Gearing

SRAM Force XPLR 13-speed 1x drivetrain on a Cannondale SuperSix Evo

1x vs 2x Road Gearing: What You Actually Give Up with 13-Speed SRAM XPLR

The knock on running 1x on a road bike is always the same two things: you lose range, and you get big gaps between gears. It’s why most people never seriously consider dropping the front derailleur on the road. When I built up my SuperSix Evo with SRAM’s 13-speed Force XPLR group, I wanted to stop guessing and put real numbers to both claims. Neither one held up the way I expected. ...

SRAM Force E1 road cassette and rear derailleur alongside the 13-speed Force XPLR cassette and derailleur

SRAM Force E1 2x vs 1x vs XPLR: Gearing and Gear Jumps Compared

In my last post about switching to SRAM Force E1, I compared the setups I’m considering using range percentages — 494% for the 2x, 460% for XPLR, and so on. Range is the number every manufacturer prints on the box, and it’s also the least useful number for deciding what to actually ride. Two drivetrains with identical range can feel completely different, because range tells you nothing about where the gears sit between the extremes. ...