Can This Bike Gamble Really Win the Tour de France?

Jonas Vingegaard has been racing the 2025 Tour de France on a Cervelo S5 with a SRAM Red 1x gearing, not the more common 2x favoured by most road cyclists. In this video I explore why a GC contender opting for this setup is such a big deal and dive into some of the pros and cons of 1x vs 2x and why he might be choosing a single chainring…

Content
00:00 Intro
00:51 Jonas Vingegaard’s 1x Cervelo setup
2:31 Why is 2x still king?
5:00 The 1x vs 2x debate…
7:13 Will 1x win over the peloton?

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One of the most fascinating texttories at this year’s Tour of France for me is the surprising rise of one by drivetrains like this one here. Yes, single chain rings on some of the biggest names in the race. While two buyer does remain the norm, an increasing number of Stram sponsored pros are going all in on one. And get this, even GC contender Yoni Fineard have run the first 10 stages of the tour of France on a oneby setup. Will he stick with it in the mountains? It remains to be seen. He has four spare bikes with one by, but also two with a traditional two by setup. So, a swap is definitely on the table. So, the big question is whether this is a turning point for one in pro- road racing or is it just little Stram sponsorship magic at play and critics will argue it’s just because Stram can’t make a reliable front Meg. So Yonas Vinegard is riding a Sevel S5, an Aero race bike with a Stram red axis grouper comprising a 52 to Aero chambering and a 10 36 cassette on the back. I filmed his bike at the Grand Apart. He has four bikes set up like this, but also two bikes, the S5 with two by as well. It remains to be seen what setup he’ll use in the mountains. We’ll find out in a few days time. But even stage 10, not officially a mountain day, still had over 4,000 m of climbing. So definitely a place where gearing is something you need in abundance. So we could see him swapping bike for the mountains. Either going to the explore group set like the bike behind me with the bigger 10 46 cassette and keep that 52 chain ring on the front or go to a smaller chain ring for a bit more climbing range. or he could, which might be the easier option, go to a Stram red axis two by setup. We don’t know the actual reason that Yon Vigard, a GC contender in this year’s tour front, is opting for a one by pressure from the team, pressure from sponsors, unlikely on both counts in my opinion. So, it could be he likes their simplicity, likes the weight saving, or likes the arrow savings. And Sevel claimed you can save up to two watts by going to a one by setup. And what’s really interesting in this conversation around one by versus two by and it really is a versus a bit of a battle. It doesn’t have to be though does it is that his main rival in the GC race talib is on a two by setup. A more conventional Shimano dur2 gearing combo with a one by drivetrain booming in gravel and XC mountain bike. You would think that road pros would switch as well, but no. Two by setups still dominate the pro pertton and therefore the amateur ranks as well. Now the front derailia was invented way back in 1895, but didn’t really become popular until after the second world war. So those early taller front race bikes had a single chain ring. Yes, we are going full circle in an interesting sort of way. The front derailer has evolved a lot, but essentially does the same job as when it was first invented. Two metal plates that move the chain up and down the chain rings. Very basic, very rudimentary, as good as it is today. But the front derailer allow riders to access a wide gear range. Crucial for climbing steep mountains and hitting insane speeds on descent. So what about one by drivetrains? For gravel and mountain biking, one by has exploded because it’s simple. One shifter, one chambering, less weight and fewer things to go wrong. No front derailer means less complexity, easier maintenance, and fewer drop chains as well. Perfect for rough terrain and variable conditions. If it’s that amazing, then why hasn’t it caught on? The big reason, gear range and efficiency. Road racing demands a massive range of gears from super low gears for climbing the big mountains to tight gears for sprinting at 60 km per hour. With two by setups, ride get more finely spaced gears and a wider overall range without massive jumps between the sprockets. Plus, two by setups offer better chain line and less drivetrain drag in many cases. So, you can be more efficient on smooth tarmac. And of course, teams and rides are conservative. When you’re fighting for tour victory, don’t want to gamble on unproven tech mid-season. That said, though, the front derailer isn’t perfect. They add weight, complexity, and the potential for mechanical problems. Chain drops can and do happen with any group set, even Shimano, who have the best shifting in the game. I saw a drop chain in a race just the other day. It’s why most tour race bikes do have a chain guide fitted just in case. Compared to that, one bike does offer better chain retention. The rear mech has a clutch mechanism to stop the chain slapping around, and it’s a narrow, wide chain ring, too. and you’re not moving between the two chain rings, which is a big risk with two by and a drop chain. This video isn’t really meant to be a one by two by video. I’ve done that in the past, but it does end up being that sort of debate and conversation. I really want to shine a light on the fact that a GC contender in the tour of France is using one by and get your thoughts and reaction to that. I think it’s a great thing. He’s using a technology that clearly works for him and I don’t think he’s been forced by Stram or Sevel or the team to use a group set he wouldn’t be happy using and he’s been using it quite happily so far in a tour of France and I can’t wait to see what happens in the rest of the race whether he keeps with one by goes to a bigger explore gearing or goes back to two by and if he does go back to two by in the mountains that’s not an admission that one by doesn’t work it’s just that one by only works in certain cases on certain stages and in the big mountains two by still has the advantage, but I like the fact we have more choice. And it’s choice at the end of the day. Lots of people don’t want one bike, and that’s cool. Like I say, most of my road bikes are still two by. But I’m increasingly leaning towards one by possibly being the ultimate setup for simplicity, arrow, weight savings, and clean looks. Any debate about one by two by does have to include gear range, and actual gears you have available to use. So, here’s a geared shot of the gear setup on Yonis Vinegar’s S5 with the gearing on a bike I saw at the Grand Depart and how it compares to a more conventional setup been used by his main rival Tally Baga. Comparing the 1×12 setup on Yon Finear’s bike to Tally Baga 2×12 setup with a 5440 chain set and an 1130 cassette. TA has a bigger range 368% to 291 which is a massive difference of stages like stage 10 with lots of climbing and descending. TAD also has a smaller gear depth in the crucial 40 to 50 km perh range compared to how limiting one by appears to be. But that said in the race so far that smaller oval range and a bigger gear depth doesn’t appear to be holding Yonis Vinegar back at all. and he’s responding well to the surges and attacks from Tad. So, will the front derailia vanish from pro racing? Maybe someday, although I can’t honestly see it happening in the next couple of decades. Maybe not in my lifetime. It’s proven. You know where you are. And outside tour, it’s massively popular. But recent advances in one by technology are impressive though. Big range cassettes, improved chamber retention, and electronic shifting make one buy more viable than ever before. And the move to a 13-speed with the latest Stram Explore is definitely a step in the right direction. And I’ve been super impressed with a group set on both gravel and road bikes such as a 3T Strider behind me. That’s the first time I’ve had a one by experience where it actually works and doesn’t have really any compromises compared to my previous experience of one by. I’m open-minded, but most my road bikes are two by steel. But I like the simplicity of one bike, which works on the gravel and mountain bike, and there’s no reason why that simplicity can’t be brought to a road bike as well, especially for beginner and new cycles where the complexity of shifting front and rear derailers can be a bit confusing and a bit of a minefield. Plus, I think one looks fantastic on a road bike. Nice and clean and simple, too. And if there are a few watts of air savings, then I’ll take them. But the downside is because Stram are really the old company doing one bite on the road, you need a frame that has a UDH dropout for this new group set here. But as Yonas has showed, you can do 2×2 and all depends on the the roads you’re riding, how much climbing you have, and what sort of gear range you need for the riding you do. And that still is the inherent limitation of one by. You have to think more about the cassette size and the chambering size and that combination to get the right setup for the riding you are doing. Another downside to one by adoption is that only Stram are really interested in trying a technology and offering it to their pro athletes. Shimalo and Camp show no interest in one bite at all. But I do like the fact that Stram are really challenging the status quo. But road pros and amateurs want a setup of proven, versatile, and finally tunable. And that means two by for now. But watch your space. Watch your pelon because things are slowly changing. So what do you think of one by versus two by and the use of one by increasingly in a taller front pelon this year? Drop a comment down below. And if you want to see a video of my experience of one by 13, definitely not a pro on this 3T Strata Italia behind me, then watch this video right up here.