I've had an Otso Fenrir for about a year now, and have been mainly using it as a gravel bike. Finally collected a set of bags etc over the last few months, and took it out on my first overnighter this weekend in the CO Front Range! I'm currently running a Shimano GRX 1×11 (11-42T) setup, and while I was totally fine on the ~14% grades I was riding over the weekend fully loaded, it had me wondering about going to a 1×12 setup for longer trips with steeper climbs.
I've been poking around a bit, and right now it seems like going to a AXS mullet setup with Rival shifters and a GX derailleur might be my best bet. I'm wondering if that is indeed the best solution, or if there are any other options I'm not thinking of? It seems like I would need to get new shifters, derailleur, and cassette anyways to go to a Shimano 1×12 setup. Is there anything else I'm missing?
Pic of the setup from the weekend.
by whomsptman
13 Comments
1×13 lol
from my understanding most 1×12 setups by sram and shimano are not compatible with hyper glide hubs which you may or may not have.
sunrace however makes some 12 speed cassettes which are compatible with HG hubs and are pretty affordable especially second hand.
i have just recently got one myself along with a shimano 12 speed derailleur and chain which apparently work fine with the sunrace but my bike isn’t together yet so i can’t say personally. hoping they do!
Id do the RD cage mod (replace GRX with XT long cage) and get a 11-51 11 spd cassette.
Maybe get a smaller chainring if you struggle on climbs? You can always coast the downhills.
You could also research if your derailleur can accommodate a larger cassette by adjusting the b-screw or other shenanigans.
1×1
1×9 actually
GRX 12 speed long cage derailleur works with your 11 speed shifters on an 11 speed cassette. You can run a 11/51 deore or a 11/50 Sunrace and get the same range with only a derailleur and cassette swap (and longer chain).
Why not 2×11? 11 speed stuff is half the price of 12 speed, Both 2x high and low range are better.
1×11 vs 1×12 is somewhat misleading. You likely care about the gear range and the lowest gear, not the number of gears.
Having a 10 tooth on the cassette instead of 11 allows you to downsize the chainring and achieve lower gearing while not sacrificing top speed. It also provides a wider gear range. A 10-52 cassette has 520% range and a 11-51 cassette is 464%.
For me, the 10t cog on the cassette is worthwhile. If you’re not getting a 10t, the move to 12 speed doesn’t help much for touring. It makes the jumps between gears smaller but doesn’t provide more range. If you really like to dial in the exact RPM for your cadence, it would help. But it wouldn’t make steep hills easier.
IMO 1×12. If you’re going to have a 1x, might as well get the biggest range possible.
I love my 1x Crux. I did put a larger chain ring (40 to 42T) on the bike. I would expect an extra 0.8-1 mph (in other words …nothing significant). at 90 rpm. It is also my endurance bike (I have road wheels), so the extra 2 teeth might come in handy. I’m on the East Coast, so I don’t have to worry about mountains.
As an aside, I do a whole lotta backpacking. If you’re looking to lighten up, I can give you some alternatives. A lot of sales this week.
I feel the less gears, the more robust the system is. You can bang a derailleur hanger quite a bit more and be okay on a 1×10 than a 1×12. Not that much of a problem on gravel of course… I ride mostly on single speed so having even just ten gears feels like heaven on uphills.
2×11
I upgraded to a 12spd axs setup using an eagle derailleur partially so I could have some better climbing gears.
I have two wheelsets. One with a 9-52 cassette on 650b and one with the 9-44 on 700s which is what I mostly use.
The swap is super quick. Less than 10min for wheels, chain, and adjusting the brakes.