Any question answered...

I have a 2011 Planet X Nanolight with SRAM Rival except an FSA compact 50/34 chainset.

I want change to the chainset and got to thinking whether I really need a double.

The rear cassette is 12-36 so has a mega wide range and I'm thinking 44 up front would give enough top end speed on the flat and still let me climb at 5mph without having to stop and walk.

Good idea?

What SRAM chainset should I get? Something cyclocrossy?

Good idea?

SRAM thinks so, they are likely to launch 1×11 road groups for MY2016.

SRAM Force CX1 would be a nice chainset to have if you insist on spending money, but you could just fit the chainring to your existing cranks with some single bolts and get the cranks later once your sure a single ring is for you.

Good idea?

I have a 44T chainring sitting in the post office awaiting collection for this purpose, so obviously it's an excellent idea.

If you are put off by the expense of the SRAM CX1 chainring or crankset - I am - you can use regular single chainrings from the like of Surly, Thorn in combination with a SRAM type two derailleur - X7 does the job.

SRAM thinks so, they are likely to launch 1×11 road groups for MY2016.

Yet again I am ahead of trend. Having now Googled it according to http://www.bikemag.com/gear/srams-1x11-group-new-details-emerge/ they're looking at a 42T rear cog. Now that's a dinner plate.

you could just fit the chainring to your existing cranks with some single bolts and get the cranks later once your sure a single ring is for you.

This is, of course, a very good idea. Would you fit the single ring inside or outside the spider?

Would you fit the single ring inside or outside the spider?

I think inside ends up closer to the centre of the cassette on a road bike.

SRAM would obviously like to sell everybody their 10-42 11-speed cassette plus the corresponding special cassette rotor and non-slant RD, but for most of us the 12-36 10-speed cassettes provide enough range for leisure riding and, as @Howard says, you can use the mid-price 10-speed MTB dérailleurs with your 10-speed road Doubletaps.

Do you mean my existing rear derailer #anglicisetheworld won't work?

It will, but clutches are nice for chain retention

I use a conventional X7 dérailleur on my 1×10 MTB, the clutched one might be a solution if you find yourself dropping the chain. I don't even have one of those fancy-pants chainrings either, just a Lil Chap to guide the chain onto the old-school single ring.

Thx

^^ Haven't you said in the past that guides are not necessary on 1x systems?
Or was that just for on road applications?

There are many ways of setting up 1x9,10,11 system and some combinations of kit don't require guides.

Question - which carbon / alu finishing kit for CAAD10? Don't want goofy logos / stupid colours. Post needs to be carbon and layback. Stem, bars alu preferably.

We never used to bother on 1×6 TT bikes, and miss.ua rides her 1×8 shopping bike quite happily with no clutch/thick-thin ring/chain guide. Off road, it's probably a good plan to have one or more of the modern anti-dérailleurs.

Or run 1x1.

Zipp. Bars are so good.

My work big dummy is 1x9 with a zee ring and bog standard deore derailleur, never dropped the giant chain even on bumpyish stuff.

Don't want goofy logos

Ritchey have some of the more restrained logos. 3T do stealth versions of some of their finishing kit.

big dummy

Chain angle on that is never worse than some people's badly set up fixie-bieks, surly?

It is very long.

I didn't specify where I wanted rear mudguard eyes brazed-on - should I have been more specific? Thoughts? (I mean, obviously in hindsight I should've been, it didn't occur to me that they might go somewhere else. )

These are not where I want them, nor where I've ever seen them, and do not help the issue of mudguard stays being cut to exactly the right length to reach where eyelets usually are...

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I didn't specify where I wanted rear mudguard eyes brazed-on - should I have been more specific?

That is an unusual location. I'd say they should only have put them there if you had specifically asked for (or agreed to accept) that position.

Thanks. Think I'll take it back on Monday and ask for them to be moved, much as I hate that sort of interaction. (I always think I'll slope out of there like okay.jpg guy. )

Bunch of completely unrelated questions.
Can you get king cages in the uk?
Where can you buy 'different' bottles? ie. not the boring ones from chainreaction - chris king bottles for example.

Yes, Google is your friend

And

Yes, Google is your friend

according to bikemag.com/gear/srams-1x11-g­roup-new-details-emerge/ they're looking at a 42T rear cog

That's for the XX1 MTB group. Road bikes probably won't need or want such a wide range.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/sram-brings-1x-tech-to-the-road-sram-r1

I have extreme gears of 48/12 and 34/23 at the moment, so I could bin the inner ring and fit a 12-32 cassette and be no worse off apart from the bigger jumps. 44/11-36 would give the same range as I'd have if I finally got around to buying the 12-27 cassette I've been promising myself for the last couple of years.

I hang my head in shame.