I’m strongly considering turning my 2019 Topstone alloy into an all road type winter bike. By which I mean, full guards, 36mm+ tyres for riding on crappy roads in crappy conditions.
I have some spare rival d2 AXS shifters, force CX1 cranks, and xdr hubs.
I’m thinking of going 10-36 on the rear with a 38t chainring. For context my current winter road bike runs 42 x 11-36, and I struggle on some climbs, but never really wish I had bigger gear, so I’m thinking 38/10 is fine. Either that or 10-44 with a 42t. I wouldn’t go bigger than a 42 ever on this bike
The bike has 430mm chain stays, and I’m unsure what impact that has.
I think I can just use those cx1 cranks and get a 3 bolt flattop compatible chainring - correct? Any recommendations beyond pricey options like a wolf tooth?
And the xplr derailleur copes with either cassette option but not 2x. If I buy a 2x rear derailleur it will max out at 36t, but would allow a future update to a 2x setup.
Any advice gratefully received. Trying to avoid new dub wide cranks for now as my current ones have a power meter and I want the road q factor
FWIW, I have had good experiences running a Wolftooth 38t ring (8 bolt direct mount) with road AXS (Dub non-wide, flattop chain and 10-36 cassette) on a gravel/cx bike. I did similar math on chainrings myself and the savings for cheaper options (Pass Quest, etc.) didn’t really seem worth it. AXS chains and cassettes are expensive enough that paying more up front for something well-reviewed and documented to be compatible made sense to me.
I am currently running my setup with a regular dub crankset — my understanding is the only difference between dub and dub wide is spindle spacing, so you could get a newer 8 bolt crankset and run 1x without changing your q factor (but obviously would lose your current power meter). Chain retention has also been quite good with the “regular” Force D1 rear derailleur if you can stomach the 38x36 low gear.
All that said, I believe Sram’s 43-30 chainrings and associated “wide” front derailleur are intended for dub wide, so if you went with regular dub you would be limited to 46/33 as your lowest option for gearing in the front. I also don’t know of any 3-bolt 2x chainring sets, so at that point you would be buying a (power meter?) spider and chainrings. It may be better to commit to 1x from the jump?
But I don’t think I need wide to make the gearing work. Actually might be better with a narrower chain line as long as it all clears the tyres and guards
You’re right though, the real decision is whether to commit to 1x, or hedge on a potential 2x in the future.
Hi Leon! 1x, obviously - 12s 1x should effectively be about the same range and spacing as you’d get on 11s 2x.
For cheap chainrings Superstar Components are my usual shout, not quite as good chain retention vs more premium options but that probably isn’t a big deal on a road bike.
Superstar was where I went first, but none in stock in size or colour that I want. I’ve checked chain line and tyre/ guard clearance though, and I’m sure a non wide chain line is fine, so I think it’s all pretty straightforward if I can find a decent 38t flattop compatible 3 bolt chainring