Shimano XT 1x11 Drivetrain UPDATE (With Ultegra Road Cassette)

This video is a supplement to the "Shimano XT 1x11 Drivetrain Review" that I did earlier. I discuss an issue not mentioned in the first video. I also talk about a drivetrain experiment to lighten the bike.

[wooscha]

Thanks Clint, you always have a no nonsense way that I really appreciate.

[danhenderson]

Sunrace 11-46 cassette out now. Cheaper than Shimano, works perfectly.

[thedownunderverse]

Interesting - the Shimano site says the *minimum* large cog for this derailleur is 40t. As always with Shimano, ymmv. I'm about to have a go at using an XT 1x11 with a Campagnolo 12-32 cassette which shares the same spacing as 11sp Shimano road cassettes... :) Thanks for this, this is awesome!

[WildlandExplorer]

It's mainly a chainline issue. But SRAM 1x chains (such as PCX1) does help a little. If you offset your chainring inward a couple mm, it'll help with the backpedaling issue.

[TypeVertigo]

7:40 - Shimano MTB cassettes kept the same effective freehub length for 10- and 11-speed (the largest cog is slightly dished so it clears the spokes). For their road cassettes, the jump to 11-speed meant that the cassette requires a freehub body around 1.85 mm longer. That should correspond to the width of your freehub body spacer.

[raypeters]

Hey Clint, one the advantages of the 1x that I never see mentioned is that it allows clearance for a larger rear tire and the trade off is back pedaling issues

[ValueAudio]

On that "5 minutes cassette swap", be sure to check your derailler stops - especially with that change in spacers. Take note of the two settings, so you can repeat them every time (i.e.: turn limit screw or shifter adjuster 1/4 turn) without going through a longer dialing in of the adjustment.

[lelwil]

Thank you Clint for putting these videos out.

[Hawlkeye-ep]

occams

this would sugest the overlap from the front chainring to cassette is too extreme for the math to work correctly. chainline angle
chain width
cassette cog thickness
while back pedaling.

i assume you have used a hanger adjustment tool to verify indexing?

[CRYMTZ]

Wow I'm amazed at how light your anthem is. My 2017 anthem is just shy of 30 lbs and I want to make it lighter and aside from the wheels I'm not sure exactly which specific components to possibly look into (handlebars, seatpost, shocks etc.). By swapping my drivetrain to the XT 1x11 it dropped a bit of weight and gave me a great gear range though!

[gandtoley]

Clint, great video. With the change to the smaller cassette is there any issue with too much chain or with such a small change in gearing does the derailleur take up the slack? Thanks .

[MrCable]

looking forward to the Trance video Clint. i heard it may be chain alignment from the front chainring to the lower gears that causes the back pedalling issue.

[wigleboy]

My sram x01 1x11 (10-42)  has no issues on two bikes.  It works perfect and cost way more for a reason.

[usmanrabbani]

hey Clint,

I bought the giant talon 2 2015 Large frame and it fits perfectly. I will also be fitting a 11-25 road cassete and instslling a 48-36-26 crankset. im more focusing on speed. i was also thinking to use the road sti shifters on the talon, try n change it to a road/hybrid bike.

i wont be really using my talon on trails, just the local road bike trails and cruise/liesure riding. maybe the weekend charity ride events.

was wondering if using the sti shifters would be a good idea. i have a shimano deore shadow rear derailure.

many thanks

[luisaparicio]

It is amazing how you achieved that weight with an alluminium full suspension bike, do you have a list of your build? I have Trek Top Fuel alluminium and I wish to get as low as yours!

[piast]

I've had the same issue with the backpedalling even on old-fashioned XT 3x10 drivetrain on middle ring and two largest cogs but after several hundred kilometres the cassette seemed to run-in and I have no problems with that whatsoever even after the chain replacement.

[ashliehiggins]

i was having the same issue with backpedaling with my 1x9 drivetrain, and fixed it with 3.5mm of washers to push the chainring inwards to shrink my chainline.

[brianellis]

Hi Clint, Great review about the Shimano XT chainline. I was so frustrated with the back pedaling and noise that I had the 2.5mm spacer on the drive side bottom bracket removed and a spacer put on the other side between the crank and the bottom bracket instead. Still didn't resolve the issue! I originally requested that the bike shop swap out the cassette first for an Ultegra 11-32 because it made sense to me if I didn't need the 42T range. They informed me that wouldn't make a difference at all, which I can't believe??? Did switching out the cassette solve the back pedaling issue? Does the drivetrain run smooth now?

[madrubicon]

Have you considered running a SRAM chain? Apparently they have more lateral flex than Shimano chains and this may help with the backpedaling issue you're experiencing. On a related note, if you're looking for a great way to add top end gearing and saving weight, I highly recommend going with an X01 or XX1 10-42T 11 speed cassette. They are ~200g lighter than an XT 11-42T cassette and the 10T gives you a 10% top end gearing improvement over the Shimano 11T. The best part is that you can keep using your Shimano shifter and rear derailleur. I realize the SRAM 10-42T cassette doesn't address your desire for closer gear spacing and its a bit pricey (especially when you factor in the XD driver freehub body), but I run this Shimano/SRAM hybrid and couldn't be happier. I also don't experience the chain drop while backpedalling from larger cogs when running a SRAM XG-1195 X01 cassette w/ m9000 XTR RD and XX1 SRAM Chain.

[schlooonginator]

Yes, ESI, the absolute BEST grips. They are among the lightest, feel the best and last longer than soft rubber grips.
Great vid Clint but the question begging an answer here is, does the Ultegra cassette eliminate the reverse pedal skip issue? I assume it does considering the smaller gears but chain line would be similar so its still a valid question.

As an aside, if you are a weight weenie and thinking of trying the newer Lizard Skin grips which are even lighter than ESI, don't bother, I have them and while good they just aren't as good as ESI. Just throwin that out there in case someone was thinking of checking them out.