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Any front derailleur fans, Hitler fans?

Zark

Hey little girl, do you want some candy?
Oct 18, 2001
6,254
7
Reno 911
I'm still using a front mech and I'm pretty sure I'm the last one. From the reactions I get you'd think a front derailleur was reponsible for mass genocide. I never throw a chain, I ride as hard as 41 year old body will let me and it shifts perfect. Even better with one shift i can cover half the range of your sram seagull. I did a custom build on my bronson just to accommodate my 2x iclination. Btw the new xt sideswing is really good... not that any endurbro sheep care. Any dinosaurs like me out there?
 

4130biker

PM me about Tantrum Cycles!
May 24, 2007
3,884
448
Not running it anymore, but from a purely riding point of view, I think 2x was fine. I did like being able to drop a lot of gears very quickly during fast approaches to steep climbs, and despite the range no longer being an issue, I think 2x still has some perks (like no long cage derailleurs)...

I'm in 10x1 purgatory, so I can't comment on Seagle.
 

6thElement

Schrodinger's Immigrant
Jul 29, 2008
15,828
13,063
I'm an old bastard riding an old school 3x9. It works just fine dragging my 61 year old body around the hills on a 2012 Trek Fuel 26er. I'll get something newer when /if I break the frame
I'm not as old as Eric by several freedom presidents, but one of my MTB's is still running 3x9 too.
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,855
9,559
AK
Jesus and Seagal know that the left side of your handlebars are for dropper remotes, not lazy shifting front shifters. Besides, you think you constantly spin out at 35mph.
 

StiHacka

Compensating for something
Jan 4, 2013
21,560
12,504
In hell. Welcome!
Not sure what others' experience with 2x was but unlike 1x or 3x driver trains, the 2x was super finicky to set up and kept dropping chain like a mofo.
 

FlipSide

Turbo Monkey
Sep 24, 2001
1,376
804
Congrats on complying with Godwin's Law right away in the thread title. It was inevitably going there in a 1X vs 2X thread anyways... :)

Big 1X fan here. I don't want unnecessary clutter on my handlebars and I have only 4 spots for controls: 2 brakes + 1 dropper + 1 rear derailleur. The absence of remote-controlled lockouts or other bullshit is even a strong selling point for me when I'm looking for a new bike.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,241
20,021
Sleazattle
I like the simplicity of 1X10 but as I have grown fat and old I would like more range in my gears. As most of the riding I do these days consists of climbing for an hour or three, descending and repeating, I have considered just adding a second ring to my cranks and just manually switching ranges at the top/bottom of my rides as a drink a beer and polish my dental school degree.

Anyone tried this?
 

ChrisRobin

Turbo Monkey
Jan 30, 2002
3,346
190
Vancouver
I feel I'm good with 1x10. I have a certain gear range that works well for my area too: shimano 11-36 + 43 Oneup ring, and an oval 32T Oneup ring in front.

I don't quite get the new massive rear cogs on the 12sp system. I find I spin out at times with what I have now.
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,855
9,559
AK
In the high speed range (large front, small rear cog), unless you are pedaling so jerky-like that you'd be bobbing on a rigid bike (it's possible, I've seen and done it many times), you're not really spinning out.
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,921
borcester rhymes
I'm still a fan, but I don't currently have one. Last time I did, I had it pretty dialed so that it shifted when I wanted it to. My major frustrations were a little tire rub, which was probably because cannondale rush, and chain rattle on the bottom of the cage. A clutch may have fixed that issue.

I think about going back from time to time, shaving some weight off the cassette, tightening up the shift points, and being able to dump half your cassette in an instant are pretty cool.
 

Adventurous

Starshine Bro
Mar 19, 2014
10,261
8,767
Crawlorado
Had 2x in various incarnations over the years but never found it that useful. Every time I needed to drop it into the granny gear while climbing, I was going too slow to maintain my balance through any sort of techy stuff and would inevitably end up walking. Both in MA and now in CO, I found I'd rather push a taller gear, walk the parts that I'd "need" a granny gear for, and not have to deal with the frustration associated with a front derailleur.

*currently running 32 x 11-42t
 

Gallain

Monkey
Dec 28, 2001
183
43
Sweden
I get it for some people. But when I tried the Hawk I fell in love. Used to be a hardcore Shitmano fan but the shifting on Albatross is really fantastic. Pretty good even on gx level but on sparrow xo1 or xx1 it really is worth it. Yes Vulture is really expensive, no you don't really need all of those gears but try it out. Haven't meet a single person who tried turkey it didn't like it. Falcon for the win!!
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,241
20,021
Sleazattle
I can climb just fine with a 32x11-42 but I run out of top end on some descents where I want to pedal while standing.
 

rockofullr

confused
Jun 11, 2009
7,342
924
East Bay, Cali
I just finally replaced my old rig running 3X9 (big ring replaced by a bash guard to help keep the chain on). The new bike is 1X11 and I like the simplicity but I don't think it's that much better.

I don't miss going to pedal after a rough section and finding that my chain had dropped into the small ring.