Road 1X - useful or just a fad?

[Racingt]

Guys, I’m considering either this system, or Shimano 105 on a new bike.
I know the 1X will have slightly larger leaps between ratios, eliminate chainslap, and the extremely unreliable front derailleur system(!)
But it will also have a different Q factor, and more use of the chain on the extremes of the cassette.
Is there anyone out there who uses this system and is an advocate of it?
Thanks
Phil

[rualexander]

Yes I use 1x11 on my road bike (Thorn Audax mk3).
Works great.
33 tooth chainring and a Sunrace 11-46 cassette.
Mountain bike shifters mounted to drop bars next to the brake lever so shifting from the hoods position is easy and natural.
Mountain bike rear derailleur.

[Samuel D]

Yes I use 1x11 on my road bike (Thorn Audax mk3).
Works great.
33 tooth chainring and a Sunrace 11-46 cassette.

It may work great for you, but for me the benefits would not be worth the efficiency hit (of about 3 watts at typical power outputs in your case compared to the chain running on the outer ring of a double, extrapolating from an old test by Friction Facts).

Thus, this kind of question is hard to answer sensibly without conducting a comprehensive review of the questioner’s riding habits.

Suffice to say it’s both a fad and useful to some people. If you choose it for the right reasons it may make sense.

[Brucey]

to me, the OP is phrased a bit like

...I'm thinking of drinking the Kool-Aid, are there any other enthusiastic Kool-Aid drinkers out there?.....

cheers

[reohn2]

I don't get chainslap and my front deraileurs are very reliable.
I don't like yawning gaps between ratios,especially in the cruising gear range,YVMV.
I've ridden triples for as long as I can remember,but recently have built up a bike with an Alpine double 24/39,(different combinations are possible) with a closer ratio cassette than 1x system,and the Alpine double will also have a wider range too.
IMO the 1x system is very limited for road use.

[Spinners]

Ask the poor riders who rode for Team Aqua Blue.

[Cugel]

14-15-16-17-18-19-20-21-24-27-30

No good with a single chain ring. A single ring would be a bit limiting for riding up cliff faces or sprinting madly for village signs.

On the other hand, some lads seem to like wearing a new bike-frock of the latest kind, like all the other girlymen have.

Cugel, trying not to buy one anyway, in a fit of N+1ism.

[goatwarden]

In 1980 I had been so traumatised by my first experience of double chain wheels (on an awful Viscount with an almost entirely ineffective front derailleur which worked on a rack and pinion - giving pure 2D motion and thus entirely useless - I think it may have been Simplex) that on my next bikes l used a single 50 tooth chain wheel with 13-28 5 or 6 speed freewheel. This took me thousands of miles in comfort with camping gear; I was young and fit though.

It was 1993 before I trusted a front derailleur.

[mattsccm]

Marketing fad that may have some value for some people. Or some specific sports like proper CX or flat TT's.
My main question is why replace the most reliable moving part of a bike with something that isn't. Ie ditching the front mech for an over long clutch rear?
Anyone able to compare like for like weight savings? I doubt that there is much if any with those whopping big steel sprockets.
I don't accept ease of use. Surely few are that thick?
A fad brought about by many MTBers who, nowadays, are introduced by the internet not cyclists and generally know sod all about cycling effectively. Just watch them.

If, of course. you are a fan of a single chain rings and can do it all perfectly then I have already considered you in my first sentence. I know all about the exceptions.

If single rings were so great then why not go the whole hog and use an IGH? That's makes sense.

[foxyrider]

Ask the poor riders who rode for Team Aqua Blue.

+1 - a complete fail

[Racingt]

Sorry guys, my question was poorly phrased, but I have at least determined a high level of lack of enthusiasm which tells me the way to go. My username reflects my preference!
I started derailleur cycling with a Brompton 46 on a 5 speed Sun Snipe, back in 1971, and now love all the gears I can get. My cycling is purely leisure but includes alpine climbs and long audax rides, virtually all road. I never experienced a single front mech malfunction.
I’ll be giving 1X a miss.

[RickH]

Maybe a little late but I bought a bike with a 1x setup in Feb 2017 - a 2016 model Kona Sutra Ltd, significantly discounted. I got with an open mind that I could try it &, if I didn't, swap parts out later.

I got it ostensibly to replace my old 1986 MTB but have found that it has become just "my bike". With 40mm Voyager Hypers it goes well on the road & is surprisingly capable off-road meaning I'm much more likely to explore routes I've not done before.

So far I really like it & it has proved reliable in over 3000 miles of riding. Parts seem to be wearing well apart from a couple of issues -

• The raceface BB developed play after about 500 miles (reviews I read described the bearings as "made of cheese" & my LBS agreed), the Shimano replacement BB is still running as sweet as a nut.
  
• The quicklink of the OEM KMC chain failed after about 700 miles. I swapped out the replacement SRAM chain after a further 1500 miles & elongation on that is is barely measurable, so it will go back at some point. No problems with cassette wear when swapping the chain over.

My old road bike - a Kinesis Tk that hasn't been ridden much, if at all, since I got the Kona - has a modified Campag triple setup 50/39/26F & 13-29 R. The Kona has a 36F & 10-42R. Both have pretty much the same overall range. Whilst the Tk has a lot more gears, quite a lot are effectively duplicated, I reckon 15 unique gears. So slightly bigger gaps between gears but I've not found it a problem. My average speed seems to have increased since I've been riding the Kona.

[pwa]

It seems to me that the advantages of 1x are for those who can't get on with front mech shifting, probably exacerbated by the fiddliness of getting front STI shifting to work smoothly and trim. For someone who doesn't get many issues in that area I can see nothing to be gained by losing chain ring options.

[reohn2]

RickH
I've just checked the 2016 Sutra the gearing is 36tx10/42 11sp cassette the range is 24 to 100inches.
If say it were an Alpine double(you may detect that I'm a convert ) with say 28t and 39t rings and a 9sp 11/32t cassette the range is similar at 21 to 99inches but ratios are closer,drivetrain parts cheaper and parts life longer.
11sp Sram XG 1150 cassette is £79 at CRC and 11sp chain is £25
Compare that with 9sp (or even 10sp)11/32 cassettes at around £17 to £25 and chains at £13 to £15
1×11sp doesn't seem to have a lot going for it IMO

[reohn2]

It seems to me that the advantages of 1x are for those who can't get on with front mech shifting, probably exacerbated by the fiddliness of getting front STI shifting to work smoothly and trim. For someone who doesn't get many issues in that area I can see nothing to be gained by losing chain ring options.

Personally I don't see that as being a problem at all,double and triple chainsings have been in existence with STI/Ergos for over twenty years and IME work flawlessly.