Why the Front Derailleur is Still Better (for MTB)

Curmudgeons rejoice! Today's video is about how your mountain bike's front derailleur and 3X drivetrain actually has some advantages over more modern systems. I rip on these a lot, and have upgraded them many times on older bikes, but there's a reason why the 3X drive still comes on many mountain bikes today, and has been around for decades.

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[MW-frbx]

The cheapest conversion from a 3x to a 1x is to just not shift out of the middle chain ring

[DTSquared]

Years ago, just out of curiosity I counted all the teeth on front and rear cogs and made up a spreadsheet calculating the effective gear ratios on a 3x9 rig. One thing I found that was not mentioned is that several of the ratios were actually identical. So the number combinations was 3x9=27 actual ratios available was 20 and if you round the true ratio to one decimal place then there were only actually 18 different gears and of course some of those would be unusable due to bad chain lines.

[beckobert]

As someone who rides with rodies on his mtb every once in a while, the ability of the 3-by drive train to have a bigger gear is also a huge advantage. If you want a really low gear, all you need is a big cassette in the end, but there is an obvious limit to how small the smallest gear on your cassette is. So having a bigger ring up front allows me to have gear that can go 50kph by paddling.

[eclogite]

As a city cyclist who likes to sometimes go fast but lives on a steep hill, I appreciate my 3x greatly. Also cheap is nice. Had no idea 1x drive trains were also less durable until now though, that's interesting

[trocycling]

I'm an racer, full time cycling coach, and use a 2x, even though it's a bit unorthodox is the pro field I'm racing in. I understand the 1x advantages, but I prefer smaller steps between gears so I can dial in my cadence.

[MattLowne]

The chain retention point is actually really interesting, since it makes total sense but isn't something I would have considered!

[aaronhuie]

One of the things that I like about multi-chainring drivetrains, and the reason I went with a 2x on the gravel bike I bought recently, is because I like the smaller steps between the cassette gears. The wide-range cassettes that are necessary to get the climbing capability for 1x systems just necessitate comparatively giant jumps between gears. The same smaller-jumps-between gears characteristic can be attributed to 3x mountain bikes, although terrain usually changes more dramatically and more quickly when using a MTB as it's designed, which really makes the bigger jumps of 1x systems more helpful. But for rolling terrain where you get slower or more subtle changes in incline, and generally longer, more steady climbs, the smaller jumps between gears make it much easier to fine-tune your cadence to your speed and incline, which makes for more comfortable riding.

[Marximarks]

I have been MTBing for about 28 years and recently thought about changing my old 3x9 26er mtb just for the whole reason of being up-to-date but after carefully analyzing what gains I might get from modernizing, I figured all the things you said-quick downshift with one flick when faced with a sudden steep climb, maintain better cadence (esp on those long uphills), straighter and more efficient chain line, and, to me, front derailleur use is really not that complicated and the weight savings is not that big of a deal. So I kept the 3x9. Besides, I don’t wanna throw away my XTRs after spending so much money in upgrades a few years back. The 11x36 cogs in the back and 22t up front lets me climb anything.

[davesloat]

I’m still riding my 20 yr old Trek hard tail 3x8, but now in more of a cross over mode with hybrid tires (unfortunately, I’m no longer in CO). I love the 3x setup because I think of it as 3 modes for the bike. Small ring for climbs, mid ring for neighborhood or flat trails, and large ring for speed. As long as my front gear is in the right mode, the 8 gear cassette in the back gives me all the range of gearsI need for each situation.
Then again, I’m also a huge fan of stick shift cars. Now get off my lawn! Lol

[Tallretrodude]

Next minute: Seth explains why the throttle shift is superior.

[newttella]

Running a 44 tooth front ring on an 11 tooth cog with little 26" wheels still goes faster on the road sections than my 1x 29er. That 44 tooth chainring is almost 20 years old too. This is why 90s mountain bikes make great city bikes.

[rowanbelt]

Personally, I like 3x for road biking because you can treat the chainrings as uphill, flat, and downhill sets of gears respectively. Also, on 2x and 3x you can shift to the smallest ring when approaching a red light and it’s very easy and hassle-free to start up again. The fact that I run friction shifters probably has a lot to do with this haha

[stant]

I agree with this. When I bought a cyclocross bike about 15 years ago I replaced the 2x10 with a 3x10. It makes the bike much more versatile, from fast road riding to loaded touring to trail riding. I'm now 72 and need those lower gears.

[dickenscider]

The one reason I'm still sticking with a 3X, that is the higher cruise speed on tarmac using the biggest chainring. 36T ring with 11T cassette is still kinda in the chill pace for me.

[oldmanbanksia]

Congratulations for being brave enough to acknowledge that the 3X drivetrain can still do a good job. I'm sure you will cop a lot of flak for daring to speak up and making such valid points. You have taken a very balanced view which unfortunately is lacking in so many videos out there that claim everything that's not "the newest & best" must be crap. I still often choose my old 2012 Giant X1 26er (dual suspension) with 3X up front for the really tight mountainous single tracks - lots of fun, climbs well, really nimble. No complaints.

[SteelRt]

I have a 20 year old GT Avalanche that I've modified for bike packing. Original 42, 32, 22 up front, with a newer 11-46 9 speed on the back. The sheer versatility of that machine is insane. Realistically, I can use four of the gears on the cassette on each front ring to keep the chain line sensible, but regardless of kit I'm lugging or terrain, I'll always have a suitable gear to use.

[joules]

I own several bikes with a 3x7 set-up, and for me the biggest advantage is cost. A 7 speed chain costs a quarter of the price of an 11 speed chain, and lasts 10, 000 miles instead of 2, 000 miles. In other words, the 11 speed bike chain costs 20 times more per mile. It's a similar situation with rings and cassettes - 1x systems cost much more per mile. Which is probably why the bike industry loves 1x systems, because they can sell more expensive parts, far more frequently. For the bike industry, 1x systems are the goose that lays the golden egg.

[eugene]

Seth's daughter: hey dad what's the difference between 1*1 and 1/1?

Seth: a little different but kind of the same

[stasionisas]

Never before I had heard so many good considerations about three frontal gears! I agree completely with all them. About more possibilities of relations between cogs, about more durability on front gears, less use of them, better alignment of chain, less annoying noises... Perfect and wise words! Thanks!

[deusexaethera]

Nice to finally see someone with some sense. For the past decade I've gotten the best of both worlds by running a 2x10 drive train with an extra wide range between the two chainrings. I use a 42-tooth big ring, which functions as a 1x drive train most of the time, and a 26-tooth small ring (yes, the front derailleur can handle that gap) that lets me downshift-dump into granny gear with a single click. I can climb any hill that my tires can maintain traction on, even if I'm taken by surprise.