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1x11 SRAM Force - Chainring Compatibility

by Nightjar
Mon, Mar 23, 2020 12:17
9

Hi

I'm looking into building an allround gravel bike (commuting, sport and touring). For the touring part i'm worried about the lowest gear.

I can't seem to find any info on the Sram Force 1 Group chainring compatibility. Standard seems to be a 40 or 42 chainring. But would the Force 1 also handle a 34 or even 30 chainring for hilly tours with the 11-42 casette? Would I need to change the chain?

Thanks for the help.

Cheers

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9 comments

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oceandweller | 4 years ago
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On my gravel/bridleways bike I run Apex 1 with an 10-42 cassette  & 38T Absolute Black oval chain ring. This works pretty well, getting gearing from 24" to 103", which covers everything I need.

I'm pretty happy with it, but before I switched the hub to an XD driver I had an 11-40 cassete & just couldn't get it right - a 40T chain ring left me constantly wanting another low gear & 38T made the top gear feel uncomfortably low.

However, SRAM's 10-42 cassettes are pretty pricey & the XD driver isn't the easiest to work on. If I was putting together a similar bike these days I'd probably build it around an 11-46 or 11-48 cassette on an old-skool Shimano driver + 40T chain ring. I reckon that would be just as good as what I've got & a lot cheaper, tho a tad heavier.

Anyway, good luck. Get it sorted & you'll have a bike that just feels right whatever you're doing. Or anyway, that's been my experience.

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Joe Totale | 4 years ago
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How about GRX? 

You can get a 2x set up with 46-30 or 48-31 chainrings and a long cage rear derailleur which can handle a 11-40 or 11-42. 

That'd cover all bases and means that when you're touring you wouldn't spin out on the flat/descents. 

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Nightjar replied to Joe Totale | 4 years ago
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Hey Joe, Yes I'm thinking about this option. Though 1x looks so simple...or is it all hype? I also found configurations with a 1x GRX 800 deraillure with a 11-46 cassette and a possible 38t chainring. Compared to the 2x setup with 11-40 this would leave me with a similar gear inch, just a little higher. Though I don't have the experience to judge wether that really makes a difference in the end of the day..

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Welsh boy replied to Nightjar | 4 years ago
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It's all hype.  I converted my commuting bike to single ring for a few months, for the first few weeks it was amusing, after that it was annoying, the jumps between gears were horrendous.  I am now back on 2x10.

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Joe Totale replied to Nightjar | 4 years ago
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Personally, I've got 1x on my CX bike. It's great for CX as it still all works when everything gets clogged up with mud. 

Otherwise, I personally prefer 2x set ups. The gaps on a 11-42 cassette are just too much for me, either a gear is too big or it's a bit too small, it never feels quite right. 

The simplicity is nice but honestly, my front derailluers never really go wrong that much, there's other bits on my bikes that seem to be far more unreliable! 

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fukawitribe replied to Nightjar | 4 years ago
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Nightjar wrote:

Though 1x looks so simple...or is it all hype? 

If you're hitting serious off-road, especially if you mainly are and/or are racing on it, then 1x with a narrow/wide ring or chain guide can make a lot of sense. If not, life's probably that bit more easy without it. Sounds like your use cases put you a lot more in the latter to me anyway. IMO as always.

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Nightjar replied to fukawitribe | 4 years ago
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fukawitribe wrote:

Nightjar wrote:

Though 1x looks so simple...or is it all hype? 

If you're hitting serious off-road, especially if you mainly are and/or are racing on it, then 1x with a narrow/wide ring or chain guide can make a lot of sense. If not, life's probably that bit more easy without it. Sounds like your use cases put you a lot more in the latter to me anyway. IMO as always.

Thanks for the input. "The latter" would mean into a 2x setup?

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fukawitribe replied to Nightjar | 4 years ago
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Nightjar wrote:

"The latter" would mean into a 2x setup?

Yup - only my opinion though. I really like 1x for a number of reasons, but it's neither the Devil nor the answer to everything; for what you sound like you want to use it for i'd be tempted stick with 2x - at least for now / until you've had a play and see how it works for you.

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Welsh boy | 4 years ago
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Have a look an AliExpress, (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000246455475.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist...) there is a direct mount 28 tooth ring which will fit your Force crank.  You won't have to change your chain unless it is too short, you will have to play around to see, factors such as chainstay length, rear mech and even B tension setting will affect chain length.

If you are removing the existing chainring or spider from your crank I would suggest that you buy a good quality straight (that is one which looks like a screwdriver which you can put a T bar in if necessary rather than one which looks like a typical allen key) Torx driver, the threadlock on the 3 small bolts mean that it can be quite difficult to round the bolt off.

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