Hey all!
I’m pretty new to the world of bikes and just bought my first gravel bike with a 1x setup. After spending more time on forums, I’m starting to wonder if I should’ve gone with a 2x setup instead.
I live in Berlin (Germany), so I’ll mostly be using the bike for:
- Commuting in the city
- Weekend rides that might mix in road, forest paths, and some light gravel
Berlin is quite flat, but I might occasionally head out for longer trips or hillier routes nearby. As a beginner, I’m not fully sure what to expect from the gear range and whether I’ll miss the extra flexibility a 2x might offer – especially for faster road sections and some steeper climbs.
Would really appreciate any thoughts from folks who ride in similar conditions or have experience switching between 1x and 2x! Is it something I’ll get used to, or something I might regret down the line?
Thanks in advance 🙂
by simsim444
9 Comments
Than difference is smaller steps between gears, not the overall range of gearing.
Chances are 1x is preferable unless you are trying to maintain a specific cadence.
The range between the highest and lowest gear is quite similar – with 2by you have more gears in between. I’d say don’t worry and don’t overthink it too much – too much research always leads to that and the opinions on what’s „better“ are split.
You will be fine, don’t worry too much about it.
2x is really nice when riding rolling terrain so you can make the larger jump in gears each time you go from climbing to flat or descending while in the middle of the cassette.
I live in CH and have 2x on my gravel/touring bike but also have a hardtail MTB with 1x that I ride on the same terrain and go bike packing with and I never think about wanting 2x on it.
Over the weekend, I rode with a bunch of roadies on a 3T Exploro Racemax with 40T chainring (1x), averaging 19mph with a max speed of 36mph. There was not a single instance I wished I had a higher gear I could use. One of the guys said: “Man, that bike is fast on those chunky tires.”
You are fine with a 1x for commuting and gravel rides.
If I were you, I wouldn’t bother myself with it at this point. If you didn’t before buying! 🙂
Ride it. Don’t listen to others. If you miss something, react.
I only care about 2x when I am trying to ride in a pace line. If I am alone, 1x all day.
2x is always better, just learn how to shift.
Nah 1x is great. I don’t run 2x on any of my bikes aside from my ‘87 pinarello
I have an easier granny gear for climbing and only a 3” smaller top/sprint gear with my 46t 10-42t as I would with 52/36 11-28 so technically I have more more not less versatility and range (with no chain dropping or much slapping ever even on crazy bumps)
Another Berliner here, you’ll be fine. Having ridden both, I prefer the 1x actually.