Merry_Wanderer wrote:It may be ignorant of me to ask, in which case please feel free to correct me, would a 1 x 11 not wear out the chain more quickly than a 3 x 9 because of the angle of the chain in the lowest and highest gears
yes of course it will, if you use those gears....
SpannerGeek wrote:Not really, because the chain line is optimised for one set up, so there no extremes of big ring/big cog and vice versa.
well with a 3x setup you don't
need to use those gears because there are alternatives that give the same ratios. If you are saying that you don't use those gears with your 1x setup then you are really saying that you don't need that gear range after all, so maybe you would be as well off with a 1x7 setup instead of a 1x11...? If you had used a 3x setup you wouldn't have shifted off the middle ring....?
The low maintenance aspect is twin: no front mech/lever/chainring adjustment or wear and drastically improved chain wear. I used to go through a Shimano chain every 3000 miles. I'm on 9300 miles with this chain and still going strong.
If the chain is the same type and otherwise maintained similarly, this might just be attributable to (with a 2x or 3x setup) occasionally shifting onto chainrings that are covered in a thick layer of crud, or perhaps the one (smaller) chainring is better shielded by the mudflap or something. Past that I'd suggest that 'something else' is going on (eg different chain/chainring /spockets or different use/maintenance regime) because even scrupulously maintained exposed chains rarely last more than 7000 miles before they are done, which would be somewhat odds with your 'low maintenance' claim. Have you checked how worn your chain is recently? What chain etc are you using?
Using a bar end shifter I was able to save £285 over a 3x11 set up which tbh I wouldn't consider again. A 1x8 set up could probably be put together for £120... Oh, and it also shaved 700gr (2lbs) off the weight of the bike (with 3x10)
well a LH shifter costs about £15 and a mech isn't much more so you are clearly not comparing like with like here, cost wise. Also 700g is
certainly not '2lbs' or anywhere near it; 700g is actually a little over 1-1/2lbs, plus I don't think that is a realistic estimate anyway;
Try;
Big Ring = 150g
Little ring plus bolts = 120g
Front mech = 90g
DT lever + cable = 60g
extra chain = 10g
Total = 430g
i.e. less than 1lb difference vs a triple, if you are using like-for-like components elsewhere.
in point of fact it can be even less than that, because to get the same gear range with a double or a triple you can use a smaller, lighter cassette. [When comparing a double with a triple, a carefully chosen triple can often be lighter than a double because of this...]
If it floats your boat, fine; but I for one would be very reluctant to attribute such a setup with longevity, simplicity, or light weight as you describe, not without considerable further scrutiny/justification.
cheers