What makes this your car?

  • @JoshuaFalken
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    32 days ago

    I was looking at mountain bikes recently and found out the new norm is 1x. Been ages since I rode a 3x, but going to 1x seems attractive if only to remove the shifter.

    I too bike around town, on 25mm tires, and usually with a trailer though. Such a joy to get everything done under your own power. Obviously this isn’t the post to tout such ideas, but more people should be riding around the city.

    • FartsWithAnAccent
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      fedilink
      21 day ago

      First I’d heard of that in mountain biking, unless are you thinking of the r/Xbiking subreddit? They often repurpose MTBs, sometimes with 1x, but often with other drivetrains too.

      • @JoshuaFalken
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        21 day ago

        I was surprised too. Went into a local shop and every single one of their mountain bikes, be it full suspension or otherwise, was 1x.

        They said most of the time a chain gets spit off a ring, it’s the front, so people have been converting over to 1x to keep the chain on, and going to 10-12 on the back to make up for the lost range.

        No idea if it’s bologna or marketing but it seems to be the new trend. I’m guessing it’s beneficial moreso in competitive circumstances, but the only time I spit my road bike chain out is when I shift under too much pressure. I don’t really do much trail riding on account of not having an appropriate ride, so I’m just going off what this one person said.

        They look nice though without a front derailleur. Makes me want a fixie.

        • FartsWithAnAccent
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          fedilink
          21 day ago

          Oh, you mean like 1x10 or 1x12? Yeah, that’s definitely a thing. I thought you meant literally one gear on a MTB.

          • @JoshuaFalken
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            11 day ago

            Right, I should’ve been more specific. I haven’t shipped for a bike in eons so I don’t know when they became common. Last I remember using everything was 3x7 or so.

            Would be funny to use a single speed on a trail though.