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| SRAM AXS FORCE |
Besides offering up my opinions on gearing here, I get asked about gearing much of the time as well. Recently I was asked about low gearing for gravel/back road riding where you have to winch yourself up some steep grades. I was dismayed to have to answer that the bicycle industry has largely abandoned those who want to conquer steep, long climbs under their own power and then want to burn up the flats and down hills with higher gearing. At least this is the case for the type of bicycling many are doing off-pavement all the way up to the edges of mountain biking.
Manufacturers like to talk in terms of 'range' now. This is only a part of the story. Gearing range can be wide, and that is a good thing, but where does that 'range' start and stop? Is that 'low' enough for you? Maybe it is, but for many folks, only the gearing range that used to be offered by a triple ring crankset matched with a decently wide ranging rear cassette really worked. You could dip lower and go a bit higher with gearing that way than you ever could with a double or a 1X set up. And again- I'll say it for the umpteenth time- 1X is very inefficient.
As mechanics we are seeing this more and more. 1X systems are failing at shifting while still measuring okay on traditional chain measuring tools. The trouble is, chains are wearing out laterally instead of the traditional way, and shifting is negatively affected. Not only that, but now, due to the extreme chain lines induced by 1X systems, front chain rings, chains, and cassettes often have to be replaced all at the same time and more often, or shifting suffers. Good timing for all of this as well what with the parts shortages we are seeing.
Most of this is stuff I predicted when 1X started coming out. The gearing range is one thing, but the system would be limited as to how fast or how low that gearing could be. Parts would wear prematurely due to the extreme chain lines and smaller cogs in many cases. Now the parts shortages, that I did not see coming!
Triple chain ring crank sets are really a great idea. You'll find out some day when one of the big companies comes out with a new set up that has automated front shifting so you won't have to think about it anymore. Young folks will think it is 'new' and that this new efficient way to scale steeps and blaze down hills is way better than that old geezer 1X stuff their parents were riding. Well, that is if the youngsters are after a 100% human powered experience. Right now the industry would be perfectly happy to ditch derailleur drive trains and go with motorized bikes with gear boxes, like, you know.....motorcycles? It is 'progress' you know. Who needs to work that hard anyway?
10 comments:
Never thought I would find myself promoting the Sh... brand, but Tiagra 3X10 still exists. Availability may be something else! What I would really like is a midrange 2-part triple crank, e.g. 26-34-44 in a 172.5mm length. That Tiagra COULD do it, if someone wants to make the rings for it.
@Exhausted_Auk - Just goes to show you the rarity these days of OEM triple crank options and that most bikes do not have an option to spec a crank like that anymore. Sad days......
The vast majority of my riding is mountain trail riding on a full squish and hardtail fatty (for which I will live with the fickleness of 1 x 12, and the need to change the chain every 450 miles to make sure I don't ruin expensive cassettes because I do not need the high gearing for my steep trails), but I still have two 3 x 9 bikes, my all road bike and my commuter, both are 26/36/48 with 11-34. I would consider 2x on the commuter, but the all road needs a stump pulling gear and a tall gear.
It seems like you are the ONLY person in the cycling media that recognizes there are trade-offs and downsides to 1X. Maybe 1X is the cycling industry's way of creating a recurring revenue model that is so coveted in the business world. Get us hooked on these expensive drivetrains that wear out quickly. I am still running some old 10 speed XT setups (including a triple on my Big Dummy) and I'm pretty sure the complete drivetrain cost me less than one of the newer high end 12 speed mtb cassettes.
When the trend to 1X started, I was relatively newish to cycling. And to be honest, I love 1X. I think it is greatest thing. With that, I also live in Iowa, and I am not a top performing racer, so incremental steps in the rear cassette and not what I want. I am looking for a gear that works in the moment. I have Sram AXS Force on my CAAD13. I seldom leave the big ring. Again, this is due to the topography I live in. Now big picture, you could look at 1X as the gateway for eBikes, and making eBikes more appealing. A 20% power reduction being given to an enduro rider going up a grade to the top is pretty darn nice. As with anything in cycling, vote with your dollars. If you are rocking a 1X, you may want different chain rings for your bike, accompanied by set length chains for each chain ring. With all that said, I have had horrible luck with any 2X set up I had. The chain would always drop at the worse moments.
A few years ago, I was bit by the gravel bug and started riding on my 1x11 drivetrain that came stock on my 2017 salsa fargo. The type of terrain that I ride is mostly flat, being in Black Hawk County. But venturing out further into Tama County I'd start to get some decent climbing in. I started to notice that I'd rarely ever wear out the 5 lowest gears in the cassette. About 18 months ago, I decided that singlespeed was all I really needed. Having gone designated singlespeed, I think I have a better understand of what I need.
What I'd really like to see is more prevalence of 7- and 8-speed drivetrains (sort of what Box Components is offering). At least for the terrain that I ride (i.e. mostly flat, some rolling hills, the very occasional steep grade, with wind), a cassette that is more centric towards the higher end of gearing would be sufficient for me. As you stated, I think more emphasis needs to be placed on giving the rider more opportunity to grunt up the hills/into the headwind - and I think a 7/8-speed drivetrain would do just that.
@NY Roll - Well, let's be honest here- You have horrible luck with a lot of things many people don't have any issues with. (Shall we bring up tire failures, for instance?);>)
@Tomcat - What I am not seeing with our modern drive trains is cross-compatibility, options to customize gearing, or any nod to longevity of parts. There is a LOT of 'marketing' of what is fashionable, and to be honest, the blanket term 'Gravel®' is as much to blame for this as anything. It's the new Enduro®, don'ch ya know? :>)
@Guitar Ted, the struggle is real
Regarding 1x setups, longevity and efficiency issues - there are two decent solutions to this, both of which I use now:
1. Use a bike with very long chainstays - I have 1x11 setup on my Rivendell. It works great with indexed shifter and since chain is very long, it has plenty of space to line up with chainrings.
2. Use friction shifter - I have 1x11 setup on another bike with a large cassette, short chainstays but with a friction shifter. No issues here either :) since I have to manually adjust chain every time I shift, all bad shifts are my own fault.
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