Power of one

Shimano GRX Di2 1x

Approx £1,600 (dependent on spec), freewheel.co.uk

Shimano is the staunchest of the big three in its stance on 1x’s limited efficacy for road use. Yet it was the first to launch a dedicated groupset for gravel, a riding discipline that shares many similarities with road.

GRX is modular, making it possible to mix and match components. As it is still 11-speed, the disadvantage is that users must choose between a MTB cassette to get a broad range of gears or a road cassette for closer ratios, although it’s feasible to switch between cassettes for a given ride.

Since the birth of the derailleur, the biggest advancements in drivetrain technology almost exclusively involved the addition of more gears.

‘In general, more gears brings improvements in gear ratios for climbing or for speed, or improvements in cadence due to smaller gaps between the gears,’ says Shimano’s Ben Hillsdon.

Yet since 2015 there has been a faction of the bike industry championing the use of 1x – single chainring groupsets – on road bikes. It has been a slow burn, yet the trend has continued