# Sram 1X 11 what is your experience?



## jackmen (Jul 24, 2007)

Just wondering what experience people are having using Sram 1X11 (force) with Gravel/Cyclocross bikes. What gearing are you using front and back and how does it work. 

I am purchasing a 1X11 with 44t front and 11-28 on back and looking at what experiences other are Having. We do have quite a few pretty steep hills and concerned may need to enlarge the back gears some.

Let me know your thoughts & experiences.


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## bj.bonnette (Jul 16, 2011)

I just built up a new cross bike with apex 1x11 and it is great. I am very happy. the apex shifts snappy and accurate and the braking is fantastic. I have ridden rival and force and this shifts just as well. I would have a hard time from here on out spending more money to get rival or force.

I am running a 44 front and a 11-32. Works well on road, hate the gear gaps but I usually run 11-23 or 11-25 cassettes on the road.

the 44 is a good middle ground because with a 32 cassette the 44-32 gearing is a little easier a gear then a 39-28. I do with I had a little more top end for group rides and stuff. I might run a 48 front for road use and 40 for cross.


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## Asmodeus2112 (Aug 5, 2008)

I love my CX1 (Force) 44T/11-28, but the 44-28 isn't quite low enough, so probably going to go to a 11-32, but as previous poster mentioned we'll see about the gaps. I ride 1x11 on three mountain bikes and my commuter with 10-42 and love it. I really do not miss the chain rattle from the front derailleur at all... With the clutch deraileur I do not get any chain slap on the chainstays. Really enjoy the quieter ride.


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## dcorn (Sep 1, 2011)

I have Apex X1 and it's pretty awesome. I swapped on a 40T up front with 11-32 in the rear for cyclocross since there are a lot of punchy, steep climbs, but not very much top speed. I've ridden it on road and some gravel as well and the gearing is mostly fine. Some of the steep climbs were a bit rough, but I could get up to around 30 going downhill and pedaling super fast. 

My wife will be taking over the bike this year, so I'll probably throw an 11-36 on the back to help her with the climbs since it doesn't have a small ring up front. She doesn't go fast anyway.  I'll be grabbing a new cross bike with Rival X1 and hydros this time.


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## Corey213 (Jan 11, 2013)

I have the force 1x11 on my Trek Crockett 7. It is amazing, for cross, i don't think you would miss a double chain ring. Enjoy it when you get it!


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## CapitalCrewBiker (Aug 24, 2011)

It works! So does any 1x10 with a clutch type rear derailer and a narrow wide ring.


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## OnTheRivet (Sep 3, 2004)

I run XX1 1x on both my mountainbikes and cx1 with cantis on my cross race bike and they are awesome. In the process of building up a new disc carbon cyclocross race/gravel/dirt road bike. I was always hesitant about 1x for a Dirt road bike mostly because of the gear jumps but after reading some of the stuff the Pro guys have been saying decided to go Force 1X. 44 tooth front ring with a wheelset that I can switch freehubs. Using an XD freehub with a 10-42 for gravel races(riding around) and a regular shimano/sram freehub with an 11-32 for cross racing.


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## bj.bonnette (Jul 16, 2011)

I do the same. Have a 44 on front. Have a 11-40 11-32 and 11-28 depending on the type of riding.


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## twiggy (Mar 23, 2004)

I've been running Sram CX-1 1x11 now for a bit over a year for CX, and *some* gravel riding too. I use an 11-32 cassette with either a 40T (wolftooth direct mount) or a 42T Sram chainring for cyclocross... more often the 40T just because I find for 'cross that gives sufficient range and I never run out of gears. I would think that a 44-28 would be quite limiting, but I think it depends on what your cross courses are like. In the summer and for gravel riding I throw the 42T rin on and an 11-36 Cassette.... I think ideally I'd run a 44 up front for gravel, although I've been surprised how rarely I run out of gears unless I'm racing or trying to keep up with friends on road bikes.


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## serious (May 2, 2006)

I have the SRAM CX-1 with 42/11:28, and it is great 95% of the time. But I have come across longer gravel climbs that kept me out of the saddle for a while. An 11:32 might be better. 

Otherwise, no complaints, I love the setup.


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## Chain (Dec 28, 2006)

After tiring of the popcorn shifting from Shitmano, I'm really happy with the Sram on my CX bike. So much so, I've dropped all the shimano from all the CX bikes in the house and have replaced with SRAM.

The shifting is precise and clean and the clutch has eliminated dropped chains during races.


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## namaSSte (Jul 28, 2004)

Another believer here! Rival 1x on my cross bike 40t in front, 11-28 in back and I think its ideal for CX. So many times I see guys with doubles shifting at inopportune times to get it in the big ring just so they don't throw chain (I've thrown one only once ever on my mtb or CX 1x setups). Its simple and intuitive. I did want a little more top speed as well as better climbing gear during some early season gravel races this year so I may try some new combos but generally, its rare that I am wishing I had more gearing choices than I do right now.


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## Lookbiker (Sep 2, 2006)

I've been using Force 1x on my gravel bike and it has been great. Running a 38 chainring with a 10-42 for the super hilly events and a 42 in the front for road rides and flatter events. The big steps in gears have not bothered me.


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## radripperaj (Mar 7, 2015)

I have been using 1x10 force for about a month now. As far as gravel and cross is concerned, I will never go back to a double up front. There is no chain bounce and i haven't dropped a chain in any fall i have had yet. When I had the double if i fell the chain always came off or if i hit bumps while i was in the small ring it would pop off a lot as well. I run a 40 up front with an 11-32 in the back. For cross that gearing is perfect. I have yet to run out up top during a cross race. The one gravel ride i have been on so far with it, I spun out on two of the down hills while in the pack. I imagine in the future I would like to switch to 11 speed in the back and get a 42/11:36 combo. That will give me all the climbing gear I need for the hillier gravel grinds and help with the top end as well. For cross I think I will always change back to 40/11:32


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## davidka (Dec 12, 2001)

44T is good on the road but a little tall for cx, especially with an 11-28. For cx you'll effectively have 4-5 gears and rarely ever touch the rest of the cassette. Get a 40t & 11-32 and you'll use all of them on the road & rarely, if ever top out on a cx course.


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## aske (Jul 19, 2016)

Running Rival1 with 42T front and 11-42 rear on my cyclocross/commuter. I'm a fan. I had to get used to the gear gaps. But that range man... 
The gear shifting can sometimes be a bit clunky compared to the Campagnolo on my roadbike, but I attribute that to the large gear gaps. 
I had that "why didn't I do this a long time ago"-moment after the first couple of rides.


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## pspycho (Sep 7, 2005)

I am running the Force 1 on my Diverge that's got a 46T up front and 10x42 Cassette. It's been fantastic for both Road & Gravel. I had the opportunity to speak with some folks from SRAM at an event a year ago who walked me through the gearing. The setup I am running is "functionally" the same range as a 50/34 up front and 11x32 Cassette. I lose some of the "fine shifting" but have put over 6,500 miles on this bike in all sorts of terrain from gravel races, sprint group road rides, etc. I've even ridden it in the IL Driftless area where I had 7,600ft. of elevation change in 77 miles of riding. Some of the grades (gravel) were +14%. 

Very happy with the setup and not "dealing" with a front derailleur. I will most likely stay 1X on all of my future bikes as well.


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