Which Groupset?

But what if he really, really needs a 10t?

reposting here cause i want to be sure but...

Can I use a 10sp apex shifter with an Apex1 rear mech (long cage) and a 42t cassette?

SRAM blurb says

"Compatible with 10-speed and 11-speed SRAM 1x™ road systems."

I get that this technically doesn't include standard 10 speed Apex but could it still work? Has anyone tried it?

Dunno if your answer is in here but it sounds related:

https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/43555/choosing-a-rear-derailleur-for-11-42t-cassette-on-a-sram-10-speed-1x-system

https://bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/46948/sram-11-speed-apex-derailleur-w-sram-gx-10-42t-cassette?rq=1

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/news/article/sram-apex-1-brings-1x-road-to-affordable-level-46492/
"As with its higher-end siblings, Apex 1 has a clutch derailleur that holds the chain taut. It works with 10- and 11-speed SRAM shifters and chains."

Zinn also goes into compatibility issues, so may have mentioned this combo:
http://www.velonews.com/2015/03/bikes-and-tech/technical-faq/technical-faq-10-11-speed-drivetrain-component-compatibility_362722

http://www.velonews.com/2017/01/news/one-ring-to-rule-them-all-single-chainring-setup-tips_427732

thanks - that is helpful.

Apex 1 mech and 42t will definitely work. None of those said whether the 10spd shifter will work with the 11spd mech, though. I've tweeted the author of the velonews article to see if he knows.

I don't know about that specific combination but 10 and 11 speed sram are all interchangeable. They will work together, you just need to ensure you match the speed of the levers with the cassette

Hm, but SRAM don't do a 42t 10 speed cassette, do they?

Doesn't look like it but I'm not sure.
The rear mech will be pulled the correct distance based on how much the levers pull. The mechs themselves are very similar across 10 and 11 speed and work on the same cable pull ratio so one will work with the other but your 10 speed levers will only be pulling the mech across 10 cog spaces so it won't work with an 11 speed cassette

You probably know all this already. Sorry if I'm being patronising

Dunno but there's this cassette extender:
https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/products/giant-cog-for-sram

Not at all - you've been very helpful!

@hippy - I'm thinking by the time I buy that I might as well just hunt down an 11 speed SRAM shifter to save myself the hassle.

Yeah, I don't like custom shit like that because you'll almost certainly end up buying the upgrade that you're trying to work around, but it was an option I didn't know existed until 5min ago. :)

Are you setting up a 1x thing then? I'm still yet to try my Wolftooth RoadLink with my SRAM 36T. I've got some unfinished Welsh audax business to attend to so it might get tested over there.

Cripes. I would like to go 1x in the new year. Seems like a minefield.

Not for me - setting my wife's bike. She's not going to be hitting the chaingangs anytime soon but has said she'd like to try cross racing next season so figure 1x setup is best. The bike will be used for road/cross/gravel.

I'm still pretty happy with my 36t and roadlink setup. One downside is that I find sometimes getting the right cadence can be a little bit of a pain as the jumps are bigger between cogs. I don't really notice it that often, though

I suppose this Sunrace 10 speed 42t cassette should work with that lever and mech.

It really isn’t.

Yeah, I know what you mean, it's why I choose the lowest spread when racing I can get away with. Having a good cadence range helps. I can still spin these tree trunks up when I want to.
I certainly notice grinding up 25% at 30rpm more these days so happy I switched to a 28T on the Tarmac.

Only 'challenge' is if you want a 10 tooth cog at the back.

Anything starting with 11 cogs should fit on normal freehub bodies.
R8000 cassette allows you do be 11 speed 1x on a 10 speed freehub body for more compatibility.

Just got Force 1 derailleur, sram 11-36 cassette force narrow wide chainset 42 chainring, and rival 1 shifters and it was dead easy to set up.

The challenge I had was keeping the chain on a TT single ring. FD went back on.
I'll get a more aero chainguide fitted at some stage... 49min...

Thanks. That is very helpful. The range of available derailleurs is daunting.
Did you for the chainring onto a 2x crankset?

I have Sram force 22 cranks, removed the double chainrings and screwed on (with spacers) the 1x chainring. The xsync chainring teeth are set slightly inwards for optimised chainline.
Also got a shimano chainset with superstar 1x chainring, which is mounted inboard.

Any compatible rear derailleur, cassette, shifter combo should work, those with rear clutches like Force / Rival / Apex 1, and XTR di2 would be better protected against chain drop.

Brilliant. Thanks.

Are you converting an existing set up, or buying it all from new/secondhand?

If the former, it's really simple as all you really need to do is swap out the chainring for a narrow wide one, remove the front derailleur and shorten the chain.

Do you even need to shorten the chain?

It is to replace an existing 2x10 setup on my CdF.

It depends on the setup I think. It’s worth checking as the one thing that will guarantee to drop your chain is having it too long.