@@christofs-a1834 The best reasons to adopt 1x I hear are 1) its simpler 2)less weight but every riders needs and conditions are so arbitrary this seems like fluff. 2x is also simple, marginal weight gain but adds more range and less time either out of the saddle or pushing uphill. Riding long distances over varied terrain the economy for me is staying my cadnece for the duration. I am going to test 1x for a while but already miss my granny.
3x is brilliant for 26 inch wheels as the smaller diameter has a wider range of rpm's required. I cringe at the sight of all of these 26 inch rebuilds going 1x.
@@SurpriseMeJT O cringe is the word for it, good one. And whatever happened to revs and knees, just having a rear derailleur is like heading back happy to the stone age. :)
@@justdude8115 Maybe but the problem is those party pacers. You never know when they'll amble past and act all mellow but inside you know they're laughing because they're faster than you. So yeah, that's when I hear the call of the big ring and show them who's who on a ride through the countryside. Tho' I do feel bad when they can't get their 42 to go any faster. :)
@@robbchastain3036 hah, noice. But in this case I would simply go with 46t chainring and 11-42 cassette. I don't quite like running front derailleur, I prefer simplicity, but these steep protracted hills are forcing me to run double/triple. I have 22/36 on my current bike, but for my vintage mtb I want to buy 26/40 chainrings
I don't know if this is the first time you explained the sub-compact as a 1x with a bail-out but that is a perfect explanation. Every gravel bike that wants to do double duty as a trekking machine should have that crankset. Very good video!
I've also seen people running a bail out chain ring with no front derailleur. It's possible to shift down using your heel. Obviously you have to stop to shift up again, but that's my norm at the top of a long steep climb!
@@davidraffe3445 I've seen this more common on tadpole recumbents, which makes sense if not for the greasy fingers on the lifting to the big ring. Seems a nice middle ground where the lower end was the old flip your rear wheel around to get another gear. Not too much reduction else chain length issues.
@rollinrat4850 i smashed my taint about 4000 times running a friction 8/9 speed rear. tried several different shifters. suntour power ratchet worked the best for me but i just had to ride too timidly. back to indexed xt triggers and no more smashed taints. it definitely has everything to do with the riders style and where youre riding. i know tons of people totally happy running friction and they are all pretty mellow riders. i like a good matched cadence to what im doing on my bike and i shift very often, indexed just works for my riding style.
@rollinrat4850 i have a dropper post on my rigid mtb (96 stumpjumper). running 9x3 with xt triggers on that and love the setup! my regular route i do on it involves about 5k of climbing in a 50 mile loop out my front door. the only time running frction shifters didnt bother me was on long tours. were i wasnt trying to ride agressively at all. i like the simplicity and the period correctness of the bike (1979 fuji america 650b) but as soon as i started commuting on it they drove me insane. shifting is not something i want to pay attention too, i just want to focus on riding hard and not getting hit by a car or more importantly ( on shitty portland bike paths) not running over glass.
Worth noting FDs come in 2 flavours: 63-66 degree and 66-69 degree. This tells you which chainstay angle they fit. 63 is 'road' style 66 is MTB. It makes a difference in getting the FD to clear the chainstay on the smallest ring.
Also make sure the derailleur matches the number of teeth on the largest cog. I had to replace a chainset on my 26" mountain bike and carelessly didn't notice that the new one had more teeth on the largest cog than the original. I ended up changing the front derailleur as well.
Excellent explanation of all the issues that come with a front derailleur. Once setup, front derailleurs are nice to have for both the range and the bail out on steep climbs. I also like it as a chain guide as 1x can drop a chain on the washer board roads. If you have lots of middle aged mountain bike friends, you can source a front derailleur for a six pack of beer.
To be fair, with modern 1x, I have never dropped a chain anywhere: front or rear. Narrow-wide chainrings and clutches mean they are very reliable. I used to drop chains on my 2x (even Di2). I have Ekar now on 2 bikes and no chains dropped, ever.
@@seanrequiredfieldcannotbel1362 Good for you. My Sram GX clutch can't seem to handle the washerboards. I'm using a 1x Raceface Narrow Wide chainring. My 90's mountain bike with Alivio front and rear derailleurs slapping about doesn't drop the chain on the same mile long washerboard section. All I'm saying is a front derailleur serves as an effective chain guide.
@@newttella1043 have a shop look at your 1× setup. Morern 1× does not drop chains, is what I'm saying. Your point is moot because I can drop a chain on a 2× that has a front mech.
Another FD you can consider is SRAM's 10sp 2X MTB group. SRAM came out with MTB cranksets that were 42/28, 39/26, and 36/24 and front/rear derailleurs to support these 2X groups. So in terms of an actual "plug-in-play" legit groupset that was meant to work together, this is a possibility. If you can't get your hands on a crankset to build this, any 4 bolt 104/64 will accommodate the rings. Also, you don't necessarily have to use the 10sp group either, but it does have it's perks. The mechanical road and MTB both have the same pull ratio in 10sp, so you can mix Red/Force/Rival or Apex 10sp brake-shifters with SRAM XX1, XO, or X9 rear derailleurs. The only mod is that you need an inline barrel adjuster on the RD as the MTB RDs don't have one. The Jagwire Mini In-Line cable adjusters are pretty good and can be slid right into the RD. Also regardless of brand, FD's generally have the same pull ratio so no problems mixing Shimano (or Shimano variant) and SRAM.
IME 3x FDs are not widely compatible, and 2x FDs are compatible only in the sense that with some adjustment it's usually possible to make one click do the shift. That said, there are differences even between Shimano FDs.
Look at the Shimano XT 2-11 front derailleurs on the big auction site. Under $10 and work great for 28/38 chainrings. The 11-46 cassette works great with the 11 speed Shimano SLX or XT GS derailleurs. I am running 28/38 and 11-42 11 speed on one bike and a 11-42 with a 24/36 11 speed another bike. Both with 11 speed chains. Russ, keep up the excellent work!
Thanks for doing this series on cranksets and front derailleurs. This has been a source of frustration for me to find combos that work. On my road bike I installed a mountain double 38-26. I had to make an adapter to not only move my derailleur down ( bike had braze on mount) but also out about 4 mm as the crank outer ring was too far out. Pain to get there but it's the 1st time I recall actually having gears ( 26-34) low enough to make me happy.
Excellent coverage of some great components. On my quality bikes I've run everything from 7x to 12x, and have come to the conclusion that Shimano 9x is the best, especially for a 3x front setup. Running 2x upfront there are benefits to the larger cassettes for 10x and 11x, but they tend to get really fussy and unreliable as the spacing diminishes.
I agree. I have that setup and find it covers a wide range without that cranking angle of the chain but there is some gear overlap that can be adapted to. Love the XT and 9x 3x.
The madmax days of scavenging parts in the wasteland is getting closer. I need to horde a wheelset. Now I gotta go out and horde up a crankset I didn’t even I know I had to horde up.
I run a 3x crankset with no front derailleur. In reality, if I am shifting out of the middle chainring, I just hop off and shift by hand. It takes 3 seconds out of my ride and isn't done often. I rarely drop the chain, even on rough roads/trails. Just another option that prevents a lot of these headaches you discuss.
Thanks for repping for the 2x! I built up my Soma Fog Cutter as a 42/11-52, but those gaps are just HUGE. Waiting on a new left lever and a 46-30 1-piece direct mount chainring. I'm going to try one of the many 50-34 FDs I have laying around first, but if that gives me any grief, I'm looking at the MS Advent 9 that's designed for 44 to 48 tooth big rings and a 16T gap.
I'd bet that a 42/39 double would make a great half-step with that 11-52. If it works like every other ultra-wide-range rear / 3-4 tooth front I've modeled, you'll end up with 20/22/24, 7-8% gap gears from ~18 to ~110 gear inches. Slap a road double front derailleur on it, and Bob's yer uncle. (Most triple FDs won't work, the inner cage is too low.) --Shannon
Nice article! I've been looking for this. Well, I reuse a 44-33-22 Sram GXP triple chainring set (104/64 BCD with GXP spider). Take middle chainring 33T out and put 44T there. Then replace inner 22T (64 BCD) with readily available 28T ring. The spider is compatible with any GXP crank arm. So, I install it with 160mm China made hollowtech GXP crank arm. The 44-28T works well with Tiagra front.
Maybe this could be a new feature, Russ, flexing about the front-derailleurs in your collection. 1x has its place, no knock, but seasoned riders know how to reach for another gear like truckers driving through the night to reach the coast.
I’ve been running a Shimano MTB rear derailleur with 11-42 rear and 46-34 front double and it’s got a front derailleur from a co-op so, going by the labels only, it’s a Shimano 105. It’s been fun to figure out everything but it seems to be doing good now. I had to replace the B screw on the derailleur a long time ago when it was still 1x. This thing has seen sloppy snow rides, too much mud, and I rode a cyclocross course with it loaded up with gear so it’s handling things well. I’ve actually used a lot of info from your videos and so much reading of fine print in product manuals to get this to work so far. So, basically, thank you!
I can see your point regarding front derailleurs and if I was on the road more I might have 2x systems but I just love the ease of 1x. Love your channel, and love your ability to think outside the box or in this case hold onto old standers that still work amazingly well. Keep up the great work and content.
I put GRX 11spd on my bike last year (with 105 shifters). 46/30 front and 42/11 rear (with a braze-on extender on FD, and goatlink on RD) on my "gravel" tires. Works perfectly. On my normal road tires is a 34/11 cassette, and I can swap back and forth without having to mess with the indexing much.
Your comment about the truck transmission is so valuable here. So, if you're going to have ranges then you are going to have learn how to shift. Skip the wide range cassette at the rear and clutches. Run a tripple up front. Sometimes you have to double shift to achieve your cadence.
The shimano side swing mtb derailleurs with built in cable stops work well and can be really handy if you don't have cable guides on your frame. If you insist on being retro the 1980s shimano aero series (ax?) also had built in cable stops. Plus you'll go faster cos aero.
I think the alternative gearing crank sets are better than the standard 3by, or 1by as most do not utilize every gear in the back, or the three front ones 2 is better for tackling any terrain with far less clutter upfront & back. Glad you brought this topic up.
Agreed. On my Soma Dx I run 2x11 SlX compact MTB double 38/26 with 11-36 rear cluster. Plenty of range with a little loss of high end gearing that I don't use anyway. Similar rig on my New Albion Drake which is my gravel bike. SLX M7000 2x11, 36/26 with 11-46 cluster. Both work great with Microshift bar end shifters.
Consider two chainrings and NO derailleur. I rarely need to shift the front but if I do just jump off and shift by hand. Wolftooth chainrings keep the chain from jumping off.
There are a few traits of a good low gearing front mech but smooth + wide cage are the main ones. Length of cage depends on the chainstay angle and size of chainring but for lower gearing a stubby one is the desired type. Old MTB derailleurs designed for 3x are usually more than adequate, available galore for pennies.
Love this! IIRC, my old 44/28 setup used a 105 road triple shifter to get the pull needed for an SLX front derailleur. Clunky, but not a big deal with the small ring being a bailout gear. Tiagra/GRX 400 rear derailleurs have recently had 2 tooth higher max cog size than 105 and up models. Miss the days when MTB and Road cable pulls were compatible.
We move closer to cavemen. This constant flopping around to the newest trend then going back, flopping between 'standards' will be the end of the bike industry as we know it. And thats a good thing. I love cycling but the industry, including the press, are ruining it.
Yep I agree brompton was doing 1x long before it was a trend lol minus well just go all out and stay ahead of the trend and do 1x with Rohloff SPEEDHUB LOL!
Best front derailleur design was the Shimano side swing front entry. The problem with the cable routing from below shown is the lower loop always filled up with crap and made the shift action hard, a rubber condom helped, but slowed down the issue for those of us who ride a chunk of the year in wet and muddy conditions. Its a pity Shimano only had the side swing for a short time before ditching them for 1x, and they were only designed to work for a 10 tooth chainring jump. 😢
Love it! My sutra is running and extended range with 11-40 in the rear, 24/40 in the front with grx 10 speed derailleur and tiagra sti and im here to tell ya, it's bombproof! Great range, great shifting and can be kept going for years to come!
OK GREAT I HAVE MUCH THE SAME SET UP AND I WONDERED WHAT THAT STUFF WAS FOR BECAUSE I JUST GOT A NEW PASSION FOR BIKES AND I WATCH AS MANY VIDEOS ON UA-cam AS POSSIBLE AND I THANK YOU GUYS FOR ALL YOUR HELP.!! IT IS FUN TO LEARN AND YALL MAKE IT EASY THANKS AND GOD BLESS YOU...!
I have a Deore 9 speed rear and it will take a 11-42, but I did need to use a longer b screw. And on my road bike I have an 11-42 as well with a 9 speed shimano xt rear derrailleur with 10 speed shifters, and works well with my 50-34 cranks.
I would always use inner tube as a shim, it’s free and works perfectly in any situation, even as a chain stay protector or beneath the contact points of bagstrabs, etc.
I have 2x10 XTR on a carbon XC mtb. It's the best setup for riding in the city and cross country trails we have in Florida. It gives me a huge range. I have a 40t front which let's me keep up with your average roadie. I have 1x on my enduro bikes, but 2x is still king for many uses like this because of it's flexibility.
Another thing is the availability for Downtube shifter sets on eBay in great condition or NOS condition and I’ve been scooping them up while I can afford it now because their production is long gone so there is a limited amount out there!
If you have a bottom pull f/der on a frame without a cable stop (as shown on first ti bike) fear not. Simply run a chunk of housing around bb shell and up between chainstays. It will guide the cable just fine, even with housing ending in "free space".
I had to do something similar. I installed a double kickstand & the bottom pull cable rubbed & frayed against the kickstand plate. I ran a cable liner inside of a car hard metal brake liner tube past the kickstand. Haven't had a problem since.
I am a big fan of 2X which my Kona Rove LTD came with. I still have an old Norco MTB with a 3X, climbs any hill. Early this summer the GRX front derailleur on the Kona broke, no stock available. I had to get a Shimano Ultegra front derailleur, expensive but "dang" that thing is smooth and has been a champ. Thanks for the great content, because of you I swapped the stock rear cassette for a 11x42, working like a dream.
If the smaller front chainring ist for "emergancy", I mean the 5% very steep hills, why not leave the front derailleur at home and shift the chain with your foot or a little stick by hand. Yes, you have to stop, at least if you change to the bigger chainring. But since swiching is rare it seems to me as a good solution. I love this on my Brompton. I have the wide range if I need it and no hassle with another gear shifting system for the front and almost no extra weight. Thanks for your content! I love your channel!
@@PathLessPedaledTV Thanks for you answer! Would a front derailleur without a cable connection be a good compromise? So you can push it by foot while riding? I'm just guessing.
My solution as well, run a Deore 9sp triple as a double 26-38 along with a 12-36 9sp cassette, use a friction bar end shifter for rear and quite happy to manually move the chain to small chainring the odd occasion I need it
Biggest issue would be chain retention.. fine on smooth roads but anything rough and you don't have the extra security of a FD cage or a 1x narrow-wide chainring.
I have a Silver 38/24 double crank set paired with a Shimano Altus rear and a Deore front derailleurs with 11-40T cassette on my Rivendell Clem Smith Jr. "L". Suntour Bar-Con ratchet friction bar end shifters working the gearing. My ATB. I am happy !
Best solution in my experience bikepacking 6 months in south america on 5000m mountain passes: 32 oval up front and a 11-46 cassette. All that is 1x but what if you had a 22 chain ring also on that crank! Well hell yeah, you just switch it with your fingers when there is a 20km climb with 2km of elevation gain incoming. For the 5 seconds it takes and the occasional dirty fingers, it saves weight is complexity on a bikepacking trip!
2:20 I would prefer a slightly bigger, lower tooth-wheel on the derailler. I recently changed my XT 11-tooth wheel with a 13-tooth one and this works also fine on my pretty old XT 9 speed (from 1999ish, the one with the matt-black middle part) who had a slightly to low pulling capacity (as you see at 5:09 if the lower cog wheel had a tooth more you could add two chain links and run a wider casette ore reduce friction in rhis case). A bigger lower cog wheel let the chain run smoother. You get these tooth wheels for 5 bucks or up to 1200 $ [carbon+ceramic. No one needs this BS. Get titanium screws instead] all over the interwebs.
I am running a 46/28 & 11-40t cassette on the stick Shimano R7000 105 group set that came on my Masi Rando Elite. It shifts great, I have just enough clearance for the FD and full utilization of all the gears.
What crankset did you use to fit a 46/28 chainrings? I have a gravel bike but I treat it more like a MTB sometimes with my riding and a small 28 would be useful sometimes.
I have a very tight clearance in that area in all ways on a 2013 Trek D.S. Found that microshift derailleur as a braze on, and I think it might have been your channel where I found that. None of the cheaper Shimano front derailleurs I had kicking around really fit but the Alivio does. Thought I bought the wrong one, but it was actually a sideswing. Learned how to reroute wire and used a couple of zip ties pulled through a washer to both grab the wire tight and hang it from the frame. I'm on a 3x still but pretty sure they would work for 2x after being inspired by what you and Mr Romance have shared on the subject.
I bought my trekking bike with a 42t chainring and an 11-32cassette. On steep terrain I was struggling. Fortunately, there was a 32t chainring available as well as longer bolts and spacers. So I installed the 2nd chainring. There is no option for me to install a front derailleur (seatstay is not round) so I'm shifting down by foot and up by hand. It's a bit of a hassle to shift onto the bigger chainring, but there obviously is no chain rub on a derailleur that isn't there. Basically a double 1x. I won't ever buy a 1x again if I can help it, range is too narrow and jumps between gears would be too big with one of these huge cassettes. Also, the chainline is horrible when climbing with a 1x.
beautiful Hardtrack and klamper ! pair it with a A12 Rohloff plus a Schlumpf drive and get rid of the derailleurs all together with even more gear range.
As someone who has never owned a bike with a 1x drive train, I find it interesting seeing modern bikes retrofitted with vintage type components. I was actually considering converting one of my bikes to 1x, with the overall goal of saving weight and modernizing my bike; however, the prospect of potentially needing additional hardware in order to get the chain line perfect is one of the handful of things that scared me off. None of it has to do with the supposed disadvantage of being unable to "drop a chain ring." After all, with the gear ratios I tend to use, I typically need to shift the rear derailleur if I'm to make any shifts from the front (and vice versa). Maybe I'm just riding inefficiently? Don't know. That's just been my experience.
An update on my earlier post. I have now built the rohloff bike and am running a 17 teeth sprocket with a 32/ 44 double. With 26" wheels and 2 .15" tyres, this gives me 13.6 to 98.5 gear inches according to Sheldon Brown's website. A gain ratio of 7.4 to 1. I was thinking of fitting a 48 teeth outer ring but have decided not to as I'm not keen on anything above a 12 teeth jump.
Shimano GRX groups still include wide-range double fronts (46-30, paired to an 11-42 cassette, iirc), and their front derailleurs have the housing connect directly to the derailleur, so cable routing is not important.
Front derailleurs are a whole separate knowledge black hole when it comes to bike components. You deal with a lot of the issues of the front derailleur in a very useful way. I use Shimano 9-10 speed MTB derailleurs on all my bikes. Some with clutches. They are excellent and work with SIS shifters and friction shifters equally well.
I use internal gear hubs and run triple ring setups to get the range needed for loaded bike / trailer cycling. Next year I intend building a rohloff disc hub bike with a 28-36-44 setup with steel rings for durability. The hub currently has a 16 tooth sprocket but I'll likely change that out for a 15 tooth to keep within the usage parameters. I like to tinker with gearing to see what's possible.
Just bought an acera rear derailleur for 17€ inspired by your content. Funny enough my first adult bike had an acera 1x7 setup. One-by before it was cool (to skimp on costs of course).
It's the Thunderbird gear, for when you are in a foreign country and the hills are bigger, steeper and harder than at home. "Calling International Rescue, calling International Rescue, come in please!" Then you drop into the super low ratios, and you are saved.
All things utility & function for strength, running narrower chains makes no sense, so try to avoid 11-12-onward speeds, especially running 2x up front; you have all the gear choices without a delicate drivetrain. Heck, for common sense riding (touring), 8-9 speed is the most dependable fine shifting setup.
Great video, I personally have grown a likeness to the 105 triple front derailleurs on a 46/30 with a 11-34 in the rear and have actually run it on ultegra 9 speed to grx 11 speed using the middle gear shift in the front as a trim to allow for wider use of the rear cassette
@@jasongraham6772 I was thinking the same, nice to know you’ve tried it. I figured an old triple is meant to hit that range just need to get the stops in the right place
@@thebr0wnhornet I am trying to get my hands on a modern derailleur like the grx ones to compare the shape, would be interested to see how different they are
@@jasongraham6772 that's where I started looking bc most say they can handle 14-16 tooth difference, I just wonder if they can drop to a 24t or 26t small ring
Maybe it’s an Europe thing but the MTB front derailleur choice here is still decent, especially from Shimano: they still manufacture 2x groupsets for MTBs… Very useful video nevertheless, thanks!
2 X 9 is still a popular option for not that expensive beginner MTBs. It offers a good gear spread ratio, and the components are relatively inexpensive. Especially the cassettes (11-36, 11-40) are superior to 8 speed cassettes which don't offer this number of teeth on the lowest gear
I have collected a few interesting bits and peices. One is a NOS Deore DX double front shifter with a 30 tooth range stamped on the cage (not the common 17), and I have a NOS set of matching deore double (not tripple) cranks with a 32/58 ring set. Never seen another, but tempted to mix with a Alfine 8 hub and a small Sante 600 rear derailer to tension the chain! The second type is a Shields Bicycles (suspected Raleigh) front deraileur, double with a push post action, the cage clamps on to the post. I have 2 of those front deraileurs. My thoughts on that is to extend the post mechanically not welding and set it to work with its native two rings except on an Ebike motor which is furthure out!
It's good if you can visit the metal pile at your local transfer station on a regular basis, older bikes with decent groupsets are being crushed everyday, get out there and save a few.
The current front derailleur situation is dismal. And those who possess a cache of certain NOS models can fetch pretty much whatever they please. Fortunately, I have an old friend who snatched up a pile of NOS front and rear derailleurs when things started to get weird 5-10 years ago. He’s been my supplier ever since. It’s costing me a virtual fortune in beer and pizza though. BTW, my favorite FD is the old Campy Mirage 9-speed. Such a clean shifting, good looking, reliable front mech.
For many years, Campy was the only brand that did front derailleur shifting right, IMO. The left/front shifters of their pre-2007 gruppos were all microratchet, so as close to friction as you could get. This allowed the same front shifter to work for doubles or triples and you had vast amounts of trim compared to the other brands. I still have like 4 sets of Campy shifters laying around from this time frame. One of the sets is on my roadie I never ride anymore: Campy Veloce Shifters with a Sram Apex WiFli rear derailleur so I could use an 11-36 10 speed Shimano XT cassette, Shimano front derailleur with a Campy mirage compact crankset. Huge mishmash of components, but it worked flawlessly.
The 2x10 version of the GRX RD has a bit more capacity than the 2x11, and is quite cheaper. I myself have the 4700 Tiagra RD with similar capacity, but designed for an 11-34T cassette, which I have used with an extension to fit an 11-40T 😁.
You missed an important point of multiple front chainrings. Chain line. It is possible to keep a nice straight chainline with 2x and 3x cranks. Cross chained chainline wears the chain and gears rapidly and is less efficient. Also, we thought 7 and 8spd freewheels where gone forever, then, Ebikes are making them popular again.
Get a SHIMANO Shadow derailleur, XT or lower, they shift up to 36 teeth. They even go higher with "Goat-Link". And get some of the older SHIMANO front derailleurs. For example 44/32/22 to 11-46 teeth = no problem. Condition: Knowing how shifting, for example 44 to 46 teeth = no good.
You may want to check out SHIMANO CLARIS Front Derailleur (Brazed-On Mount) 2x8-speed FD-R2000-F (at least for your 8x drivetrains) I also have some Tiagra 3x10 that i bought by mistake. They are in good condition, and i'm trying to find someone to sell them at a discounted price.
I wouldn't be so scared: the 46/30 GRX with a 11/36 cassette serves me quite well. It's rather new frames that stop being 2x compatible... And wait to see the new 12 speed groupsets, mechanical (non-electric) with hydraulic brakes, comming from Chinese producers.... as long as the 46/30 crank and GRX front derailleur are available, we don't need to go the vintage route :)
Road recumbent i run 53/34 front 11-36 10 speed rear. On road and gravel i have trouble in a 1 x finding the right gear to hold my preferred cadence. Where i am all surface upright and bent riding with loads, and my stays are long enough i am still running 3x. 1x, even 1x12, is just impossible to find my legs. Bents cant just stand up on the pedals. Bent high speed on relatively flat and short stays, and upright fat snow are 1x 11 and 12….for now lol.
I have a collection of retro bikes and many times I find that it is cheaper for me to buy an entire old bike on Craigslist or OfferUp to salvage a particular part or two vs. trying to buy the part I need new/used. Then I just trade in what I don't need at my used bike shop retailer in Seattle (Recycled Cycles).
Use subcompact crank for my area. Lots of climbing and descending with plenty of false flats to some rollars. Need the gear range. If have get a disc gravel bike replace my rim brake cx bike for general use due to finding wheels. Then I am hoping not having to gut the drivetrain the day of buying the bike to rebuild it.
****ing 11-speed electronic parts too. Shimano and SRAM discontinued them as soon as they came out with 12 speed, now you can't find parts for 11 speed anywhere.
My theory on why the front derailleur is going away is because more and more people are getting ocd. The adjustment should be thought of as a Van Gogh painting that is analog and not precise like digital 4k tv. I also say people would have fewer allergies too if they didn't eat so picky.
Shimano have pretty good front derailleur, which is clamped on version, for 2 by and 3 by, it's in the Altus group. Inexpensive, hard to set and heavy but works like magic. I've got it paired with Deore 40/30/22 crankset in Marin Four Corners.
I am just now (as of yesterday) running 1x11 with 30 tooth Deore XT crank after using a SRAM 2x on my full-suspension bike. Bike is running great but there is no advantage for me as I am surrounded by steep climbs. 30t is the perfect middle but I think I will pony up for a new outer/inner on M8000 as it has a 2x option. Maybe 36/26. I may be slow and carrying personal ballast but can still still climb with better gearing.
What about the modern mountain Shimano XT front deraileurs? Those work for most bikes and most will accommodate a 38T chairing. Not exactly a sub compact, but you still get 95 gear inches on the top with an 11T in the back. Also has the benefit of still being in production. For the modern non-racer looking to go double, It seems mountain drivetrains are the way to go.
If you are handy enough, and willing enough you can shorten the cage on most front D's to solve clearance issues. Its sometimes as easy as just cutting the inner plate enough to clear the Chain-stay/tyre and bending the end of the outer plate to form a new end (to catch a wayward chain), because the chain is engaging so close to the pivot it wont introduce "slop" to the system, but sometimes you have to reconstruct the end so both plates are fully connected, not too difficult can be done with a small bolt and a few nuts if you don't care what it looks like. But one of the few upsides of Gravel becoming more competitive/regulated is that 2x Sub compact in a "road-ish" configuration seems to be making a bit of a comeback.
The Shimano SLX 2x11 Alex front derailleur is designed for a slack seat tube (69 degrees or less), so it easily clears the chainset on a bike with a 72 degree seat tube. Works nicely.
Would the following rear mech work with a similar set up with you have on your pink hardtack with the new Albion crankset (42/26)? -- GRX 810 rear derallleur -- GRX 2x11 front derailleur -- 11s 11-42 casette -- 11s chain Or is it something about the specific combo of 10s cassette and advent front derailleur that gives it the special sauce?
All of the Sheldon Brown-esque content is the best content. People need to talk more about alternative cycling setups :)
Have we got to the point where 2x etc are regarded as the 'alternatives'?!!
I never made the connection. I am an OG Sheldon fan. This episode such a great example of the passion and work Russ has put into this.
@@christofs-a1834 unfortunately. I'm riding 3x9 which, according to FB groups, is 'unrideable'.
@@christofs-a1834 The best reasons to adopt 1x I hear are 1) its simpler 2)less weight but every riders needs and conditions are so arbitrary this seems like fluff. 2x is also simple, marginal weight gain but adds more range and less time either out of the saddle or pushing uphill. Riding long distances over varied terrain the economy for me is staying my cadnece for the duration. I am going to test 1x for a while but already miss my granny.
@@michaelrowave
If anybody really cared about weight they'd either lose weight or get a carbon bike. 1x, 2x, 3x literally doesn't matter weight wise
Still rockin' a 3x7 on my metal-frame 26" commuter. And no, I won't be removing my front derailleur because shifting doesn't freak me out. 😀
3x is brilliant for 26 inch wheels as the smaller diameter has a wider range of rpm's required. I cringe at the sight of all of these 26 inch rebuilds going 1x.
commuter bikes don't even need shifters
@@SurpriseMeJT O cringe is the word for it, good one. And whatever happened to revs and knees, just having a rear derailleur is like heading back happy to the stone age. :)
@@justdude8115 Maybe but the problem is those party pacers. You never know when they'll amble past and act all mellow but inside you know they're laughing because they're faster than you. So yeah, that's when I hear the call of the big ring and show them who's who on a ride through the countryside. Tho' I do feel bad when they can't get their 42 to go any faster. :)
@@robbchastain3036 hah, noice. But in this case I would simply go with 46t chainring and 11-42 cassette. I don't quite like running front derailleur, I prefer simplicity, but these steep protracted hills are forcing me to run double/triple. I have 22/36 on my current bike, but for my vintage mtb I want to buy 26/40 chainrings
I don't know if this is the first time you explained the sub-compact as a 1x with a bail-out but that is a perfect explanation. Every gravel bike that wants to do double duty as a trekking machine should have that crankset. Very good video!
I've also seen people running a bail out chain ring with no front derailleur. It's possible to shift down using your heel. Obviously you have to stop to shift up again, but that's my norm at the top of a long steep climb!
@@davidraffe3445 I've seen this more common on tadpole recumbents, which makes sense if not for the greasy fingers on the lifting to the big ring.
Seems a nice middle ground where the lower end was the old flip your rear wheel around to get another gear. Not too much reduction else chain length issues.
Cut-up strips of beer can also make great shims. I've done it for handlebars with great success.
Read “Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” for more info on beer can shims!😂👍
Love that your chanel shows honestly well worn, well riden components. Nothing sexier than beautifully made durability.
Friction makes so much sense if your not competitive cycling. I love your views on this. It’s so utilitarian.
I’ve found indexed works better in traffic. It’s impossible to hear if I’m in gear over the sound of the cars.
@rollinrat4850 i smashed my taint about 4000 times running a friction 8/9 speed rear. tried several different shifters. suntour power ratchet worked the best for me but i just had to ride too timidly. back to indexed xt triggers and no more smashed taints. it definitely has everything to do with the riders style and where youre riding. i know tons of people totally happy running friction and they are all pretty mellow riders. i like a good matched cadence to what im doing on my bike and i shift very often, indexed just works for my riding style.
@rollinrat4850 i have a dropper post on my rigid mtb (96 stumpjumper). running 9x3 with xt triggers on that and love the setup! my regular route i do on it involves about 5k of climbing in a 50 mile loop out my front door. the only time running frction shifters didnt bother me was on long tours. were i wasnt trying to ride agressively at all. i like the simplicity and the period correctness of the bike (1979 fuji america 650b) but as soon as i started commuting on it they drove me insane. shifting is not something i want to pay attention too, i just want to focus on riding hard and not getting hit by a car or more importantly ( on shitty portland bike paths) not running over glass.
@rollinrat4850most people are not good at friction shifting, its a fact
@rollinrat4850 old man yells at cloud
still riding triples here! i find them fun to setup. usually not very difficult at all. especially if your running a friction shifter.
Worth noting FDs come in 2 flavours: 63-66 degree and 66-69 degree. This tells you which chainstay angle they fit. 63 is 'road' style 66 is MTB. It makes a difference in getting the FD to clear the chainstay on the smallest ring.
Also make sure the derailleur matches the number of teeth on the largest cog. I had to replace a chainset on my 26" mountain bike and carelessly didn't notice that the new one had more teeth on the largest cog than the original. I ended up changing the front derailleur as well.
Excellent explanation of all the issues that come with a front derailleur. Once setup, front derailleurs are nice to have for both the range and the bail out on steep climbs. I also like it as a chain guide as 1x can drop a chain on the washer board roads. If you have lots of middle aged mountain bike friends, you can source a front derailleur for a six pack of beer.
To be fair, with modern 1x, I have never dropped a chain anywhere: front or rear. Narrow-wide chainrings and clutches mean they are very reliable. I used to drop chains on my 2x (even Di2). I have Ekar now on 2 bikes and no chains dropped, ever.
@@seanrequiredfieldcannotbel1362 Good for you. My Sram GX clutch can't seem to handle the washerboards. I'm using a 1x Raceface Narrow Wide chainring. My 90's mountain bike with Alivio front and rear derailleurs slapping about doesn't drop the chain on the same mile long washerboard section. All I'm saying is a front derailleur serves as an effective chain guide.
@@newttella1043 have a shop look at your 1× setup. Morern 1× does not drop chains, is what I'm saying. Your point is moot because I can drop a chain on a 2× that has a front mech.
Another FD you can consider is SRAM's 10sp 2X MTB group.
SRAM came out with MTB cranksets that were 42/28, 39/26, and 36/24 and front/rear derailleurs to support these 2X groups.
So in terms of an actual "plug-in-play" legit groupset that was meant to work together, this is a possibility.
If you can't get your hands on a crankset to build this, any 4 bolt 104/64 will accommodate the rings.
Also, you don't necessarily have to use the 10sp group either, but it does have it's perks. The mechanical road and MTB both have the same pull ratio in 10sp, so you can mix Red/Force/Rival or Apex 10sp brake-shifters with SRAM XX1, XO, or X9 rear derailleurs. The only mod is that you need an inline barrel adjuster on the RD as the MTB RDs don't have one. The Jagwire Mini In-Line cable adjusters are pretty good and can be slid right into the RD.
Also regardless of brand, FD's generally have the same pull ratio so no problems mixing Shimano (or Shimano variant) and SRAM.
Have a 40/22 with Red, XX and XO.
Yes. I have a vid on using an x9 double for touring.
IME 3x FDs are not widely compatible, and 2x FDs are compatible only in the sense that with some adjustment it's usually possible to make one click do the shift. That said, there are differences even between Shimano FDs.
@@szurketaltos2693 what’s this click you refer to? We always run them friction :)
Look at the Shimano XT 2-11 front derailleurs on the big auction site. Under $10 and work great for 28/38 chainrings. The 11-46 cassette works great with the 11 speed Shimano SLX or XT GS derailleurs. I am running 28/38 and 11-42 11 speed on one bike and a 11-42 with a 24/36 11 speed another bike. Both with 11 speed chains. Russ, keep up the excellent work!
Thanks for doing this series on cranksets and front derailleurs. This has been a source of frustration for me to find combos that work. On my road bike I installed a mountain double 38-26. I had to make an adapter to not only move my derailleur down ( bike had braze on mount) but also out about 4 mm as the crank outer ring was too far out. Pain to get there but it's the 1st time I recall actually having gears ( 26-34) low enough to make me happy.
Soma's brand New Albion 42/26 crank changed my biking forever.
In order to clamp bigger front derailleurs to smaller tubes, you can also cut a pvc pipe section and clamp it there as a shim. Works brilliantly
That's indeed a good tip
Excellent coverage of some great components. On my quality bikes I've run everything from 7x to 12x, and have come to the conclusion that Shimano 9x is the best, especially for a 3x front setup. Running 2x upfront there are benefits to the larger cassettes for 10x and 11x, but they tend to get really fussy and unreliable as the spacing diminishes.
I agree. I have that setup and find it covers a wide range without that cranking angle of the chain but there is some gear overlap that can be adapted to. Love the XT and 9x 3x.
anything from 9 speed and down is king, i have no interest in anything above that.
The madmax days of scavenging parts in the wasteland is getting closer. I need to horde a wheelset. Now I gotta go out and horde up a crankset I didn’t even I know I had to horde up.
I run a 3x crankset with no front derailleur. In reality, if I am shifting out of the middle chainring, I just hop off and shift by hand. It takes 3 seconds out of my ride and isn't done often. I rarely drop the chain, even on rough roads/trails. Just another option that prevents a lot of these headaches you discuss.
Thanks for repping for the 2x! I built up my Soma Fog Cutter as a 42/11-52, but those gaps are just HUGE. Waiting on a new left lever and a 46-30 1-piece direct mount chainring. I'm going to try one of the many 50-34 FDs I have laying around first, but if that gives me any grief, I'm looking at the MS Advent 9 that's designed for 44 to 48 tooth big rings and a 16T gap.
I use the Claris FD with 46/30. It's designed for as small as a 46t big ring. I think Sora might be the same.
P.S. I haven't tried the Claris FD with friction shifters, only indexed.
I'd bet that a 42/39 double would make a great half-step with that 11-52. If it works like every other ultra-wide-range rear / 3-4 tooth front I've modeled, you'll end up with 20/22/24, 7-8% gap gears from ~18 to ~110 gear inches.
Slap a road double front derailleur on it, and Bob's yer uncle. (Most triple FDs won't work, the inner cage is too low.)
--Shannon
Nice article! I've been looking for this. Well, I reuse a 44-33-22 Sram GXP triple chainring set (104/64 BCD with GXP spider). Take middle chainring 33T out and put 44T there. Then replace inner 22T (64 BCD) with readily available 28T ring. The spider is compatible with any GXP crank arm. So, I install it with 160mm China made hollowtech GXP crank arm. The 44-28T works well with Tiagra front.
Maybe this could be a new feature, Russ, flexing about the front-derailleurs in your collection. 1x has its place, no knock, but seasoned riders know how to reach for another gear like truckers driving through the night to reach the coast.
So cool to see some of your rides! Would be cool to see a video of your current stable, focusing on bikes you have had or plan on having for a while.
I’ve been running a Shimano MTB rear derailleur with 11-42 rear and 46-34 front double and it’s got a front derailleur from a co-op so, going by the labels only, it’s a Shimano 105. It’s been fun to figure out everything but it seems to be doing good now. I had to replace the B screw on the derailleur a long time ago when it was still 1x. This thing has seen sloppy snow rides, too much mud, and I rode a cyclocross course with it loaded up with gear so it’s handling things well.
I’ve actually used a lot of info from your videos and so much reading of fine print in product manuals to get this to work so far. So, basically, thank you!
I can see your point regarding front derailleurs and if I was on the road more I might have 2x systems but I just love the ease of 1x.
Love your channel, and love your ability to think outside the box or in this case hold onto old standers that still work amazingly well. Keep up the great work and content.
I put GRX 11spd on my bike last year (with 105 shifters). 46/30 front and 42/11 rear (with a braze-on extender on FD, and goatlink on RD) on my "gravel" tires. Works perfectly. On my normal road tires is a 34/11 cassette, and I can swap back and forth without having to mess with the indexing much.
Your comment about the truck transmission is so valuable here. So, if you're going to have ranges then you are going to have learn how to shift. Skip the wide range cassette at the rear and clutches. Run a tripple up front. Sometimes you have to double shift to achieve your cadence.
Also, the Shimano XC-70 (CX- ?) for cyclocross are excellent for various sub-compact setups.
Ése es el que uso en mi Trek 1200 '93. Shimano 600 con plato "porteur" Stronglight de 38 y 26 delante y 11-28 atrás.
The shimano side swing mtb derailleurs with built in cable stops work well and can be really handy if you don't have cable guides on your frame. If you insist on being retro the 1980s shimano aero series (ax?) also had built in cable stops. Plus you'll go faster cos aero.
I think the alternative gearing crank sets are better than the standard 3by, or 1by as most do not utilize every gear in the back, or the three front ones 2 is better for tackling any terrain with far less clutter upfront & back. Glad you brought this topic up.
Agreed. On my Soma Dx I run 2x11 SlX compact MTB double 38/26 with 11-36 rear cluster. Plenty of range with a little loss of high end gearing that I don't use anyway. Similar rig on my New Albion Drake which is my gravel bike. SLX M7000 2x11, 36/26 with 11-46 cluster. Both work great with Microshift bar end shifters.
Consider two chainrings and NO derailleur. I rarely need to shift the front but if I do just jump off and shift by hand. Wolftooth chainrings keep the chain from jumping off.
I tried that. It turned out being less fun than it sounds.
There are a few traits of a good low gearing front mech but smooth + wide cage are the main ones. Length of cage depends on the chainstay angle and size of chainring but for lower gearing a stubby one is the desired type. Old MTB derailleurs designed for 3x are usually more than adequate, available galore for pennies.
Excellent content. Thank you! For all your hard work to produce it.
Love this! IIRC, my old 44/28 setup used a 105 road triple shifter to get the pull needed for an SLX front derailleur. Clunky, but not a big deal with the small ring being a bailout gear. Tiagra/GRX 400 rear derailleurs have recently had 2 tooth higher max cog size than 105 and up models. Miss the days when MTB and Road cable pulls were compatible.
Everyday we move closer to Brompton.
Lol
I did a 10 days touring on my Brompton and oh god, that was fun.
We move closer to cavemen.
This constant flopping around to the newest trend then going back, flopping between 'standards' will be the end of the bike industry as we know it. And thats a good thing.
I love cycling but the industry, including the press, are ruining it.
Yep I agree brompton was doing 1x long before it was a trend lol minus well just go all out and stay ahead of the trend and do 1x with Rohloff SPEEDHUB LOL!
What does this mean? I'm not really into bikes. What does Brompton do that's so special?
Best front derailleur design was the Shimano side swing front entry. The problem with the cable routing from below shown is the lower loop always filled up with crap and made the shift action hard, a rubber condom helped, but slowed down the issue for those of us who ride a chunk of the year in wet and muddy conditions. Its a pity Shimano only had the side swing for a short time before ditching them for 1x, and they were only designed to work for a 10 tooth chainring jump. 😢
Love it! My sutra is running and extended range with 11-40 in the rear, 24/40 in the front with grx 10 speed derailleur and tiagra sti and im here to tell ya, it's bombproof! Great range, great shifting and can be kept going for years to come!
Sounds great. Which cassette is that?
OK GREAT I HAVE MUCH THE SAME SET UP AND I WONDERED WHAT THAT STUFF WAS FOR BECAUSE I JUST GOT A NEW PASSION FOR BIKES AND I WATCH AS MANY VIDEOS ON UA-cam AS POSSIBLE AND I THANK YOU GUYS FOR ALL YOUR HELP.!! IT IS FUN TO LEARN AND YALL MAKE IT EASY THANKS AND GOD BLESS YOU...!
I have a Deore 9 speed rear and it will take a 11-42, but I did need to use a longer b screw. And on my road bike I have an 11-42 as well with a 9 speed shimano xt rear derrailleur with 10 speed shifters, and works well with my 50-34 cranks.
I would always use inner tube as a shim, it’s free and works perfectly in any situation, even as a chain stay protector or beneath the contact points of bagstrabs, etc.
I have 2x10 XTR on a carbon XC mtb. It's the best setup for riding in the city and cross country trails we have in Florida. It gives me a huge range. I have a 40t front which let's me keep up with your average roadie. I have 1x on my enduro bikes, but 2x is still king for many uses like this because of it's flexibility.
Another thing is the availability for Downtube shifter sets on eBay in great condition or NOS condition and I’ve been scooping them up while I can afford it now because their production is long gone so there is a limited amount out there!
This is fascinating that I've separately come to the same realization that this is the ideal gearing setup.
If you have a bottom pull f/der on a frame without a cable stop (as shown on first ti bike) fear not. Simply run a chunk of housing around bb shell and up between chainstays. It will guide the cable just fine, even with housing ending in "free space".
Done this a few times and it does work better than expected.
I had to do something similar. I installed a double kickstand & the bottom pull cable rubbed & frayed against the kickstand plate. I ran a cable liner inside of a car hard metal brake liner tube past the kickstand. Haven't had a problem since.
Really enjoying this sort of content. Thanks to this video, I'm picking up one of those Microshift front derailleurs.
I am a big fan of 2X which my Kona Rove LTD came with. I still have an old Norco MTB with a 3X, climbs any hill. Early this summer the GRX front derailleur on the Kona broke, no stock available. I had to get a Shimano Ultegra front derailleur, expensive but "dang" that thing is smooth and has been a champ. Thanks for the great content, because of you I swapped the stock rear cassette for a 11x42, working like a dream.
I have the same FD as that last one, an SLX. Worked like a charm on a triple
If the smaller front chainring ist for "emergancy", I mean the 5% very steep hills, why not leave the front derailleur at home and shift the chain with your foot or a little stick by hand. Yes, you have to stop, at least if you change to the bigger chainring. But since swiching is rare it seems to me as a good solution. I love this on my Brompton. I have the wide range if I need it and no hassle with another gear shifting system for the front and almost no extra weight.
Thanks for your content! I love your channel!
I tried it without a FD. It was charming for 3 rides then became annoying.
@@PathLessPedaledTV Thanks for you answer! Would a front derailleur without a cable connection be a good compromise? So you can push it by foot while riding? I'm just guessing.
@@beachstart no. It would auto shift to the small ring.
My solution as well, run a Deore 9sp triple as a double 26-38 along with a 12-36 9sp cassette, use a friction bar end shifter for rear and quite happy to manually move the chain to small chainring the odd occasion I need it
Biggest issue would be chain retention.. fine on smooth roads but anything rough and you don't have the extra security of a FD cage or a 1x narrow-wide chainring.
I have a Silver 38/24 double crank set paired with a Shimano Altus rear and a Deore front derailleurs with 11-40T cassette on my Rivendell Clem Smith Jr. "L". Suntour Bar-Con ratchet friction bar end shifters working the gearing. My ATB. I am happy !
my favorite genre of vid on this channel
Best solution in my experience bikepacking 6 months in south america on 5000m mountain passes: 32 oval up front and a 11-46 cassette. All that is 1x but what if you had a 22 chain ring also on that crank! Well hell yeah, you just switch it with your fingers when there is a 20km climb with 2km of elevation gain incoming. For the 5 seconds it takes and the occasional dirty fingers, it saves weight is complexity on a bikepacking trip!
2:20 I would prefer a slightly bigger, lower tooth-wheel on the derailler. I recently changed my XT 11-tooth wheel with a 13-tooth one and this works also fine on my pretty old XT 9 speed (from 1999ish, the one with the matt-black middle part) who had a slightly to low pulling capacity (as you see at 5:09 if the lower cog wheel had a tooth more you could add two chain links and run a wider casette ore reduce friction in rhis case). A bigger lower cog wheel let the chain run smoother. You get these tooth wheels for 5 bucks or up to 1200 $ [carbon+ceramic. No one needs this BS. Get titanium screws instead] all over the interwebs.
I am running a 46/28 & 11-40t cassette on the stick Shimano R7000 105 group set that came on my Masi Rando Elite. It shifts great, I have just enough clearance for the FD and full utilization of all the gears.
What crankset did you use to fit a 46/28 chainrings? I have a gravel bike but I treat it more like a MTB sometimes with my riding and a small 28 would be useful sometimes.
I have a very tight clearance in that area in all ways on a 2013 Trek D.S. Found that microshift derailleur as a braze on, and I think it might have been your channel where I found that. None of the cheaper Shimano front derailleurs I had kicking around really fit but the Alivio does. Thought I bought the wrong one, but it was actually a sideswing. Learned how to reroute wire and used a couple of zip ties pulled through a washer to both grab the wire tight and hang it from the frame. I'm on a 3x still but pretty sure they would work for 2x after being inspired by what you and Mr Romance have shared on the subject.
I bought my trekking bike with a 42t chainring and an 11-32cassette. On steep terrain I was struggling. Fortunately, there was a 32t chainring available as well as longer bolts and spacers. So I installed the 2nd chainring.
There is no option for me to install a front derailleur (seatstay is not round) so I'm shifting down by foot and up by hand. It's a bit of a hassle to shift onto the bigger chainring, but there obviously is no chain rub on a derailleur that isn't there. Basically a double 1x. I won't ever buy a 1x again if I can help it, range is too narrow and jumps between gears would be too big with one of these huge cassettes. Also, the chainline is horrible when climbing with a 1x.
Got the same Blackburn bottle cages and I can recommend them: cheap, not too heavy and they didn't break during the last 10k+ on dirt and gravel.
beautiful Hardtrack and klamper ! pair it with a A12 Rohloff plus a Schlumpf drive and get rid of the derailleurs all together with even more gear range.
I've been using a 3x side-swing FD in a 3x8 setup. With good tuning it can work in 1-8 and 3-1. I'm glad Shimano has the small chain FD's.
As someone who has never owned a bike with a 1x drive train, I find it interesting seeing modern bikes retrofitted with vintage type components. I was actually considering converting one of my bikes to 1x, with the overall goal of saving weight and modernizing my bike; however, the prospect of potentially needing additional hardware in order to get the chain line perfect is one of the handful of things that scared me off. None of it has to do with the supposed disadvantage of being unable to "drop a chain ring." After all, with the gear ratios I tend to use, I typically need to shift the rear derailleur if I'm to make any shifts from the front (and vice versa). Maybe I'm just riding inefficiently? Don't know. That's just been my experience.
An update on my earlier post. I have now built the rohloff bike and am running a 17 teeth sprocket with a 32/ 44 double. With 26" wheels and 2 .15" tyres, this gives me 13.6 to 98.5 gear inches according to Sheldon Brown's website. A gain ratio of 7.4 to 1. I was thinking of fitting a 48 teeth outer ring but have decided not to as I'm not keen on anything above a 12 teeth jump.
I'm using shimano alivio 2x9 11/36 and 22/36 cranks. it's gives me excellent transition between gears and won't kill my knees during hilly rides.
Shimano GRX groups still include wide-range double fronts (46-30, paired to an 11-42 cassette, iirc), and their front derailleurs have the housing connect directly to the derailleur, so cable routing is not important.
Front derailleurs are a whole separate knowledge black hole when it comes to bike components. You deal with a lot of the issues of the front derailleur in a very useful way. I use Shimano 9-10 speed MTB derailleurs on all my bikes. Some with clutches. They are excellent and work with SIS shifters and friction shifters equally well.
I use internal gear hubs and run triple ring setups to get the range needed for loaded bike / trailer cycling. Next year I intend building a rohloff disc hub bike with a 28-36-44 setup with steel rings for durability. The hub currently has a 16 tooth sprocket but I'll likely change that out for a 15 tooth to keep within the usage parameters. I like to tinker with gearing to see what's possible.
Just bought an acera rear derailleur for 17€ inspired by your content. Funny enough my first adult bike had an acera 1x7 setup. One-by before it was cool (to skimp on costs of course).
It's the Thunderbird gear, for when you are in a foreign country and the hills are bigger, steeper and harder than at home. "Calling International Rescue, calling International Rescue, come in please!" Then you drop into the super low ratios, and you are saved.
All things utility & function for strength, running narrower chains makes no sense, so try to avoid 11-12-onward speeds, especially running 2x up front; you have all the gear choices without a delicate drivetrain. Heck, for common sense riding (touring), 8-9 speed is the most dependable fine shifting setup.
11 is fine. Its not made out of toilet paper. I wouldn't go 12 though. Thats just dumb :)
Great video, I personally have grown a likeness to the 105 triple front derailleurs on a 46/30 with a 11-34 in the rear and have actually run it on ultegra 9 speed to grx 11 speed using the middle gear shift in the front as a trim to allow for wider use of the rear cassette
I find that the shape of the 3x derailleurs works better for smaller chainrings as opposed to the ones designed for 50/34 cranks
@@jasongraham6772 I was thinking the same, nice to know you’ve tried it. I figured an old triple is meant to hit that range just need to get the stops in the right place
@@thebr0wnhornet I am trying to get my hands on a modern derailleur like the grx ones to compare the shape, would be interested to see how different they are
@@jasongraham6772 that's where I started looking bc most say they can handle 14-16 tooth difference, I just wonder if they can drop to a 24t or 26t small ring
I'm just happy that I can fix a flat tire.
Maybe it’s an Europe thing but the MTB front derailleur choice here is still decent, especially from Shimano: they still manufacture 2x groupsets for MTBs…
Very useful video nevertheless, thanks!
If you look at shops in Germany, there's still a decent choice in MTB triples.
2 X 9 is still a popular option for not that expensive beginner MTBs. It offers a good gear spread ratio, and the components are relatively inexpensive. Especially the cassettes (11-36, 11-40) are superior to 8 speed cassettes which don't offer this number of teeth on the lowest gear
I have collected a few interesting bits and peices.
One is a NOS Deore DX double front shifter with a 30 tooth range stamped on the cage (not the common 17), and I have a NOS set of matching deore double (not tripple) cranks with a 32/58 ring set. Never seen another, but tempted to mix with a Alfine 8 hub and a small Sante 600 rear derailer to tension the chain!
The second type is a Shields Bicycles (suspected Raleigh) front deraileur, double with a push post action, the cage clamps on to the post. I have 2 of those front deraileurs. My thoughts on that is to extend the post mechanically not welding and set it to work with its native two rings except on an Ebike motor which is furthure out!
Really interesting video. So useful!
Just to add Aluminium drinks cans can be cut up to make shims for front derailleur mounting.
It's good if you can visit the metal pile at your local transfer station on a regular basis, older bikes with decent groupsets are being crushed everyday, get out there and save a few.
The current front derailleur situation is dismal. And those who possess a cache of certain NOS models can fetch pretty much whatever they please. Fortunately, I have an old friend who snatched up a pile of NOS front and rear derailleurs when things started to get weird 5-10 years ago. He’s been my supplier ever since. It’s costing me a virtual fortune in beer and pizza though.
BTW, my favorite FD is the old Campy Mirage 9-speed. Such a clean shifting, good looking, reliable front mech.
For many years, Campy was the only brand that did front derailleur shifting right, IMO. The left/front shifters of their pre-2007 gruppos were all microratchet, so as close to friction as you could get. This allowed the same front shifter to work for doubles or triples and you had vast amounts of trim compared to the other brands. I still have like 4 sets of Campy shifters laying around from this time frame. One of the sets is on my roadie I never ride anymore: Campy Veloce Shifters with a Sram Apex WiFli rear derailleur so I could use an 11-36 10 speed Shimano XT cassette, Shimano front derailleur with a Campy mirage compact crankset. Huge mishmash of components, but it worked flawlessly.
On one of my bikes i also have a Campagnolo Chorus front derailleur running with Dura Ace 9 speed shifters-works perfekt👍
The 2x10 version of the GRX RD has a bit more capacity than the 2x11, and is quite cheaper. I myself have the 4700 Tiagra RD with similar capacity, but designed for an 11-34T cassette, which I have used with an extension to fit an 11-40T 😁.
GRX 600 sub double here... Works perfectly for me... The 31 inners a joy on the steep stuff combined with the XT 11/32 rear cassette 👌
I've found that GRX 2x11 works fine with the SRAM 11-36T cassette.
Seat tube shifter🧐 “Love it!
You missed an important point of multiple front chainrings. Chain line. It is possible to keep a nice straight chainline with 2x and 3x cranks. Cross chained chainline wears the chain and gears rapidly and is less efficient. Also, we thought 7 and 8spd freewheels where gone forever, then, Ebikes are making them popular again.
I got a 3x10 hybrid commuter bike and I love it. Great video man …..
Get a SHIMANO Shadow derailleur, XT or lower, they shift up to 36 teeth. They even go higher with "Goat-Link". And get some of the older SHIMANO front derailleurs. For example 44/32/22 to 11-46 teeth = no problem. Condition: Knowing how shifting, for example 44 to 46 teeth = no good.
You can make really good custom shims from aluminum cans.. just cut them to size with scissors and wrap.
You may want to check out SHIMANO CLARIS Front Derailleur (Brazed-On Mount) 2x8-speed FD-R2000-F (at least for your 8x drivetrains) I also have some Tiagra 3x10 that i bought by mistake. They are in good condition, and i'm trying to find someone to sell them at a discounted price.
I wouldn't be so scared: the 46/30 GRX with a 11/36 cassette serves me quite well. It's rather new frames that stop being 2x compatible...
And wait to see the new 12 speed groupsets, mechanical (non-electric) with hydraulic brakes, comming from Chinese producers.... as long as the 46/30 crank and GRX front derailleur are available, we don't need to go the vintage route :)
I wabt lower than 30t in the front!
Love the SRAM GX 2x10 RD, I've been running mine for 3 years now and it is still going strong 💪
Road recumbent i run 53/34 front 11-36 10 speed rear. On road and gravel i have trouble in a 1 x finding the right gear to hold my preferred cadence.
Where i am all surface upright and bent riding with loads, and my stays are long enough i am still running 3x. 1x, even 1x12, is just impossible to find my legs. Bents cant just stand up on the pedals.
Bent high speed on relatively flat and short stays, and upright fat snow are 1x 11 and 12….for now lol.
I still have an early 2000s 3*8 XTR groupset in my spare parts. Stupidly got rid of the crankset tho.
I have a 2x10 in 38/24 front and 11-42 rear and love it. Never anticipated having to hoard 10sp chain rings and cassettes so soon
Care to tell me which RD, FD and cassette?
@@kurthuman XT rear derailleur with Wolftooth Goat Link, XT 2x front derailleur and a XT 10sp cassette with Wolftooth 16t and 42t cogs
Este canal es extraordinario, tanta información valiosa, gracias por compartirla.
I have a collection of retro bikes and many times I find that it is cheaper for me to buy an entire old bike on Craigslist or OfferUp to salvage a particular part or two vs. trying to buy the part I need new/used. Then I just trade in what I don't need at my used bike shop retailer in Seattle (Recycled Cycles).
Use subcompact crank for my area. Lots of climbing and descending with plenty of false flats to some rollars. Need the gear range. If have get a disc gravel bike replace my rim brake cx bike for general use due to finding wheels. Then I am hoping not having to gut the drivetrain the day of buying the bike to rebuild it.
****ing 11-speed electronic parts too. Shimano and SRAM discontinued them as soon as they came out with 12 speed, now you can't find parts for 11 speed anywhere.
My theory on why the front derailleur is going away is because more and more people are getting ocd. The adjustment should be thought of as a Van Gogh painting that is analog and not precise like digital 4k tv. I also say people would have fewer allergies too if they didn't eat so picky.
Shimano have pretty good front derailleur, which is clamped on version, for 2 by and 3 by, it's in the Altus group. Inexpensive, hard to set and heavy but works like magic. I've got it paired with Deore 40/30/22 crankset in Marin Four Corners.
Concur, using it with a 42-32-24.
I am just now (as of yesterday) running 1x11 with 30 tooth Deore XT crank after using a SRAM 2x on my full-suspension bike. Bike is running great but there is no advantage for me as I am surrounded by steep climbs. 30t is the perfect middle but I think I will pony up for a new outer/inner on M8000 as it has a 2x option. Maybe 36/26. I may be slow and carrying personal ballast but can still still climb with better gearing.
I have been doing this with triples (and ditching the outer ring) for years.
Thank you for your service!
What about the modern mountain Shimano XT front deraileurs? Those work for most bikes and most will accommodate a 38T chairing. Not exactly a sub compact, but you still get 95 gear inches on the top with an 11T in the back. Also has the benefit of still being in production. For the modern non-racer looking to go double, It seems mountain drivetrains are the way to go.
If you are handy enough, and willing enough you can shorten the cage on most front D's to solve clearance issues. Its sometimes as easy as just cutting the inner plate enough to clear the Chain-stay/tyre and bending the end of the outer plate to form a new end (to catch a wayward chain), because the chain is engaging so close to the pivot it wont introduce "slop" to the system, but sometimes you have to reconstruct the end so both plates are fully connected, not too difficult can be done with a small bolt and a few nuts if you don't care what it looks like. But one of the few upsides of Gravel becoming more competitive/regulated is that 2x Sub compact in a "road-ish" configuration seems to be making a bit of a comeback.
Was actually planning this as a future video.
@@PathLessPedaledTV Look forward to it 👍
The Shimano SLX 2x11 Alex front derailleur is designed for a slack seat tube (69 degrees or less), so it easily clears the chainset on a bike with a 72 degree seat tube. Works nicely.
Dyna sys, 10 speed mtb high mount fronts I’ve had really great luck with up to 48 big rings and shorter chainstays and can be setup bottom or top pull
Shimano dyna-sys
I moved to a Rohloff & have never regretted it .
Would the following rear mech work with a similar set up with you have on your pink hardtack with the new Albion crankset (42/26)?
-- GRX 810 rear derallleur
-- GRX 2x11 front derailleur
-- 11s 11-42 casette
-- 11s chain
Or is it something about the specific combo of 10s cassette and advent front derailleur that gives it the special sauce?