Foldable Bikes Party: How to convert your bike to a 1x drivetrain

Sunday, 4 September 2016

How to convert your bike to a 1x drivetrain

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There is an undeniable appeal to a single chainring set up, provided it suits your riding style and terrain. Ditching one or more chainrings, a front derailleur, a shifter and the associated cables can not only shed close to a pound, but also adds a bit of simplicity to your bike's cockpit at a time when handlebars are increasingly cluttered with GPS units, dropper post remotes and suspension lockout levers.

How to convert your bike to a 1x drivetrain

Ditch the shifty bits

Remove your front shifter, front derailleur and all your geared chain rings. This includes your middle ring (if running a triple). While you can experiment with the chainring you already have, it’s far from optimal for a 1x application as geared chainrings have ramps, pins and tooth profiles that are designed to ease the chain’s transition from one ring to another.

This is great for smooth and fast shifting, but isn't ideal when you want the chain to stay put.

Acquire and install non-shifty bits

Chain retention is the key to creating a reliable single-ring drivetrain and your chainring is your first line of defence again dropped chains.

There are dozens of companies who are now producing chainrings with alternating width tooth profiles, similar to SRAM’s X-SYNC technology. These are generally referred to as narrow-wide chainrings.

These chainrings match the width of their teeth to the width of the chain's inner and outer plates, which greatly reduces any side-to-side movement of the chain, thus reducing the likelihood of dropping it.