Hi all,
Bike: State Bicycle Co. Undefeated Disc Road;
Crankset: State Bike Co: 1x 46T
Cassette: Sunrace 11-28T
Brakes: Mechanical Tektro Flat Mount
Shifters: State Bike Co. (double tap gear change similar to SRAM).
Tires: 28C
is it possible to convert my groupset to something like a Shimano 105 2x if i don’t have front derailleur mounts? I basically am looking for a wider gear range to help during climbing ; i’m not worried about speed or anything as I mostly like riding for distance at my own pace and don’t ever really spin out. I was also thinking of just switching to some type of SRAM 1x since then I wouldn’t need to get new shifters. another approach i was thinking of just switching out the cassette for a SRAM 11-36T or 11-42T. Any help or opinions are appreciated.
by squimpo
4 Comments
I’d recommend just get a wider cassette and possibly a slightly smaller front chainring.
It looks like that frame has a round seat tube though so you could just get a clamp on derailleur, but at this point I personally would never go 2x again unless I lived in a very mountain region, not for the climbing, but for the high speed descents.
plenty of examples of people doing it on reddit.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Bikeporn/comments/fb1b8w/my_state_bicycle_co_undefeated_founders_edition/
You’ll need a band-on front derailleur (or a band-on adapter for a braze-on front derailleur). Note that you need to ensure there is clearance between the band that goes on to the seat tube and the tyre, looks like there’s loads on your bike.
nb that groupsets are expensive if you’re buying new, regular buyers don’t get nearly as good prices as the brands who order them a thousand at a time.
in your position I’d just get a smaller chainring and bigger cassette though. you can make your rear mech work with a larger cassette using a wolf tooth derailleur hanger extender or other alternative if you want to use something that is too big for the rear derailleur.
There are clamp-on front mechs. Just make sure you get the right seat tube diameter.
(If you’re unable to locate a clamp-on derailleur or the right size, you can also get a clamp-on mount.)
As some have said, full 2x conversion will be expensive, especially if you have to pay someone to install. If that’s what you have your heart set on, I’d look at something like the Microshift Sword.
As far as an upgrade path, I think that’s a State unbranded rear deraileur, so you would have to contact them to find out what the max cassette size is….The cage is pretty short. I would guess that 11-36 is a stretch, and just about guarantee that 11-42 won’t work at all. Even if you can get up in the big cog, that short cage won’t maintain tension in the smaller cogs.
If you do some research, you might be able to find a compatible rear 1x derailleur at a pretty reasonable price that would allow you to get up into that 11-42 range. The key is finding something with the same ratio as the shifters on your bike. Depending on how flat your terrain is, the 46:11-42 combo might work. If you still want some lower gearing, you can downsize your front chainring.