1X11 for bikepacking?

[cjdunn]

In my shopping for a new bike I'm wondering if a 1X11 setup is that great for bikepacking.  By my calculations the 30X42 lowest gear is 7% bigger than the 24X36 I have (and use) on my current rig.  A 28 up front will get the low gear the same but the high gear will then be almost 20% smaller.  I'm planning to use the bike on things like the CT and AZT.  Seems like a 2X10 with a 22/36 or 24/38 up front might be much more enjoyable.  Anybody have some experience making the switch to a 1X set up for bikepacking?

[joeydurango]

I run SS all the time except bikepacking.  1x10 on loaded trips - 32x36.  Works fine - if I can't spin that up something, I'm just as fast (and probably more comfy) walking anyway.  Some people seem to prefer spinning along at 1/2 MPH than just walking it at 2 MPH.  YMMV.

[cjdunn]

I don't disagree but I have also noticed how much easier it is to ride my bike at 4mph than to push it at 2mph.

[the tortoise]

It seems that the one by crowd stresses about gearing while the triple crowd stresses about other things!

[joeydurango]

As much as I think about my bike and gear setup before trips, it's never the bike or gear that are the limiting factor once out on the trail... partially due to good preparation and forethought, partially just because when you've been riding for 21 hours it just doesn't matter!  I'd be dead in the water regardless of what I was on, short of a moto.

[evdog]

I've always found riding granny gear especially with a loaded bike to be really awkward and harder to balance climbing steeper and/or rocky trails.  Its far easier to maintain momentum and balance in a higher gear than spinning huge RPMs, which was a big reason for me to go 1x.  If OP can maintain 4mph on such trails in granny then go for it.  But I am like joeydurango, my HAB pace is only slightly slower than what I would be riding at.  Plus I get to use different muscles.

[epfromer]

I’m a fit 52 old on a 2007 3×9 26” Ibis Mojo planning to bikepack the Colorado Trail in July. The drivetrain has considerable wear, and probably needs to be replaced. Do I just stick with it or move to a more modern setup? I’m considering moving to 1X11, 30t front, 11-46 back. I know and don’t have issue with 50% HAB on this trail.

Any thoughts from this group?

[bakerjw]

FWIW I run a 2x10. 24/40 up front and a 11/36 in the back. I can get a similar high end and low end ratio with a 1x setup but this gives me close enough ratios where I can kick up or down a gear depending on the current grade.

[evdog]

Any thoughts from this group?

I run the same bike in 1x10, 32x36.  I'm missing the lower gearing that you will have with 46T which would be useful on trails like the CT or AZT.  But I'm fine HABing. You will do lots of that anyways regardless of gearing.

If you do convert, just hang onto the shifter and granny ring and you can always go back to 2x or even 3x if you don't like it. To get a sense what it's like just stick in the middle ring on some rides.  Then with 30T and 46 you'll have a couple extra bailout gears.

You will drop up to 1/2 pound by converting, and should be able to do it at less cost than replacing a worn triple.  Get a narrow wide chainring.  If you need to replace the rear derailler get one with a clutch.  You likely have cranks that will work, you may just need to space the single ring inwards for a better chainline.

[Smithhammer]

I've bikepacked a fair bit with 2x10, 1x11 and 1x10 in the Rockies. They all work just fine in my experience. I think people often assume things about 1x drivetrains prior to using them, and psyche themselves out, or think that they will be somehow limiting. I haven't that to be the case.

However, it's hard to say what would work for someone else, their riding style, conditions, etc. Another thing to consider though, assuming that you arrive at a 1x11 gear range that works for you, is that there is an added advantage to having a simpler drivetrain, with fewer things to break or need maintenance, in remote situations.

[Lentamentalisk]

I may be in complete violation of Rule 23, but pedaling down hill is for suckers. I'm always happy to loose the high end in exchange for more low end.

[Adam Alphabet]

I’m a fit 52 old on a 2007 3×9 26” Ibis Mojo planning to bikepack the Colorado Trail in July. The drivetrain has considerable wear, and probably needs to be replaced. Do I just stick with it or move to a more modern setup? I’m considering moving to 1X11, 30t front, 11-46 back. I know and don’t have issue with 50% HAB on this trail.

Any thoughts from this group?

It's pretty cheap to run a one up'd 10 speed cassette, especially with 10 speed being 'virtually obsolete' ahh the bike industry...  I toured the CT on a 3x10 and have race the CTR twice on a 1x10, once oneup'd with a 26T front 11-42 rear and once on a 28T front 11-36 rear. Any way you slice it the Colorado trail is hard. A 1x with as much low end as you can fit is the way I'd go for touring.

[Sparkyga]

When in doubt, go with lower gearing. Blowing out your knees sucks and takes months to recover. I blew my knees out last summer and was basically out of commission for 3 months.

OP: Personally I wouldn't find the 30T/46T low enough for my bikepacking needs (knees?), assuming your running a 29" wheel or larger wheel. I would go with a different crank that would allow either a 28T or smaller chainring . Personally running right now a 20T/36T, though it's a on a 4.8" fat bike that is mostly used for heavy grocery runs in the Rockies...

[black_labb]

As a few people have said, go for the low gears. How many times do you realistically turn your highest gear and would you be that disappointed to coast or cruise along at a lower speed?
Riding off tarmac tends to have a lower range of appropriate speeds anyway, you don't go as fast on the flat due to rolling resistance/bumps. You don't tend to pedal so much on fast downhills due to bumps and less predictable surfaces. It is harder to pedal the really steep inclines due to grip, inconsistent surfaces and trail features making hike a bike more common. Up until my new bike (Trek Stache 7) I've always ridden a triple but I'm happy with the 420% spread on my 1 x 11. I'll be using a 28t front for the Colorado trail due to the 29+ wheels. Assuming a low cadence of 60RPM and a high cadence of 90RPM that gives me workable speeds of ~ 6 to 36 km/hr (4-22 mph).

[chrisx]

http://www.bikecalc.com/gear_inches

Maybe this will help decide the chainring size.  Kind of hard to switch from a 34 to a 46 and guess what chainring = the same gear.

[SEC]

I run a 28 in front and a 42 in back for smallest gearing on a 1 x 10- works great!

[bikeny]

As a couple others have mentioned, the top end really doesn't matter, especially on trails like the AZT and CT. Put a 28t chainring up front, and pair with an 11-42t or even 11-46t Shimano cassette.

[Bob]

Until recently I only had one MTB, a 29er, so used it both for "normal" riding and bikepacking. It's always been a 1x10 setup - I thought I'd give it a go when building up the bike and have never changed it. The front ring has changed - I started with 30T, moved to 32T when the first ring wore out (actually I couldn't find another 30T in time for the ride I was doing the following day). Since then I've swapped between 30T and 32T a fair bit depending on what I was doing and how hilly it was. I'm now on an Absolute Black 32T oval chainring, this definitely makes a difference. It feels like a 31T in use. The cassette is 11-40T. Note that in the UK we tend to have short steep climbs rather than the very long climbs you get Stateside - we don't have the altitude either.

On my fat bike I stuck with 1x10 but wanted a 28T. The only way I could do this was with a direct mount chainring, I don't know of any 104BCD mounted chainrings below 30T in size. The 28T is also oval which should help in snow. The cassette on the fat bike is a Sunrace 11-42 10spd.

I spend most of my time in the middle six gears, some time in the next gear up and down and very little time in top and bottom gears. If I was spending lots of time in the bottom gears then I'd fit a smaller chainring.

Unless your frame won't take a front mech then you can always try a 1x system, if you don't get on with it then you can fit a mech and get a 2x or 3x chainset.

[mbanzi]

I switched from a 2x10 (36/22 chainring + 11-36 cassette) to a 1x11 (28t SRAM DM chainring 11-46 XT cassette) on my Surly Krampus 29+. I have done several loaded trips with this setup and it works perfectly for me in the hilly terrain where I ride, with minimal HAB. I have never missed the 2x10 setup. If you are riding a smaller wheel size (29 or 27.5+), a 30t chainring will give you the same resulting G/I ratio.

[Vonpotter]

I made the conversion this summer. Sram NX with a Race Face 3gt up front. It's ALMOST perfect. A little heavy, but hey, its dirt cheap. I had to space my front chainring in just a little to access the full cluster

I don't see myself changing anything on it any time soon