incredible analysis!! Thank you!

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

Great work man. Thanks, that really helped me with my decision.

I appreciate how you give facts and data to help your viewers make decisions. I’d be curious to see a video that compares the new 12 speed cassettes to a 2x11 and also how using an oval chainring may impact the overall gear ratios. Keep up the great videos!

@qzrnuiqntp

Жыл бұрын

2X11 = 22 22 => 12

Awesome video. I love the qualitative and quantitative comparisons. Is this a bike video with Matlab, or a Matlab video about bikes? I'm not sure but it's the video I never knew I always wanted! This is super helpful as I compare gravel bikes. Thanks man - keep it up!

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Ha! Thanks. Good to hear you’re gravel bike shopping.

Strong analysis. Thank you for helping me to sort this out. Up to this moment, I was a 2x person all the way (roadie background). Now I am totally open to 1x. Probably for me, the answer will be to go either the SRAM 1x12 AXS. And big budget people can get the Campagnolo Ekar 1x13), to help the spacing problem.

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Nice! All comes down to being informed and choosing what makes sense for the individual

Good work, exactly what I was looking for. I'm going 2x!

I don’t know yet if I’ll go 1x on a new gravel bike, but I sure enjoyed your videos on the subject:)

Nice video! I found what i waslooking for. Thanks!

As a complete newbie to cycling this REALLY helped me understand the difference between the drive trains. I'm wanting to start off with an indoor smart trainer, and have been debating if I should get a road bike or gravel bike. The goal ideally would be to get a mtb down the line for the odd occasion I can actually get away for a weekend and explore some trails, BUT THEN I heard about grave bikes and seems like it be a good option. Thx for the great content

@Leo-gt1bx

Жыл бұрын

What do you prefer?

Thanks man. This helped tremendously.

Beautiful analysis 👏

Thank you! This makes me feel better about my 1x choice. Deore 1x 10 speed 11-46 cassette with 40t crank. I live in the Ozark Highlands about an hour NE of Bentonville, AR in Missouri. It’s quite hilly here!

I did it enjoy it! Appreciate the work you put in to plot the ratios. I would never have gotten that deep into it. Plus I can't code, so there's that too. But it was informative, so well done. Subscribed.

@TheBikeSauce

2 жыл бұрын

Thx for checking it out. This is a fairly old video at this point. Still love to nerd out once in a while

Geek away brother. Very helpful, even in 2022.

many thanks for this! for me 1x set up if you are doing bikepacking, recreational rides which is enough...2x if you gravel race and definitely road cycling..

Nice analysis and presentation. Back in 2018, I considered a 1x bike but ended up getting the Diverge Sport with its 2x system. I had recently moved from a flat part of the country to terrain that had a lot of hills. Not being an experienced climber, I wasn’t comfortable giving up the wider range of gears or smaller incremental jumps the 2x offered. If most 1x designs are similar to the one you analyzed, I would have seen those larger increments on the hill climbing gears so I’m glad I didn’t go that route. Although now that I have a few years of experience climbing hill under my belt, I would still consider a 1x system in the future. Thanks for helping me understand more about them. Good video! Also, I just bought headset spacers for my Diverge from your shop. Thanks for the quick delivery, cool sticker and friendly note you included. The sticker will be perfect to cover up a ding on my paddle board.

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Yes! Thanks for the feedback and your support!

Good presentation! Very informative!

When figuring potential weight savings for a 1-by system you do need to consider the weight of the different cassettes. It seems possible some or all of the weight saved up front could be matched by more in those huge cassette cogs. But as you say, simplicity matters a lot. For an old (74) roadie like me (riding good road bikes for 45 years), small steps between gears and the ability to match my (high) cadence are important. But as I contemplate my next bike, an e-gravel bike, 1 -by will have to be the future. Your program made simple the sort of manual calculations we made years ago when designing our ratios. There were many fewer options then (this was even before mountain bikes). We are spoiled for choice now days! Love it, and love your channel. Cheers, Tom

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks, Tom! Coincidentally, I recently swapped my GRX 2x setup for a 1x setup. Weight savings was a total wash! You’re right, the heavier cassette completely cancelled the savings gained by removing components. An e-gravel bike ought to be loads of fun, and yes we certainly are spoiled by choice in 2021. Important to remember that the equipment is just a tool to facilitate the adventure! Thanks for watching!

amazing video mate! Keep up the good work!

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Thx for the positive feedback!

This is next level stuff. But the next next level would be downloading your Strava gpx data and parsing your distribution of speeds and plotting that over your gear ratio plots. You'd want the area with the smallest ratio jumps to coincide with your most common speeds. Next next next level is parsing your power data and generating a bivariate distribution of speeds and power versus time to correlate to hear ratios. You'd have to preprocess to drop the zeroes, like when you're not pedaling and have zero power.

this is a fantastic and well-presented video. great job! i ride road and gravel, probably more road and i absolutely do not like 2x. all of the your 'pros' for 1x were bang-on, but one thing you didn't mention was noise. i have spent way too much time fine-tuning FDs to eliminate chain noise and i just can't seem to ever get away from it. a properly-setup and lubricated 1x drivetrain is a silent and smooth system that from a purely tactile perspective, is enough for me to only use 1x. also, kudos for mentioning the overlapping gear ratios in 2x - to me, this is wasteful. ;) LOL. i love the GRX 810 components but i am now running a SRAM Rival AXS eTap 1x12 setup with a 42T chainring and a 10-44 XPLR cassette on my Aspero, and it has so much range. the only change i may make, as i get faster, is move up to a 44T chainring. i really notice the smaller spacing in the 12-speed cassette vs the 11-speed 10-42 i used to use with my GRX 810 stuff. it's perfect, for me.

AWESOME Gear Ratios lecture =P

A year later, and the Campagnolo Ekar group set offers 13 cogs for a 1x system, which pretty much means you can have your cake and eat it too. Depending on which cassette you choose, you can effectively match both the range and the spacing between gears to that of a typical road bike with compact 2x cranks. Of course, you can instead choose to trade a wider spacing for increased range.

Thanks for providing the detailed analysis! Now I think that maybe I should switch to 1x and 11-50 even for climbing

Subscribed! Great content man

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Thx! Much appreciated

I recently switched from a Trekking/Touring bike with a 3x system, a 2x allowed me to do an easy tradition. Regarding the use of more of the gears in the 2x system: depending on the terrain that you drive on you can make more of the gears that you go on I think. I noticed when cycling in snow and mud that more finer gear ratios help me to cycle faster while still having easy control over my bike when a to high gear would be simple to much maintain speed in.

Thanks! You've helped with my sleepless nights, & saved me a pile of cash.

I won't give up my dropper post. Integrating into the left lever is clean. I'm not trying to win races, so it was an easy choice for me.

Thank you for putting this together, this is awesome data feeding my inner geek. Would you be able to add in comparison for 42t and 44t chainring on the 1x? Seeing a lot of riders do this.

And here I am using a 3x9 drivetrain for more gear ratios on my 26' Converted Gravel bike

The first time I've seen matlab be used outside of college. This is awesome

Hey Man! Awesome video. For me, it was essentially a question of availability when upgrading from my rather cheap city (?) bike I was riding since I was 13. I ended up with a 1*11 - for me the big upgrade came in weight savings - I am still mostly cycling on roads, but the lower weight made the difference to me. Keep up the great work - you explained it really well, greetings from Germany!!

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! And nice upgrade!

Coming from a 3BY, I didn't want to take a chance with 1BY. It's not like for the same price model, you have both options. The Aluminium version with 11 gears in the back came with a 1BY only. With the $800 price difference, I could have had the Aluminium frame at 1 lb heavier with carbon wheels at 2 lbs lighter. Aluminium would have given me so much room to add clamping accessories, bike stand, ease of packing. But, I am happy with the carbon frame bike. You nailed it about max speed limitation to 25 Vs 29. I wanted my diverge to be more like road bike... so I went with 2BY and stiffest spring.. once I have a 32mm tire, it's even closer to Roubaix. The larger front chain rings of Roubaix would have made it harder for me to climb anyways. I wish bike companies provide such customisation options.

This video confirms what I did with Excel before finding this site, plotting gear ratios and wondering whether I should go one-by or two-by. Our plots match exactly. However, I'd reached a different conclusion - I thought I'd want tighter gear increments on the low end, not so much on the high end of the gear ratios. For example, when I'm slogging my way up a hill in say 3rd gear the last thing I need is a big jump to 4th gear, etc. But I could be wrong (overly worried) there. Great videos you have. I just bought the same model you have yesterday before I'd ever seen this site and in large part because of the concern about gear ratio tightness, but now thinking of taking it back and paying up for an Expert (1x) version because of all the other features it has.

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Very nice, fellow bike nerd! In my experience, I prefer tighter ratios at speed. While climbing a steep hill, I usually just find a gear and settle in. It’s all personal preference though.

Great video! Subscribed.

Great analysis! So, it has more to do with gear total range rather than the gaps between the cogs. 2x grx has a wider range than 1x. So, if you need to climb hills and go fast at the same time, go 2x, if don’t, go 1x that is much simpler.

Thanks for the video. I like your approach a lot. As you said, what really matters in gaps lies in high speed gears. Big jumps in low gears usually don’t matter. Still, I think that 1x system needs one more cog than 2x drivetrain for ‘bailout.’ Adding 50t to 11-42t and using 50t chainring would feel much like 50/34t + 11-34t. I really hope that Shimano comes with 12s for 1x. Furthermore, one more benefit of 1x you didn’t mention is, I think, the versatility in choosing chainrings. Of course, you can change chainrings in 2x but it is a lot of hassle to adjust a front derailleur every time, and choices are limited. If I am willing to change chains, I can go with 50t for a fast road riding and 34t for a stiff mountain climbing. Or you can delve into some good combinations of cassette and chainring that suits your riding capacity.

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Agreed! Simplicity in swapping chainrings is a big plus.

I prefer my setup with 2x GRX DI2 with a 48/31 crankset paired with a SRAM 11-36 cassette. I can climb any hill on a gravel ride or swap wheels or tires and go fast on a road group ride. Another neat trick with 2x DI2 GRX is the Synchro shift feature which will automatically shift the front derailleur when you shift the rear so it essentially acts like a 1x.

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Baller. I haven’t made the jump to electronic shifting. Not sure I ever will, but who knows.

Very helpful, thank you!

It's worth remembering for people that live in lumpy countries like Scotland you are nearly always going up or down hills so it's nice having down hill gears and uphill gears and the fine gears are nice to have the most nice gear for a particular slope

Great video! I love riding, but geeking out with some Matlab on gravel biking is up there ... I can't decide 1x or 2x, so went SRAM Rival/Force on my OPEN U.P. 2x road (10-30t with 46/33t) and 1x gravel (10-36t with 42t). The 10t really makes a difference in top end, full wireless makes it simple to swap (though often just leave 1x).

This is great! Thank you!

Extensive mathematical analysis. I think you missed 2 things: 1x have more frictional losses, and the actual reduction in range is significant in that you'll end up short on one end or the other- that is especially important for older and heavier riders on the low end. I really don't think jumps between gears is all that important. 2x with 11-40 Cassette is the best all around solution. Good video

@Hornet135

Жыл бұрын

It’s almost like you didn’t watch the video.

awesome explanation, thank you

Yes, I was with you to the end. Does that make me a geek too? I enjoyed the mathematical explanation.

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Yes, I believe that makes you a bike geek 😆

I use my gravel bike as a gravel, touring, all-around bike. I have had the luxury of running Shimano Grx in 1X and 2X in a touring and every day situations from roads to gravel and fully loaded touring. I have also had the luxury of pushing the limits with goat links and the like. I'm two going on three years into trying this on bikes. I started with 1X and switched to 2X mostly thinking I was missing out on something. This I know. I like close gear ratios but I hate the maintenance and potential problems of 2X. I LOVE the simplicity of the 1X and really might prefer it due to the simplicity and the realization that you have what you have. The best of both worlds may be having a crank that can accept 1X AND 2X.

great detail on gear ratios. one note (and possible con) for 1X is frictional losses. narrow-wide chainrings and tight chain articulations (10t cog) result in small power losses compared to 2X. To recreational riders just trying to have fun .. not a big deal. but to the competitor, especially one entered in a fast event like SBT Gravel, this could be worth considering.

Great channel, well done videos. I’m on a 1x (for the moment) yet I might ultimately go to a 3x

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Nice. Whatever works for the individual and the terrain

Very thorough discussion between 1x vs 2x. Thanks. I was interested in getting a 1x but I ended up getting a 2x simply because it I got tired of waiting and grabbed the first one available in my size which was a 2x. LOL. Btw, I got the same Diverge Sport with the black color and blueish. Such a fun bike!

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Ha! Nice, good choice!

Great video! There are a few other points I'd throw into the mix. Firstly, 1x makes it easy to change your overall gearing, simply by swapping the chainring. Secondly, in the graphs of 2x great options, I'd ignore the 4 gears with the worst cross-chaining, making the number of unique gears even less. Thirdly, it's probably worth acknowledging that the extreme gears on a 1x have worse chainline than any sane 2x ratios, which might be a consideration. Fourthly, another pro for 1x is that the chain is much less likely to be unshipped. And finally (!) It would be interesting to see some of your graphs comparing more modern groupsets, like SRAM AXS Wide Vs Campag Ekar. You know you want to!!!

@TheBikeSauce

3 жыл бұрын

Great insights! I agree with everything you mentioned, including another video (or series) on other drivetrains. Will put it on the to-do!

@russellives5488

3 жыл бұрын

@@TheBikeSauce late to the party. great video. Agree with Richard. Be interesting to add the 1x ratios to you chart @ 8:45, and highlight the cross chain ratios on the 2x Richard describes. Great stuff!

To answer your questions at the end: Yes, yes and yes. Thank you! It was to the point and well put; seems like after all I really needed to see some plots to understand the whole gravel business.

@Navid1988

2 жыл бұрын

One thing to add or ask (from comments I read from other folks elsewhere which made some sense) regarding the advantages of 2x system, on sudden steep sections 2x gives you that option of switching to larger ring instantly, whereas in 1x you have adjust gear by gear to reach the optimum cadence. Is this true? Does it actually come handy i.e. change down the chainring quickly with 2x?

@TheBikeSauce

2 жыл бұрын

In my experience, I never need to suddenly drop an entire chainring due to a sudden incline. I understand the argument, but a little bit of experience and you’ll know when to shift based on the upcoming ascent or descent. I definitely don’t think it’s the main reason for wanting to go 2x.

@Navid1988

2 жыл бұрын

@@TheBikeSauce thank you very much understood

Great video man.