Upgrading gear setup to 1x11

[GemmerKat]

Hi Guys

 

To get a feel for mountain biking, I bought myself a new silvberback sola 4 in the start of the year.

Was the best decision ever. I enjoy my ride although it is more of an entry level bike.

My current gear setup is a 3x9.   

 

I am playing with the idea to upgrade my gear setup to Shimano XT 1x11. I am not planning on selling the bike as the upgrading cost would be quite expensive.

 

The reason for the upgrade, believe it will be a lot smoother and one less point of failure. 

 

Will it be worth the effort to do upgrade or must I rather save for a new ride with the conversion already done ?

 

Regards

Werner

[CAAD4]

Why not start with a 1x9 to see if you like it first?

[JXV]

Why not start with a 1x9 to see if you like it first?

Yeah just put your bike into middle blade or big ring as you prefer and ride it without changing the front cogs.

 

On your 3x9 the middle blade is most likely a 32 so this will give you a good idea of what most riders feel with their 1x9, 1x10 or 1x11 setups.   Is your bike 26", 27.5" or 29" -  this will make a slight gearing difference.    It is also best to have a 11-36 rear cassette for greatest range.

 

If this experiment works out then just remove your FD and buy a NW front ring of chosen size.   When your 9spd cassette wears out then consider upgrading.  Pay attention to the BCD of your crank to make sure you get a NW ring that will fit.   Later on if you want to, you can convert to 10 speed or 11 speed but this will require a new RD, cassette and shifter at least.

[johanpre44]

Sola 4 is a nice bike and not too heavy for an entry level MTB. Must say one of the nicer things about the 2014/2015 Sola 4 is the Air fork (even though its a heavy one).

 

I have found that my old 3x8 bike's shifting (Shimano Alivio/Altus level components) is good enough. I do enjoy my 2x10 more (Shimano SLX), but cannot say that its light-years ahead of the 3x8 (except for the two way release for shifting down, and maybe slightly quicker shifting).

 

If I were in your shoes I will do the following:

1. Get a nice set of wheels, they will possibly be lighter and a lot stiffer than the stock set you currently have. (And go for rims which are 21-25mm wide in the inside, adds to the bikes grip)

2. Get a nice 2-piece crankset (Like the Deore M615) with external bottom bracket, this will again save some weight. The Doubles are nice (less front shifting with a granny when you need it), but you will miss the big ring if you do a lot of cycling on roads (rather than mountains)

 

Like above suggestions, the cost of trying out a 1x setup will be a singe ring (if you really want to remove the shifter/derailleur). I have done exactly this on my 8 speed about a year ago and must say the simplicity is refreshing (I just miss the granny gear sometimes)

[Spez247]

My 2cents: go 2x10.

 

Cheaper to run / greater range of gears, so less spinning on flats, and quicker change over to easier gears in an unexpected situation (coming round a corner and seeing a sharp climb).

[BMXER]

2* is on my opinion best. Offers better ratios on your bike. 1* would be a downgrade.

[Rocket-Boy]

Im one of those people that doesnt see the point of 1x setups.

My front shifting is so smooth and accurate that I dont see the point of removing 10 gears from my bike. The weight penalty of the fd is probably the same as a morning ritual!

[Patensie]

Wear out your current drivetrain before you do anything. I love my 1x set-ups on both my bikes, but only ride trails and not concerned about running out of gears at either high or low end. Would certainly not go back to 3x or 2x. Depends on what you ride through...if marathons might sacrifice at either end of the spectrum.

[raptor-22]

By the time the 3x drivetrain is worn out you'll be in the market for a new bike.

 

2 Choices:

 

Upgrade to 1x11 Shimano Xt and don't look back or care what other people think.

 

RIde the bike till the drivetrain is worn out and buy a better bike