It is better to have a front derailleur and double chainring for a 2 x setup in almost all cases, allowing for greater flexibility and range in the gear choices vis-à-vis varying terrain except when you don’t want that in which case you should go right there on ahead and use a single chainring with a low number of teeth and see how you get on with it because as Schopenhauer noted, true happiness is sadly an illusion but that does not per-se discount the noble aim of reducing misery nor by extension, adopting a phenomenological perspective to gearing choice.
It is better to have 1x and no front derailleur in almost all cases, allowing for lower weight, better aeros and better control except when you don't want that, in which case go right there on ahead and use a double chainring with all the teeth and floppy chain and...
It is better to have a front derailleur and double chainring for a 2 x setup in almost all cases, allowing for greater flexibility and range in the gear choices vis-à-vis varying terrain except when you don’t want that in which case you should go right there on ahead and use a single chainring with a low number of teeth and see how you get on with it because as Schopenhauer noted, true happiness is sadly an illusion but that does not per-se discount the noble aim of reducing misery nor by extension, adopting a phenomenological perspective to gearing choice.