Should You Get a 1X Drivetrain on Your Road Bike?
SRAM introduced its 1x (pronounced "one-by," as in, "1x11") groupsets on mountain bikes in 2012. With a single chainring in the front, and a 10- or 11-cog cassette with a wider range in the rear, the 1x provided the same high and low gears as a double-ring drivetrain, while eliminating front shifting. In 2014, 1x came to drop-bar bikes in the form of CX1 for cyclocross. Now, SRAM's Force 1 and Rival 1 groups are bringing 1x to the road.
SRAM's system cleans up the look of a bike, shifts well, and has features to keep your chain in place. It may save some weight, too: The company claims about 170 grams, but it could be significantly less depending on your chainring and cassette choice.
But there are sacrifices for simplicity: Compared with a double, 1x either offers the same high and low gears, with bigger jumps in between; or the same tight jumps, but with less range. We tested the 1x system for everything from crit-racing, to rolling into town for a frozen custard, to determine when the single chainring can rule them all.
Join Bicycling All Access for in-depth bike reviews
For Adventure
Group: SRAM Rival 1
Chainring: 44T
Cassette: 10-42
Bike: Niner RLT 9 Steel
I rode this bike after work on a day I felt especially cooped up and frustrated, so I was tearing around like a bat out of windowless office hell. I was surprised at how fluid the shifting was and how little I felt the need for another chainring.
As for this particular gearing combination, I think a stronger rider would be okay with it. But for the fully loaded, cross-country touring I used to do, during which you're carrying 50 pounds, I would have needed a smaller gear in the front for the eastern part of the country (the Appalachians), though probably not the western (the Rockies). In my opinion, this setup was ideal for carrying weight, climbing steep terrain, being off-road, and any combination of two of those things—not all three of those conditions at the same time. —Caitlin Giddings
I liked this system more than I expected. I took it up Tenth Street—which hits over 20 percent grades—with loaded panniers, and never felt like I didn't have enough gears. Sure, I was slow, but I could just chug along without fighting for every pedal stroke. Coming down Fifth, I had a high enough gear to be satisfied on the steep downhill too. —Taylor Rojek
RELATED: What You Need to Know About Bike Gear Shifting
I tested the 1x on some long, solo rides, including one with 7,000 feet of climbing and dirt roads. Days like these, you turn your brain off and just pedal, so it was nice to forget about front shifting. The Double-Tap shifters were also a fantastic complement; they only further simplified things. One shifter, one chainring, one question: Easier or harder? Bada-bing, bada-boom. The nearly 1:1 low gear gave me what I needed even when climbs hit over 10 percent, and I rarely spun out on descents—though I wasn't pushing the pace, because that wasn't the point. It was also easy to quickly find my comfortable gear. Maybe if you were gravel racing, you'd want a bigger gear and more fine-tuning. But 1x was ideal for these long, climb-y rides where you're just out to explore all day. —Gloria Liu
Should You Single Up?: Definitely, maybe, probably, sure. For lightweight touring and all-day adventure riding, we love the simplicity and climbing assistance of a 1x and a wide-range cassette. But on longer, fully-loaded tours and gravel races, you may want more gearing options.
For Fitness and Recreation
Group: SRAM Rival 1 with S-Series S-700 Flat-Bar Shifters
Chainring: 42T
Cassette: 11-36
Bike: Whyte Montpellier
On my first climb, a ridiculous thought crossed my mind: Could two-by drive-trains eventually end up in landfills next to tube TVs? Of course they won't, but the experience was so satisfying, it seemed valid for a moment. I had gears to spare on that first climb. And the next.
Who is this 1x drivetrain for? Maybe someone like me. I don't race. I don't train. I just like to ride. I like to knock around town and commute. My ride to work is a rolling 10 miles. Having fewer gears to deal with and no left lever to think about is awesome. Shifting is smooth and quiet, too. I could confidently tell someone who wants a bike for recreational use that a 1x drivetrain is really worth considering. —Jennifer Sherry
RELATED: How to Get Quads Worthy of 1x Drivetrains
I was pedaling up a short but steep wall of road, clicking into easier gears along the way. As I neared the crest, I rose out of the saddle because I figured I'd reached my easiest gear. When I stopped to rest at the top, tired but not trashed, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I'd actually had two cogs to spare. I did rely on that easiest gear on a road ride with longer climbs, some with steep switchbacks. If I'd had more cogs, would I have used them? Probably. Did I enjoy the climb without them? Absolutely.
I think this system would work beautifully for casual or newer cyclists. It might encourage people who never touch their gears because they're intimidated by them, to make better use of their bike's abilities. —Emily Furia
Should You Single Up? For commuting, fitness riding, and those who are newer to cycling, it's 1x FTW!
Racing
Group: SRAM Force 1
Chainring: 52T
Cassette: 11-26
Bike: Specialized Tarmac
Most races we do around here are criteriums, and for those it's all big ring. You'd think that a 1x system would be fine. But in racing, or race-like situations, 11-25 is as broad a range as I want in the back—one to two teeth per jump. When I'm on the edge I need to be in exactly the right gear; if not, I risk blowing up trying to push a gear that's slightly too hard.
For our weekly crit, the 1x was totally fine—I had the gears I needed, and the spacing I needed between them. But that setup was impractical for training or for a hilly road race. I rode it on the lunch ride and suffered on our rolling terrain—52/26 isn't a great climbing gear. I also rode the Derby, and while the downhill ride there, 20-mile roll out, and the lung-busting sprint back were fine, riding home up past Bear Creek, I actually considered walking. —Brad Ford
Having a 1x turned the Tarmac into a dedicated crit racer. You could try running a wide-range cassette, but when attempting to fine-tune, the jumps between gears mess with power, cadence, and your head, all at once. I settled on an 11-26 and a 52T ring. It was just enough to be competitive in bunch sprints and worked fine when in a group. Surprisingly, where it turned out to be good was driving across to a break, or taking a solo flyer. Having the gears just a little lower meant staying on top of them just a little longer.
This did come at the loss of utility. On easy days, I reached for a different bike—changing cassettes to get a range low enough for spinning is a pain. And no matter what bike I have a 1x on, I'm going to use a stout chain keeper. That cuts into weight savings, but better that than an untimely trip to the hospital. Any chance of the chain coming off in a sprint is more of a chance than I am willing to take. —Mike Yozell
Should You Single Up? Sure—if you want a dedicated crit bike. Otherwise, you'll be happier with the combination of a wider range and smaller jumps allowed by a second chainring.
You Might Also Like
