I’m down to this final piece after choosing a new ride- which groupo. How to spec the bike. (Mainly the levers and drivetrain). I am quite certain it’s been debated much but I’d love any and all y'alls input on why I should go with one or the other? Thanks a lot.
I like the 2x drivetrain for road and gravel, and a 1x for mountain and cx. I think that's the biggest decision for you, is your gravel riding more like cx/mountain or more like road? Seems to be different depending on where you live.
I'm building GRX 2x (800 series throughout). I primarily want 2x and really like shimano shifting. However, would love to have SRAM AXS but won't spend the $$ on it.
I've been holding of getting a new gravel bike just because the one I want did not have GRX in 2020. The GRX components to me are better for gravel. Hoods on the shifters have more grip and are angled so your chance of sliding off during a rough section of road is minimized. There are several other small changes that make it better for gravel.
Just switched out from Sram Rival 1x on my Raleigh Roker to the Grx Ultegra 48/31 and 11-40t rear. Loving it a lot. Gained top end speed and lots of low end climbing. What's not to like about that. Great shifting so far.
Zurichman wrote:Just switched out from Sram Rival 1x on my Raleigh Roker to the Grx Ultegra 48/31 and 11-40t rear. Loving it a lot. Gained top end speed and lots of low end climbing. What's not to like about that. Great shifting so far.
are you running the 2x rear derailleur then? I see Shimano recommends a 34t max cassette with that derailleur and 2x.
Shimano is very conservative with their numbers. Here's Jom with Gravel Cyclist showing the exact set-up Zurichman is running. Like Jom, I wouldn't recommend cross chaining the 48/40 unless you were sure you had enough chain to do it. Even then, I wouldn't do it, that's what the 31 is for.
are you running the 2x rear derailleur then? I see Shimano recommends a 34t max cassette with that derailleur and 2x.
Yeah I am running the 2x derailleur with a clutch. The only modification I had or my LBS had to do was put on a different caliper on the bike because of the way the calipers mount to the frame. It is really smooth shifting. A lot smoother than the Sram Rival ever was. The only you have to do is when shifting from the lower gear sprocket to the high one is to shift down to the lower gear but that hasn't been a problem for me.
