I won’t bore you with the background but I am thinking of converting from 2 x 10 to 1 x 11.
I like the simplicity of one big ring but I am concerned that I will lose the “bite” when in the smallest cogs of the cassette. I don’t want to be able to “pedal out” my bike. I use it on rails to trails, at Shubie Park and all the singletrack trails. I am just a little concerned that I will lose the pedal power when in the heaviest gears.
Do you know what I mean? I am thrilled to hear everyone’s opinion
I’m guessing you mean changing from 2x10 (not 12–those aren’t available widely yet) to 1x11? If so, that likely means you’re currenting running a 36 and 24 front ring with a 36/11 rear cassette?
If so, unless you drop to a 28 or 30t front ring, you shouldn’t have too many issues with spinning it out on your hardest gear. I run a 34t front ring with a 42 large cog and 11 small cog. The bigger problem with that setup is not having quite enough of a climbing gear for places like Wentworth or Fitz. Gotta push thru the pain. 
If you go with a SRAM setup, and spend some big bucks, you could opt for a 10t smallest cog in the rear, but you’ll need a new XD freehub on top of the other drivetrain bits. The GX stuff isn’t too badly priced though.
@brightwhite beat me to it.
IMO the 10t vs 11t isnt enough for me to want to buy a new hub to convert to 11speed with the XD driver.
The price of the shimano 11 speed is cheaper as well.
Another option is to stick with a 1x10 drivetrain since you already have the 10 speed derailleur and shifter. SunRace makes a 11-42T 10speed cassette.
http://www.jensonusa.com/Sunrace-MX3-10-SPEED-Cassette
With this setup you should only need to buy a new cassette and n/w chain ring. Assuming the rear derailleur you have now is equipped with a clutch.
Ive seen everything from a 28T to a 34T on the front of local riders 1x setups. It’s largely a personal preference depending on the trails you ride, fitness, and whether you want more top speed or more climbing ability.
I’m currently running a 1x10 with a 30T raceface narrow wide, and a shimano 11-36 in the back. I’ve been thinking about going 11speed as well, but will most likely just pickup the new wide range 10 speed casette and save a pile of cash to get the same range.
I agree with Josh on keeping a 1x10 if you already have a clutch derailleur. I’d also consider getting the OneUp large cog replacement and cage and a NW front ring. Losing the weight of the front mech and shifter, plus cleaned up bars is just awesome. Great performance too. That Sunrace cassette is a great value though.
I considered it but decided it wasn’t worth the bother. Maybe wait a year or so when the bike that suits your riding comes stock with a 1 x 11.
The only takeaway from me to you is: only buy Shimano.
Well you guys are doing it for me today Randy. I like the idea of the whole thing as long as I don’t “spin it out” I look forward to this new set up.
brightwhite, I am not too concerned about the extra climbing ability. At Keppoch a few weeks ago I climbed to the top several times and never left my big ring up front. I hardly ever use my small ring except for a the most difficult pieces of Fight Trail. I am not converting to get more climbing power, I am converting for the simplicity of the shifting (and the fact that I can’t get my new front der. to co-operate but that is another story.
This ^. Rather then spending ~$100 on an expander cog and either another ~$100 on an XT cassette or hacking up my SLX cassette I opted to go with the SunRace MX3 cassette. I went with the 11-40T over the 11-42T but that’s just personal preference. It shifts great! Every bit as good as my SLX cassette/XT derailleur setup did. It also has nicer more consistent jumps between gears unlike the expander cog route. The only thing I can fault it on is that it only comes in red.
I just remembered, I also added a WolfTooth Goat Link when I made the switch so I can’t comment on how this setup would work without it.
I do see the benefit, though, racing at fitzies not once did I drop into the inner ring, so yeah, I appreciate the simplicity factor. I guess I’m just not into spending money.
I’m planning to switch to 1x11 after this season. I’m currently running 3x10 (although the large ring has served as a bash guard a few too many times and I therefore don’t use it) and I think everything is going to be pretty much worn out this year. Running a 32T chain ring and Shimano’s recently announced 11-46T cassette (not available just yet) will give me almost exactly the same range of gearing as I get with my current 24/32T chain rings and 11-36T cassette. (My bike is a 29er, so I want the 11-46T cassette to get enough low end for tough climbs. 32T chain ring and 11T on the cassette is enough gear for anything but a significant downhill.)
Needing to replace what I have is my main motivation, with simplicity, being able to better position the remote for my dropper post and the itch for something new following closely behind.
I’m running a poor man’s 1x …I don’t use the front der. Ever.
I have the same 3x10 setup as @Ghost on the same bike. Small ring I don’t use. Big ring is just a bash guard. Middle ring…set it and forget it.
I have this to give away. Didn’t have a clue when I bought it. Any takers? It’s a 28T, 175mm, fsa afterburner BB 30
I went from a 1x10 , 32t up front 11/36 back to a 1x11 SRAM with 32t and 11/42. Never used SRAM before and besides the price I’ve really been liking it. I think the Sunrace option is the way to go if you are still running 10 speeds down back. They are available through MEC now and having that 42t is a bonus. I think most of the N/W chainrings work well, I’ve used a RaceFace and Wolftooth and both had held up fine. It’s really worth doing, you won’t miss a thing.
On my bike (which I use for XC and Gravity) I use a 1x10 on it. So all that I did is remove the front derailleur and keep the same 11/36t with a 34t chain ring in front. I use a Race face N/W chaining and it doesn’t need the chain guide at all. TBH it can power up most hills and you don’t notice the missing derailleur. Warning its extremely addictive and you won’t go back!
First ride was really positive. I love the simplicity
I have a 1x9 on my Bigfoot and a 1 x 11 on my sasquatch. The Bigfoot has a 104 BCD so I was limited to a 30T out front. The Sasquatch is a direct and I believe its a 26 (I think)
