Video ID: bfhROtXwVsU
YouTube URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfhROtXwVsU
Added At: 13-06-25 21:18:12
Processed: No
Sentiment: Neutral
Categories: Education, Tech
Tags: gravel bike, one-by, single-chainring, drivetrain, gear ratio, chain drops
Summary
The video discusses the quest for a perfect one-bike solution, specifically exploring the benefits of using a single-chainring (1x) drivetrain on a gravel bike. The author considers factors such as simplicity, weight, tire clearance, and gear spacing before concluding that 1x is suitable for most riders.
Transcript
for years I've been on the quest to find the perfect one bike solution the Do-it all bike the quiver killer whatever you want to call it it all started where all great bike conversations du somewhere outside of Moab Utah on a bike in the middle of the night during what was then called the Rockwell relay and after riding an open upper with mullet gearing a 42 to one by Chain ring with a 1050 cassette I was convinced I needed a two byy or a double chain ring for this Do-it all bike idea to work but maybe I was wrong for the last 3 weeks I've been riding the kago c68 gravel with the Shram red Explorer group a group that I've messaged many of you about saying that it was probably the perfect one by setup Bridging the Gap between a mullet build and a 2 by at least on paper see until the c68 I'd never ridden the Explorer group but now that I have I might be a one by convert let me explain why propose a few considerations and then I'll dive into which group I would get if I were buying a new gravel bike today as always this isn't a sponsored video I don't even think that I'm on sram's radar and if you've seen my other videos I've actually been pretty critical of the performance of their group sets if you're riding Road or Mountain it's straightforward two buy for Road and one buy for mountain bikes I know you can run a one by for Road and a two by on a mountain bike but I don't think it's optimal except for in rare situations for the masses one buy for mountain bikes two buy for Road considering gravel bikes land right in between I think you should ask yourself the following questions before deciding on a group how important is Simplicity in your build how important is weight is Tire clearance for your frame a concern is gear spacing important do you plan to run a dropper post are you trying to keep the total build cost low and what type of terrain do you plan to ride the Simplicity of a one by drivetrain namely removing the front derailer is going to save you quite a bit of tuning and adjusting headache it might also save you a few chain drops along the way depending on who you ask Shams narrow wide Toth chain ring pattern keeps the chain in place over more technical terrain removing that front derailer and second chain ring are also going to save you quite a bit of weight the typical one by drive train is going to be around a half lb or a/4 kg less than a comparable 2 by drivetrain if you want to maximize your tire clearance one buy is going to allow you to take full advantage of your frames clearance a perfect example of this is my special Iz Crux in the current 2x configuration it maxes at around 43 or 44 mm tires the battery on the front derail alert being the limiter if I ran one by I could squeeze up to a 47 mm Tire maybe even a little more depending on the wheel tire interface 3 or 4 mm might not sound like a lot but that extra 4 mm in my opinion changes the way the bike handles Maneuvers especially on rough or rocky terrain and if you're like me gear spacing is really important one of the things that drove me nuts about the mullet gearing was that the jumps were just too big in between gears anytime I found myself on the road I was constantly shifting trying to find the right gear to keep a steady power output and a comfortable Cadence if you plan to run a dropper post especially with Shram AIS you can utilize the left shifter to actuate The Dropper post instead of adding additional equipment keeping your front end looking clean and sharp I think that's a big bonus for a one by Drive train and on the note of Aesthetics do you think one byy or 2 byy looks cleaner I'm kind of torn here but I think one byy might look a little bit better drop me a comment below and let me know another big one by Advantage is that you don't have to deal with quite as many chain drops yes I know there are those rare instances where you drop a chain with a one by group set but it's definitely not anywhere near the number of chain drops that you're going to get with a 2 by group last but definitely not least what type of terrain do you plan to ride if you're riding in steep rough terrain you're going to want those ultra low gear ratios that the 1050 cassette offers or at least you're going to want to go with something that's a 1: one or greater gear ratio if it's pancake flat where you live or you're riding fast Rolling Hills you might appreciate the tighter gear spacing and higher top end of a 2X drivetrain at least that's what I thought I was so convinced that this was necessary that I went to The Other Extreme of the spectrum for gravel riding a 2X 5037 chain ring with a 1036 cassette on 43 mm tires it was unlike anything that I've ever ridden in the big ring on the 10 to it seemed to have endless top end more top end than I would ever need for gravel so then I went down to the 4835 and that's where I've landed and I've been content until the c68 gravel arrived with the Explorer group and after riding the Explorer group for 3 weeks I can confidently say that not just on paper but in reality it's the perfect group for gravel it has a simplicity and clean looks of a on by drivetrain it cuts down on weight and allows you to use your frame's full Tire clearance potential and the gear spacing is not only tolerable but it's excellent on both ends and if you wanted to fine-tune this even more you could pull up a gear ratio calculator and find the exact right chain ring for your riding style in my case I'd go with the 44 to 1 by Chain ring I think that's the sweet spot that provides enough top in on flats and descents while still offering that one toone one gear ratio for climbing and if money were No Object I'd go with the red Explorer group but I'd be completely content with saving a little bit of money and going with the force Explorer group and so for these reasons I think I think I'm saying that I'm a one by convert that's not to say that I'm going to ditch my current setup immediately but if a new gravel bike were to come down the line soon I'm mooving to one by explore and I think it'll be great for my riding sty in the coming weeks we'll talk helmets shoes indoor training on the Wahoo kicker move and a whole lot more anyways until next [Music] time