Sram force 1x conversion

djwc

I have a PX XLS evo CX bike which I bought as a commuter, but have fallen in love with! Only issue I have is that I run out of gears if I go out for a 'proper' road ride when travelling at a decent speed.

Is it possible to convert what I've got (a sram force 1x HRD groupset) into a 2x by buying the appropriate cranks and shifter? Will I need to / should I change the spread of the cassette (11-42) at the back (I'm rubbish at going uphill as I weigh too much!).

Thoughts / recommendations all welcome!

whyamihere

You'll need to buy more parts than that. You may also be able to get away with not buying a new crankset, I believe the spider is the same between Force 1 and Force 2x, so fitting new chainrings might be all you need.

The extra parts you'll need are a new rear mech, chain and cassette. The Force 1 rear mech has an offset top jockey wheel, which is why it works with such a large range. That relies on the chainring being the same to ensure it's an appropriate distance from the cogs. It won't work on a 2x, the top pulley wheel will have a completely different position depending on whether you're in the big ring or the small ring. You'll also need a new cassette. The Sram WiFli rear mechs officially support up to an 11-32, you may get lucky and make it work with an 11-36 (that's not guaranteed though), but not an 11-42.

joe_totale-2

I'd swap the 11-42 cassette for a 10-42 one although the freehub would need to be changed to an XD Driver one. Then I'd also switch the chainring to a 44 tooth one.

It's still some money and effort but less than basically changing most of the groupset so that you're running a 2x set up.

veronese68

Going from 11-42 to a 10-42 won't help him get up the hills that are also a problem. What size is your current front chainring? Change to a slightly smaller front ring and go to a 10-42 or freewheel when you run out of gears going down the other side.

singleton

I run a 1x force on my winter bike and I can pedal at 50kmh/30mph with a 42 front and 11 rear. How fast are your group rides?

joe_totale-2

veronese68 said:

Going from 11-42 to a 10-42 won't help him get up the hills that are also a problem. What size is your current front chainring? Change to a slightly smaller front ring and go to a 10-42 or freewheel when you run out of gears going down the other side.

The OP mentioned that he runs out of gears "when on a proper road ride and travelling at a decent speed".

I suggested the 10-42 as it'll keep the climbing gears he's used to.

veronese68

joe_totale-2 said:

veronese68 said:

Going from 11-42 to a 10-42 won't help him get up the hills that are also a problem. What size is your current front chainring? Change to a slightly smaller front ring and go to a 10-42 or freewheel when you run out of gears going down the other side.

The OP mentioned that he runs out of gears "when on a proper road ride and travelling at a decent speed".

I suggested the 10-42 as it'll keep the climbing gears he's used to.

Yes, he also says he's bad at climbing. Changing to a 10-42 and also dropping a couple of teeth at the front will give him a longer top end and lower climbing gears.