MAJs gay bikes [she’s in her fitness era]

i'm back looking at gearing options for the xcheck now i've secured both some slick tyres thanks to @launchpadboi, some challenge 36's, and it looks like i'll be putting my old dyno wheel and supernovas on it at this point

(still no mudguards)

the raceface turbine chainrings to achieve a 34/24 set up are like £100 or so, plus the chain, the cables etc, it achieves an extra 5 gear inches and looks pretty fresh to have a 2x most importantly.

however, for £100 i could get a 11sp casette, mech; chain and crank it up to 42t which would in turn, give me ever so slightly more gear inches with my current 30t chainring, marginally, and cost less in time and sanity to install. but it would look like i have a dinner plate on my bike

steps between the casette don't worry me too much, it's the same gearing i have on my homer (other than the difference in wheel size between a 2.1 and a 36c), long term 9speed chains and casettes would be cheaper, but tbqh, i don't really ride that much to worry about a casette and chain a year.

aesthetically... 2x would be better, but the 1x would still be fine in its own way, again, looks fine on the homer.

weight wise it probably all works out the same

maintenace wise? probably 1x?

never used 11speed on friction? 9 on friction is fine sure it will be cool to have another 2 in there as the gaps are already pretty large

i think accounting for this, objectively, i should just put 11sp dinner plate on and call it a day, it would be less faff, less maintenace and make the most sense financially and sanity wise, which is hesh

BUT

to have a 2x9 xcheck with some funky friction shifters would be quite cool looking and fitting with the theme of the bike to have a rando wank looking jobby

much to think about