I think it depends on the terrain one is riding. Here in Chicago, I know I will never need more than a single chainring and that using the larger cogs or smallest cog in the rear will be at a minimum. I understand concerns about cross-chaining, but I know that 99% of my riding will be within the middle 4 rear cogs. For me, a 1x8 setup works and it simplifies the drivetrain. David Flatter than flat Chicago
On Tuesday, March 25, 2014 3:08:55 PM UTC-5, Montclair BobbyB wrote: > > Sorry, but I'm just not getting (or buying into) this 1x fad... AND I > believe chain line is really important and cross-chaining IS bad, despite > what some claim about their ridiculous 1x11 setups. Someone please > convince me otherwise. WHAT is so awful about a front derailleur and a > triple chain ring??? It provides all the gear range one could ever want, > and enables maintaining a straighter chain line (no extreme > cross-chaining!!)... The very thought of using the full range of rear cogs > on a single front chain ring makes me cringe. Now, perhaps a 1x3 (using > only 3 centered cogs in the rear) makes more sense (but then you'd have > only a 3 speed). I like my 21 speeds, thank you. > > I can almost understand if you're a racer, and front mis-shifts have cost > you valuable time; then I suppose losing the front shifter may be worth the > tradeoff. Otherwise, I ain't gettin it... That said, please feel free to > send me your unwanted front derailleurs... > > Peace, > > Bobby (feelin grinchy) Birmingham > > On Monday, February 24, 2014 6:38:55 PM UTC-5, HunqRider wrote: >> >> Wondering if anyone is thinking about converting their Rivendell over to >> a simple 1x drivetrain configuration (single chainring). I did this last >> year, and it has made riding a whole lot simpler and fun. >> >> >> >> I will detail my experiences, which hopefully will be useful to others >> thinking about making the change. >> >> >> >> My original drivetrain configuration was: >> >> Hunqapillar (54 cm frame) >> >> 113mm Bottom bracket >> >> Sugino XD2 crankset (double) >> >> 34 and 48 tooth chainrings >> >> 8-speed cassette (12-32 tooth) >> >> >> >> To make the change over to the 1x drivetrain, I figured I would just take >> off the outer chainring and replace with 5 washers of similar thickness. >> There was a problem though; the “nut” part of the chainring bolts were too >> long, so had to get some shorter ones. My LBS sold ones that were designed >> for single speed cranks from a company named “Problem Solvers”; these ended >> up working fine, though I ended up having to use the old longer crankset >> “bolts” with my new shorter “nuts”. >> >> >> >> I took off the front derailer, and went out on a few rides. Everything >> was fine, except that when doing fast shifts over to the small cassette >> cogs, the chain would sometimes fall off the chainring to the outside. So >> I installed a Paul Components Chain Keeper. This device mounts onto the >> seat tube where the front derailler would normally be, and it covers both >> the inside and outside of the chain. This worked only ‘OK’ for me. I >> believe that it is designed for 9- or 10-speed chain thicknesses, so my >> 8-speed chain was a tight fit. I had to play with it a lot to get it in >> the perfect position, and even then, it would slightly rub on the chain, >> especially when riding hard “out of the saddle” which would create >> chainring flex. So I had to find a new solution. >> >> >> >> My new solution was to cover both sides of the chain independently. For >> the inside, I used an N-Gear Jump Stop. I haven’t ever had any issues with >> the chain falling off to the inside, but the Jump Stop gives me piece of >> mind. For the outside, I installed a bashguard. I don’t think that just >> any bashguard will do, it needs to be as thin and small as possible. >> Here’s why: I never changed my bottom bracket, so the chainring is not >> perfectly centered on the cassette cogs. Ideally, I probably should have >> installed a slightly longer bottom bracket to get better chainline, but in >> my setup, when “cross-chained” from the 34t chainring to the small 12t cog, >> the chain has a bit of an angle, and a big bashguard would rub. So I put >> on a ‘SuperLight’ Bashguard from BBG bashguards, size 36 (just slightly >> bigger than the chainring). This bashguard is half the thickness of a >> chainring. I then used washers inside the bashguard, to get it just a bit >> further away from the chain. This has worked great; no rubbing, and no >> drops of the chain under any conditions so far. >> >> >> >> Can you just leave the front derailler in place, instead of messing round >> with these chain protectors? Probably, but then you would have still have >> to be ‘trimming’ the derailler using your left hand to prevent rubbing. In >> my setup, the left hand does nothing except braking now. >> >> >> >> One other thing I did was take a few links out of the chain, since it >> never leaves the 34t chainring (it used to have to be long enough to >> accommodate the 48t chainring). >> >> >> >> The experience has been fun, I don’t see myself returning to a >> multi-chainring setup anytime soon. In my smallest gearing (34t chainring & >> 32t cog), it is doable to climb most hills, and in my top gearing (12t >> cog), it is fast enough for all the flats and moderate descents. On steep >> descents, I do find that it will “spin out”, but that usually just tells me >> that I’m going fast enough for my own safety, no need to go faster by >> pedaling. >> >> >> >> I hope that this is helpful to anyone thinking about making the switch to >> 1x this year. >> > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
