1x11 for Commuting. Gearing & Speed Query

4xsama

Hi,

I'm looking to replace my Bianchi Sempre with a CX bike with 1x11 for commuting. The bike I'm looking at is a Canyon Inflite AL SLX 8.0 Pro Race. Gearing is 11-36 and 40 on the front.

Reason for a CX to commute is;
- Fatter tyres,
- Hydro discs
- Still quite fast, and,
- Can use on weekends on bike paths around Sydney, Aus.

Having 1x11 seems like a good idea due to the decreased faffing with gears etc.

Question is, will I pedal out on a 1x setup easily and will a 1x be too much on hills compared to my old Bianchi which had a compact 50-34 set up.

Cheers

bendertherobot

A cadence of 80 on 11 will get you about 22.5mph, 90 just over 25.

On your old bike those same cadences (on 11) will get you 28 and 32 mph

That appears to be a big difference. However, on the flat I suspect most riders would be happy with 25mph or so.

If you want to 'try it out' the equivalent gears are (roughly) 50/14 at 80/90 to match the above. So, basically, stick it in 50/14 and see how that feels as a top gear.

cycleclinic

I use 42t and a 11-32 on the commutor and 100 rpm is 30 mph. I don't spin out on this bike and I turn a low cadence.

Go for it but get a slightly larger ring.

4xsama

thecycleclinic wrote:

I use 42t and a 11-32 on the commutor and 100 rpm is 30 mph. I don't spin out on this bike and I turn a low cadence.

Go for it but get a slightly larger ring.

Is it possible to change the front chain ring?

timothyw

Yeah, you might want a bigger chainring, I can recommend the Superstar Raptor narrow-wide chainrings - they come in a range of fittings so should be able to do the job.

I run a 46t chainring with an 11-36 cassette and the overall range is similar to running a 50-34 chainset with a 12-28 cassette.

4xsama

TimothyW wrote:

Yeah, you might want a bigger chainring, I can recommend the Superstar Raptor narrow-wide chainrings - they come in a range of fittings so should be able to do the job.

I run a 46t chainring with an 11-36 cassette and the overall range is similar to running a 50-34 chainset with a 12-28 cassette.

Hi TimothyW,

The good folk at Canyon have advised I can change the front ring 'without affecting the warranty' which is nice. I have found a Quark chain ring https://www.quarq.com/product/sram-forc ... 27lir2ma4o
which will do the job.

Would I need to add some links to the chain? Canyon weren't sure.

If this works I will probably get the bike but try the 40t ring. It's nice to know I have an option to change the ring if I need to.

timothyw

If the bike has been set up properly, then yes, you will need to add some links if you put on a bigger chainring - it'll be obvious because you won't be able to get the bike to change into the biggest (easiest) gears at the back as there won't be enough chain to go round them.

Make sure you test this by gently turning the pedals by hand, don't go out on the road to discover the chain isn't long enough..... you risk causing some pretty serious damage to your new bike.

4xsama

Great advice. Thank you.

4xsama

thecycleclinic wrote:

I use 42t and a 11-32 on the commutor and 100 rpm is 30 mph. I don't spin out on this bike and I turn a low cadence.

Go for it but get a slightly larger ring.

The bike arrived on Tuesday. I had a couple of rides on it over the weekend and aside from my poor fitness level it went well. I can see I'll need a bigger chaining eventually but fir now its all good.