Do you think the front derailleur will always exist? Or will new technology eventually render it obsolete?? 🤔

3x gang rise up

That was the clearest explanation of the drive train differences. I love the bike nerd stuff! Thanks again for taking the time to make this.

12 chain rings in the front and fixed gear in the back is best, bye Felicia!

3 x 9 for touring for me. (48-36-26 chainrings and 11-36 cassette). Huge range of gears and half the price of a 1 x 12, which I think should be factored in. Alivio these days is perfectly smooth enough - (Shadow rear derailleur, Hollowtech II bottom bracket, downswing front derailleur, etc.) while being reasonably priced and more easily replaceable. Pro touring tip: drop bars with Gevenalle shifters.

The problem I had when I gave a 1X setup a test was the grumbling feel and noise of the chain as it went around the front ring. I went back to 2X and liked it much better.

For me, I prefer the simplicity of a 1x setup for day-to-day riding, shorter trips and lighter loads. However, for long tours and heavier loads a front derailleur and smaller steps between gears will always be the way to go in my opinion.

I have 1x 2x and 3x bikes. And I'm sorry but 3x is still my favourite, especially for touring. People keep telling me I'm wrong but it's just my preference. Also when I bend my rear mech (which I have a habit of doing) I still have 3 gears to keep going. I did it on my 1x once and it was a really hard work to continue cycling with only the highest gear.

I think that 2x(9 or 8 or something) with friction shifter is the most care free drivetrain, because you can manually adjust chain to right coq.

I run a 3x10. Had no problems so far. It does take a little practice on when to shift.

Spectacular video! Thank you so much for putting this together. Two items that are often brought up by proponents of 1x are 1) they weigh less and 2) removing ehs left shifter on the handlebars provides more of that valuable handlebar real estate for a dropper post remotes or for a shock lockout remote. To me the loss of weight claim is very minor, if slightly inaccurate. Often a new derailleur and new larger cassette is required to attain the same or similar gear range that was afforded by the 2x, both of which likely weigh a little more than that they replace. Sure, the front derailleur is gone and it’s associated cable and shifter and one chainring, but we’re talking not much weight. I think the more legitimate argument is freeing up room on the handlebars. Your final thought on tire clearance and shifter chain stays and thoughts on frame design is an eye opener for me. To provide the linkage clearance, the clearance for wider tires, etc, it all makes sense and why many MTB frames now have “Boost” sizing. The claim I often hear about Boost is to provide more clearance for wider tires, but I can see Boost sizing provides more chainstay design options and accommodates better the 1x systems. Thanks again for this thorough, well-thought out and well-presented video!

I recently upgraded my touring bike to 3x10 and its awesome. I have a crazy low gear of 22x36 which is great for steep climbs off road when loaded. Top speed is way faster than my 1x12 MTB. Someday I'll upgrade to 2x12, but I'll be sticking to 3x10 for a long time!

Can't argue with great data. Thanks for giving me reasons to stay with a front derailleur and not succumbing to the current trend.

Two years later and I only just found this vid. How did I miss it Alee? As always, the fantastic info is delivered in a week researched, easy to understand and gradated so the viewer can make up their own mind. Bloody good on ya bloke 👌

Exactly what I've been saying since before they even came out with a 1X. Now we just need for somebody to make a cheaper, lighter, more efficient Pinion.

Something big in my experience that can't be underappreciated is chain retention. I'd give 1x another point for that. Even a perfectly setup 2x system will have occasional issues when riding on rough surfaces, even with a clutch rear derailleur. 1x very rarely drops a chain.

This is a fantastic vid ! Tells you the entire story in a simple yet a pro way. Thumbs up and thanks !

Thanks for another great informational video. I love your insights and data based approach.

I love the technical information you include on your channel along with the user friendly feel. It tickles me that people create such 'nerdy' content about- riding bicycles and taking them on trips.. but make no mistake I devour it!

As a bike mechanic, I have found that 1x11 and 1X12 (especially) systems are prone to bad shifting if there is the slightest bit of damage to the derailleur. I can straighten the hanger in most cases, but I don't have the tooling to check the straightness of the derailleur. I can spend a lot of time taking it apart, using straight-edges to measure the halves of the cage, bending a bit here and there, but it is never as good as new. I would really need a machine-shop-grade flat table and other fixtures to get it right. Bottom line is these things are too delicate for mountain bike use if one is going to crash every once in a while. And with the parts shortage now in effect this is really a problem.

Thanks for making this video. I was searching the difference b/w 1x and 2x since ages. Your video made it clear 👍

No matter the topic you’re talking about I always find it very useful. Even on topics I think I’ve heard all about, like this one, thank you!!

alee's vids are simply the best. most informative tech vids out there. thanks alee.

Probably the best explanation of choices for picking a 1x2x or perhaps 3x. Personally I have all 3 types of drive trains. My old Mtn bike has an old 3x and is used as a commuter. My gravel has a 2x11 and I truly enjoy the extended range for my mixed gravel pavement 100 mile days. My new geared Mtn bike is a 1x11 and I it keeps things simple for my 20 mile trail rides. I also have a Single Speed Mtn bike and it doesn’t get any simpler but that’s really just for short 10-15 mile rides on trails I know what to expect.

Rocking on 3X for 2 years now.i guess it's very useful on my riding style. Mostly flats. And rarely off roads

Great video. Just the information the bicycling world needs! One thing with my 2x road bike I don’t like is when I shift the front the ratio jump is too significant compared to my old 3x.

Great content as usual. Most of my bikes have older 9/10 speed XTR triples. Just did short loaded ride on the Cross NH Adventure Trail and there were a few spots the 22/36 was very useful, and the 44/11 was enough at the top end. Haven't really found a 2X that quite gets there. GRX with a 31/40 would be okay on tarmac and good dirt roads, but wouldn't quite cut it on rough dirt. I love your references to testing sources.

This is by far the best explanation I have heard so far on the 1x/2x debate!

Clear and objective comparison. Great video to watch before you decide to make a conversion to 1x.

I ride a 3x hybrid bike but I barely use the largest front ring. I'd vote 2x for hybrid definitely! Thanks for the video👍

I’ve messed with road/gravel 1x setups and have come to believe replicating a full 2x gear range is folly because of the big steps between gears. I think it’s wisest to start with a nice cassette like 11-32 and then choose either a big or little ring. I run 11-32 with a 38t chainring and it’s surprising how much speed variability it offers. 38:11 @ 100 rpm is roughly 30mph.

The simplicity of 1x beats everything unless you're racing. Although I admit that ocasionally the range / step size is not ideal. I'm curious to see what the internet says about the rumored 1x13 groupset by campagnolo.

That was amazingly informative. Thank you!

Only an algorithm could believe, that you don't know, what you are talking about. Everonye else knows better. Tomorrow I start my first little bikepacking trip and I have found so much information and inspiration on your website, that I'm really looking forward to it.

Very informative!! Great perspectives!! Thanks!

Bravo - thanks for the research and video - I was thinking of converting from 3x to 1x in front for e-bike conversion and ditching the lower gears on the front derailleur - keeping the bigger chain and front chain ring and stock rear derailler setup. With the motor assistance the lower end gearing is probably not needed. Thanks to your video I can see that potentially keeping the standard setup may actually have more benefits than spending money on a new 1x system.

very nice description of the differences between 1 × and 2 ×, I prefer one 2 × because I can have a lot of power when climbing but also speed when descending, I think 1 × is ideal for mountain bikes but for me who also go to the mountains and on the road 2 × is the solution.

GREAT LESSON ! THANK YOU !

Thank you. That was informative. Thumbs up.

First 1x specific drivetrain was released in about 1880!

"The first 1x specific drivetrain" was probably something made some decades ago (maybe even a century), when front and rear derailers were often seen as two discrete items. That said, they didn't exactly intend for them to be 1x only, they just didn't plan for them to be 2x or 3x either.

I’m a huge fan of 9t cog. After saying bye bye to good ol HG freehub body & replacing all my bikes with XD driver I can run now run 9-42/9-50 cassette using smaller chainring up front. I actually prefer bigger in between gears so it works perfectly for me and so far all my components are still in good shape.

Great analysis ! All possibilities you speak of ! On my own i've 7 bikes (road and AT ) : 3 bikes on 3X drive train , 2 bikes on 2X drive train and 2 on 1X drive train . All différents bikes and for différents uses and cost . The best compromise is with the 2X drive train wich has a lot of possibilities . A 1X drive train is sometime a pure marketing story wich inflate prices ! The choices are fun but money is also a reality ! (even for drive train , cassettes , shifters ......)

Excellent advice on drive trains. Thanks

8:24 Thank you for amazing reviews, subscribed and liked every single one of them, no trickeries here, genuinely very informative videos.

Alfine, Automatix or Nexus for practically no hassle. On my MTBs i use the 1x9 and 2x10. It really depends on your bike application. If you don't have steep areas and want a cruise/grocery bike, just pick an optimal single speed setup. 16T in the back for example. If we are talking racing, road bikes still have 2x. Mountain bikes or downhill bikes can easily live with 1x.

3 X with not front derailleur. If you have a typical triple crankset, shimano ty 48-38-28 teeths, and 7-8 cog , you can go uphill using the 28 teeth crank in the all cogs with not problem. When you go down hill, you change the chain manually at the 38 or 48 ring of your crankset. It's work very well and you can use really all the posible combinaton. I learned it in Santiago de Chile a city between the mountain. It' s a "Chliean method".

I want to go to 2x as I use my bike for both mtb and commuting but I really like how narrowwide chainrings keep the inside of the chain clean haha. Also really don't want any clunking from the front derailleur

I love your videos. Thankyou!

Just ordered Shimano XT 2x12 because of the bigger gear range (623%) and smaller gear steps. Glad Shimano offers it! :)

I've one bike with 1x11, one with 3x9 (have had many) and two with 2x10. My current touring bike for 11y has a Roholff and that's my favourite, but for a cheaper bike, 3x is my favourite. I had a Dawes Galaxy with 3x8 for 13y but I changed the gears to an MTB 42, 32, 22 and 11-32 and the range this gave me was unbeatable. This bike eventually cracked.

Very interesting. I haven't looked at your video list, but I suggest a video pertaining to crank length on mountain bikes. I am not an expert on crank length, but have been reading a few things that say cranks that are too long can cause knee and hip pain due to excessive knee flexion. I'm looking to understand this better. Keep up the good work!

An important factor you're forgetting (perhaps of no importance to roadies/bikepackers who don't get rowdy) is that bigger spacing is preferred where terrain regularly undulates rapidly/suddenly and time is of the essence (MTB trails). 1x setups mean 1 or 2 shifts on your RH are needed rather than 3 or 4 RH + potentially a LH shift to maintain chainline/no FD rub on every pitchy climb/descent. This especially true for disciplines where rider input/body language gives you bucket loads more speed than optimal cadence at all times or 2-4W efficiency chainline gains (e.g. pumping, cornering, picking lines, bunny hopping, manualing etc). Less time shifting = more time/concentration to read the trail/milk it for speed. This is exacerbated by no FD = a dropper lever goes in it's place which is a huge benefit for jumping, cornering & descending (and even some technical climbing).

Another unsung contribution 3x systems make is the ability to reduce the weight and thickness of a rear cassette. While existing systems have wider chains for lower geared drive trains, if the industry were to use 12 speed compatible chains and cog thickness to ten speed or even 8 speed systems, that would allow for a greater angle for the rear wheel spokes. You don't have to have a massive cog when you have a 3x. And the weight should have been put on the bottom bracket as full suspension bikes' rear wheels are actually un-sprung weight.

For a bicycle trip with mostly paved roads I would hesitate to pick a 1X. Most of the riding would be done on the smaller cogs of the cassette, and the front sprocket is also pretty small. That will wear fast, unless it would be an exceptionally durable chain like those new 12 speeds.

I think this is most useful in helping me get the most out of the drivetrains I already have. I still want my next bike to have a Gates belt and internal gearbox! :D

Another top notch video alee 👌

I run a Sram 2 x 10 setup on a mtb. If we call the granny gear number 1, I would use gears 1-3, gears 11-13 and gears 16-20… I rode a 1 x 12, it felt wierd, but that could be because I’m not used to it… Thanks for the vid mate, you’ve got yourself another sub

I absolutely love your nerd comparison videos and technical bits. So much research.

*I have spent many hours as a home mechanic adjusting front derailleurs. I was so happy to abscond installing a new derailleur and decided one day to ditch it. My life is simpler now.*

Dude! That was awesome. So clear and comprehensive. Thank you.

I've been riding a 2X10 11-36 for five years now. Glad to see my intuition that it's the superior choice is borne out by this testing.

i love my 1x12 on my xc/trail bike, and honestly for my commuter bike (90s mountain bike) i'm in the middle ring 90% of the time. might convert it into a 1x with an oval chain ring

This bike nerd stuff is great. I sometimes make spreadsheets to compare bikes before purchasing..... a bike's cool factor also plays a role.

hilly areas where I live.. need at least 2x on the front. I've got a 27.5" mtb with 2x9 speed, I kinda still prefer an old 3x8 over it tho. And then 3x9 and 3x10 are god tier among my friends. That being said, I'd love to live somewhere very flat and ride a fixed gear belt drive system. 29x3.0" wheels/tires aren't as common as they should be too

good unbiased video

Very timely... I'm in the middle of a 1997 Gary Fisher restoration 👍🚲

Thanks a million for A Really pro clip

It's 1x11 on my carbon road bike (50x11-32) and 1x10 on my cheap and heavier winter bike (44x11-42). Smallest speed aimed to the 15% climb on my way home and the biggest is enough to do flat. I got fed up of the front derailleur ; added a cog behind and removed 2 chainrings. I don't see the front derailleur going away for those who want to do mountain climbing and also want to go quick in descents (even-though I can't understand that 3x still exists). Most people riding bikes don't need 2 chainrings with 10 or 11 cogs on the cassette.

Very well summarized. In my opinion they should make a cassette that has very small variances in the 95 cadence/30 km/h area as thats where most people spend time on roadbikes. Should be very easy to just have 2 gears very close to each other at that particular speed, and sacrificing one of the accelerating gears instead. I live in Indiana so its very flat ofcourse, but if this option was available, then it would be a no brainer for ME.

I use my hardtail for exercise, mainly on roads with nearly-slick tyres, and for longer rides and days out with cycling groups on canal towpaths and trails at weekends on fast-rolling "spuddy" tyres. I like my hardtail and don't want a roadie or anything with dropped bars. I recently converted my 2x10 to 1x10 mainly because I detest the front derailleur - it's the clunkiest piece of engineering on the planet - so when my front sprocket need changing because it has worn so much, the 25% extra cost to convert to a 1x crank set made sense. To be fair, I don't need the vast range associated with the 2x and in fact I could only ever get it into the very fastest two top gears when I was going down steep hills - I'm simply not strong enough to use those higher gears at any other time. I'm happy to coast downhill when I reach my current top speed (it's a little under 30mph - feels fast to me), so a smaller sprocket than the previous-large one suits well (I've gone from a 39T/24T to a 34T). Also, the narrow-wide chainrings are so great - I built a bike for my son with a 1x chain ring about 6 years ago and he's never lost a chain. The retention that narrow-wide tech offers is amazing. Such a small thing but the effect is incredible. For me, the increased simplicity of a 1x leads to reliability, and that is the deciding factor. But even though I'm not a competitive cyclist, I concede that the steps between ratios are sometimes larger than I'd like. I'm looking at alternative cassettes to see if there's any with more linear steps than those I currently have but this is just tweaking - overall I'm very happy with the results.

Very well researched :)

This is something I'm considering, whether to switch to a 1x for commuting or go 2x. Durability and longevity are my governing factors, the maintenance I find is a calming past time 😌. So I'm thinking of the Deore 1x12 ... as I'm at the stage where everything needs replacing anyways...

I use 2x10 on my Genesis vagabond and 1x12 on my trek rail, on ebikes drivetrain wears out quicker and must be checked out much often, to use a full steel cassette and chainring will prolong the life of the transmission making it lasts longer, on 2x10 on my gravel things are really different on normal conditions thousands of kilometers can be made.

You definitely do know what you're talking about ;)

Good work 👍

I feel that there's another variant that's often ignored: 1X with an internal gear hub. Many 3 speed internal hubs can accommodate 8 or 9 speed cassettes and maybe (with some modification) 11 and 12 speed ones. That would allow you to reap benefits from both systems and have a wider gear range, since you can't cross chain.

Yikes! Back to the drawing board for me then. I was convinced the gravel bike I'm about to buy had to be 1x

I have 1x3 but would prefer internal hub gears or 1x1 for simplicity. The highest gear i never use when on touring trips, down hill is rest time! Could have a lower gear than what I have though.

I have an old 3x hard tail. I call it a 2x with a rotating bash guard.

Thanks for this video!! These are all conclusions I have reached using logic and personal experience and now I have saved this video in my browser to show people the objective proof! The trendy (non competition) bikers laughed at me when I bought a new, high end mountain bike (with front and rear suspension) and had the store install a 2X11 Shimano cassette instead of taking it with the 1X12 SRAM set. I do such a wide variety of intense recreational cycling here in Costa Rica so the 2X (and suspension lockout) made so much more practical sense to me. I can climb steeper grades and take advantage of long downhill sections on asphalt leaving my equally-fit riding companions behind in both situations. I have a road bike and love riding that but my mtb is a great ride even for long distances on the roads due to the overall range and closer spacing of the gearing (and using the suspension lockout). The real surprise in your research is the durability of the 12 speed chains!! What would account for this?! It seems like a subject for a future video. If you could get a longer lasting 11 speed chain it would make it an even cheaper long term setup.

I always skip 1 rear cog when I'm on the small front chainring on my daily driver when accelerating, and only go up or down by 1 on the rear when I'm on the large front chainring. When I change to the large front chainring I go 1 back on the rear and increase/decrease by 1 after that, and I'm usually riding in the 2nd/3rd smallest cog unless going downhill or having a good wind in my back, what that tells me is that a 2x for a regular citybike is more than I need, a centered front cog (slightly smaller than the current front, but about 10 teeth bigger than the current small front cog) and 8 rear gears will benefit my much more. Also being 1x8 means the chain won't cross as much as 11/12S (Although my 1x12 MTB is the best I've ever ridden with despite having a more limited top speed) We need a front chainring that will move in and out, eliminating cross chaining, and keeping it 1x.

I have 3X on my commuter. On my MTB I call it a 2-1X, two chainrings I change by hand without a derailleur, depending on what kind of trail I'm riding.

These modern mtbs are works of ART ,I'm on a resto mods 1999 Marin/naked alloy Ovation frame with the most beautiful plush rockshox recon SL up front,I stare at my beautiful bike alot, if I had one of those modern beast's I'd sit and stare ALL day .😍🤣💯👊🤟🇬🇧

I custmized my 29er with 3 x11 with a Garbauk cassette 11-50. My lowest gear is now 22 x 50 and a gear range from over 800 %. What shall I say? It is great to climb up walls. I‘m an old guy with 105 kg. I cross the alps with 60 beats/ minute. If you know how to shift with 3 gear rings in the front, I can recommend this.

I’m riding a single speed for the rest of my life. Yesterday I put on a 16T freewheel it was amazing. I am done with being cross-chained. I have only ridden 7 speed bikes for the past 20 years they are pointless unless it’s a mountain bike. I just want to pedal harder on the hills from now on.

For mountain bikes, 1x is fhe way to go, especially when riding up hill and woth obstacles. On my road bike, I still have a 2x and it works juat fine for what i ride which is mostly flat terrain

I have Ultegra 2X 11-34, 30/46 on my Topstone and ride almost exclusively in the big chainring, but no bike touring/packing yet. Then again, my 20 mile fitness loop from my house has about 250' of elevation gain...

As someone who still only has a 2x8, I'm a bit surprised with the results with chain longetivity. I assume (and because Berm Peak videos) that the thicker 8 speed chains would mean it's more durable. At least it makes up for it by being cheaper, which not only applies to the chain but also the whole drivetrain.

nice video i must say i found it very informative . i agree go with set up that benefits you i had a 1x7 on a bike then i upgraded to a hardtail it comes with a 2x8 . i'm leaning to ditching the 2x8 and just crossing over to a 1x8 down then road to 1x10 staying with shimano or a micro shift set up uncertain not a sram person . that said my 1x7 has nearly 3 k miles on it its a city bike i took it on trails beat it up badly it was cared for just its a city bike not trail worthy its resting in my living room .

I use cadence to measure my ride over ride comparison. I am averaging 72-74 on a 20 mile run. High around 110-115. Pretty much similar ride profiles on most days. I currently have a 3x9 hardtail drivetrain. The overlap is pretty large. The top end is really low. Most of my riding is on gravel. Much of it not too hilly. I believe a 2x drivetrain on a gravel bike is best. I think the range is better than a 1x and it will have less overlapping gearing than my 3x. Your video is helpful in understanding the variance in %. Sounds like 2x is the way to go for me. Unless.... I start looking at closed belt systems with 600% spread and average 14% diff in gear changeover. Then it’s back to the drawing board😂😂😂😂😂

I love 1x, but I also run a 56t front ring so I don't get small gear inefficiency :)

I just replaced a cheap chainring. The first was replaced at 60000km and the second at about 180000 km. I live on a dirt road so it is impossible for the chain to be kept clean. Clearly I am not trying to win races. But the figures in your video shows the extreme cost of seeking the highest performance. Incidentally I also have gears from 22 -> 34 up to 52->11 a 7.3 to 1 ratio. Because I am getting older and I want to remain on the correct leg pressure on any climb. So "best" does depend on what you need from any system.

Previous owner set up my bike as a 1x, but it only has 8 on the cassette. I think I'm going to add the big chainring back onto the crank.

The 1x12 SLX on my Surly ICT has finally sold me on the abilities of the 1x. Before that I would say I preferred the 2x10 on my hardtail 29er. I have a 1x11 on my full suspension, good not great. A good 2x10 is tough to beat. Haven’t used 2x11. We’ll see how the 12spd wears.

I don't about most folks but I'm still using 2x and 3x set ups on all my bikes. Yeah I'm old school however you can't get a 15.5 gear inch low gear with a 1x at least not yet. So I'll keep riding my 22/30/40 with my 10 speed 11-46 on my 920. 22/32/42 with a 10 speed 11-42 on my Fuel EX 7, 22/34 with a 10 speed 11/42 on my Superfly 9.7. Yep I need that little extra to get up them hills. Road bikes I'm running the standard compact cranks with 10 speed 11-36 on the Cervelo R3 (2008) same on my 2012 Venge Pro Force and the standard Shimano 105 11 speed group on my 2020 Domane SL5 Disk but thinking about sticking a 11-40 11 speed cassette on that one. Getting old sucks LOL.

3x easily wins in all categories. The weight savings argument against the 3x doesn't make hold weight since you could apply the exact same argument into using a single speed instead of having a cassette at all. In fact a 3x 7,8 cassette would probably be way lighter than a 2x10,11,12

My 9 speed chain lasts way longer than my 10 or 11 but it is on a triple so the chain is usually straight and from what my friend said his 1x12 chain didn’t last long at all and he’s just replaced it with one that cost £80 to see if it’s any better

Great videos!!! Just curious if anyone has thoughts on the Surly Bridge Club? I’m looking for a bike to do 4/5 day touring and bikepaking as well as some local commuting. Good choice? Or Surly Troll that is more expensive?

Hi, Good video, but... 1x systems has another few good points (not mentioned) 1. Oval chainring (front) can be mounted 2. Narrow-wide chainring (front) prevents chain drops and wearing 3. Weight