I’d like to do the same to mine and use most of a 5800 group I have lying around, but often when costed up modifying a double and purchasing a NW chainring ends up pricier than sticking with a double up front. What’s the most cost effective 1x chain set setup there is at the moment?
I concur. Have a 1x11 setup on my Croix de Fer & it's worked great, even touring up >20% gradients with a 10-42x42T setup.