Thanks! I think you have to be a whole lot stronger than me. I run a 50/34 with an 11/32 on my road bike right now and I have used that 32 quite a bit on the road on either a long or 10-15% climb. Im not the fastest but I love climbing so I tend to favor the granny gear side of the equation.
I think thats just going to be too much gear for me on gravel. I want close to a 1:1 as a bailout on the low end.
1 Like
I JUST set up a 1x grx - with an 11-46 xt cassette and 40 up front. no issues. didnāt need to move the b limit. I am sure I could add a 42 or more to it.
Wolf Tooth makes 38 thru 46 1x chain rings for GRX cranks. They even offer oval.
I agreed with the 1:1, my new build is 50/34 and that will allow me to run a 34 in the back for 1:1
It was a 46t and 11/40. Iām planning on running the same and probably even a 48t for flatter courses.
It really depends on the rider and fitness though. I regularly ride long, loose, and very steep (10-15%+) gravel roads on my road bike and rarely touch my 32 cog with a 36t front unless Iām fighting for traction.
One more question (gears confuse me for some reason):
On my 2x Ultegra my lowest gear is 34 front / 32 rear and that is all Iāve ever needed to get up the steepest hills I climb. The ratio on that combo is 1.0625.
If I set up a 1x with a 44 front and an 11-42 rear, that would give my lowest gear a ratio of 1.0476 - which is easier than a 34/32 gear correct?
And also, the 44 in front would preserve more top end speed while also while also keep the jumps reasonable ā¦ right?
Do I have that correct?
You did your ratios backwards (inverted). The chain ring teeth get divided by cassette teeth. Then the lower the number, the easier.
This is a great resource for comparing gearing and what it means for cadence, speed, etc. I prefer to use cadence for given speed to help understand what a gear feels like. Development (gear inches/meters) is another way to do it.
1 Like
Have done many crits and fast group rides on my 46-11 combo, can pedal and make reasonable power upto about 60kph which is a reasonable downhill even in a fast bunch, never been dropped because i ran out of gears
Rotor Spidering 46-30 with an Ultegra 11-34 cassette. Works a treat, more than 1:1 ratio for super steep trails and 46-11 lets me keep up on fast group rides.
I spent weeks going back and forth trying to figure out what gearing I would use when I bought my first gravel bike. I really, really loved the thought of going 1x, but I took my 1x hardtail out on some of the gravel rides nearby and realized that I still ride too much rolling pavement for a 1x setup. I donāt need a super high gear, but itās nice to have several options closer together at the top end of the gearing. This choice has more to do with how I intend to use my gravel bike than anything: gravel rides, easy miles, slow group rides, rainy days, gravel racesā¦pretty much everything except fast group rides and road races.
I ended up buying a used 2020 Stigmata with Di2 (non-GRX), and I set it up with an Easton EC90 SL crank with their 47/32 gravel rings in the front and an Ultegra 11-34 cassette in the rear. Iāve set personal Strava bests on pavement, gravel, and singletrack so far, love this setup.
2 Likes
I was a little concerned about the SRAM Force ETAP on my new Giant Revolt Pro. 32/51 on front and 10-32 cassette. So 1 to 1 as a lowest gear. My old legs might not have power to turn the cranks on a big climb.
Took my first ride on rolling gravel today and was surprised. I still had to do some work but it climbed great and granny felt like I could hold it for longer climbs. Maybe the result of finishing SSBMV 1 and 2 but Iām felling pretty good about gravel this year.