x1 Drivechains – Death of the front mech

Single chainrings are pretty much becoming the accepted norm on mountain bikes. In fact when I see a double or triple crankset on a bike it looks a bit weird. Just as 26inch wheels now look about as old fashioned as a penny farthing.

10x1 set-up on my road bike!

 

However, swapping the road bike over to a x1 drivechain is still a bit of a departure from the norm. The advantages are still the same; lower weight and less things to go wrong, which is especially relevant on a winter commuting bike. My journey to work is essentially flat, limiting the impact of the reduced gear range, although hilly Sunday group rides might prove more of a challenge. Loss of gear range was the same worry when I moved to a 1x10 drivechain on the mountain bike, but I quickly adapted and have never yet resorted to walking! Of course on the road there is also the added risk that having struggled over the climb, that you might spin out while chasing your friends back down the other side! Luckily I don't live in the alps, the longest climbs and descents on the South Downs are just a handful of minutes.

Rotor QX1 42t ring

All three of my bikes now use oval rings, as I am totally sold on the advantages of the smooth spinning style it creates. So I have fitted a 42 tooth Rotor oval chainring, which is designed for cyclocross, and fits a standard compact 110BCD crank. The chainring uses Rotors alternating fat / thin tooth design to retain the chain without need for a chainguide. I’ve been running a single ring with no chain retention device on my MTB for several years without a single dropped chain. Even without a clutch rear mech and with a very worn chain I haven’t had problems on the second bike either, so I’m confident that supposedly smooth tarmac won’t present any issues.

XT 11-32 10 speed cassette

The rear cassette is a 10 speed Shimano XT 11-32. This gives a broad range of gears while only just creeping outside of the quoted 30 tooth maximum specification of my 105 rear mech. Feedback on internet forums suggested it would be ok and it shifted fine across the range on my first commute. The steps between gears are more noticeable on the road, so it will be interesting to see how the wide range cassette rides when pushing hard. An even broader range of gears could be achieved in the future with a new mech and 11-34 or 11-36 cassette, if I find the need for more gears going uphill.

The first few rides have gone well. I've purposely sought out some of the toughest climbs in the area to check out the bottom gear. It's going to make a few climbs harder but I’ll report back in a few months and let you know how the experiment works out.