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You pull me into another tech talk with this post :)
Have knee issue, have hills, choose to climb, which drives me to experiment with these types of drivetrains. Can do only high cadence with low power. No grinding else it's time off the bike.
I am a believer in the oval chainrings because I have a noticeably happier knee(s). I just picked up the newish one piece Rotor 46/30 oval chainring that fits only the new ALDHU & VEGAST. Looking forward to that. I really want the Osymetric or TA but don't get the 46/30 combo.
Since my last writings on this I've come further with the topic and also setup a Shimano 1x with a 50T Sunrace cassette. Some unpleasant chainline issues that were solved by shimming the cassette outboard and the crank inboard. It's sorta happy now but I'm disappointed in 1x. It's not as trouble-free as I thought and it is not smooth. Tried chains of KMC, Shimano and SRAM all at DA/XTR level. Conclusion, SRAM chains are made to like 1x. The others not so much.
The devil is in the details with this stuff. I'm willing to hash them out with anyone thinking about this but need to know exact model of shifters, F&R mech, and what you are willing to change.
A 46T or 50T in the rear is designed for a 1x.
2x could only work if front rings are very close in size, like CX 46/39 close.Spent much time on this website comparing gear ratios of what I have to where I want to go. Then reading, buying and trying different stuff.
http://gears.mtbcrosscountry.com
Punch in what you have, then compare it to an 11spd Shimano 11/42(or 40) rear and 46/30 (or 48/31) front.
That is a very solid functioning and achievable setup that doesn't squak or grunt.
Bob_Thod-
Interesting about the oval rings - why do you think they help your knees? Did you go for lower gears on them, in which case couldn't it just be the lower gearing that helped your knees and has nothing to do with the ovalisation?
I'm disappointed in 1x. It's not as trouble-free as I thought and it is not smooth.
Of course not. The chainline for some combos is always going to be worse than 2x. That's why I don't see the point of 1x for normal road riding.
I've got a 42T cassette that I need to fit up and see if it will work without Wolf Tooth. I read their blurb and WT doesn't support the 46T so I won't bother getting one until I hear about it working on an R8000.
I ride with a Quarq PM so can't go lower than 34T on the front.
hippy
@frank9755 Got some Catalyst pedals sitting on my desk now and as much as I'd love to test them I think changing pedaling system a week before a 3600k race is probably going to lead to more problems than it solves.
I think I can get away with a 42T on the back but presume I'll need a Wolf Tooth if I want to run 46T even with the shadow RD.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRHgg_y1Bj0