Recently it dawned on me that I’ve been riding bikes for about ten years, and I don’t know why, but double digits can really put stuff in perspective. In that time we’ve witnessed quite a few revolutions on the tech front. There was the disc-pocalypse, the tubeless takeover, the aero explosion and the wholesale electrification of suspension, dropper posts and derailleurs, plus countless other flashes in the pan.

Recent developments in drivetrain technology are what truly boggles me. Electronic shifting has trickled all the way down to “cost-conscious” road groups like Shimano’s 105 Di2 and SRAM’s Apex AXS, and 12-speed has solidified itself as the new norm in every discipline— electronic or not. Consequently, gear ratios have been completely rethought, and the extinction of the front derailleur feels inevitable, if not imminent.

Let’s rewind to 2014, when I had just caught the bike bug. On all fronts, 11-speed was the hottest shit out. When it came to top-dollar road groups, Campagnolo’s Super Record EPS and Shimano’s Dura Ace Di2 were harbingers of what would come, but each company also offered  a mechanical option just in case the whole charging-your-bike thing didn’t immediately catch on. SRAM, a relative newcomer to the road market, had just released an 11-speed revision of its popular RED and Force lines, renowned by roadies for their svelte lever design, crisp, assured shifting and considerable weight savings. I lusted after it.

Besides weight-weenies, SRAM 10 and 11-speed  had also found success in the realm of cyclocross. Stybar would famously pilot 10 speed RED to the top step in the 2010 and 2011 cyclocross world championships. In 2014 he would win a third time, famously sticking with a 2x10 RED drivetrain despite his sponsor’s newest invention: Force CX1. To me, 1x on drop-bar bikes is the preeminent paradigm shift of my ten-year tenure in cycling, and Force CX1 is the groupo that got us there. 

My 1x drop-bar do-it-all bike in cyclocross mode.

This 'cross season I optimized my own Force CX1 groupset. Until then I had been dogging it on a full SRAM-ano 1x11 setup: a Shimano 105 shifter and Ultegra RX derailleur guided a SRAM PC1170 chain across a 105 11-34t Cassette, with a Force CX1 crank (42t) at the center. To make matters worse, one of my nonsensical icks is when people use brifters without hooking them up to a derailleur. Because Shimano offers no left-side mechanical brake levers without a shifting apparatus, I secured a SRAM S-500 lever. It was really dumb, but it did the job.

Going, shall we say, mostly SRAM would still solve a few problems. In no particular order, it would greatly improve my fit because of the differing reach on the Shimano/SRAM hoods, it would allow me to zip-tie my shifter for traveling lighter to carpooled ‘cross weekends, and it would make my bike way less stupid. When my homie told me he had a RED 22 right-side brifter that I could loan, all I had left to do was land a Force CX1 derailleur and I’d be on my way.

The first thing I noticed after the switch was a steep decline in dropped chains. After just over a year, my Ultegra RX derailleur had gone totally floppy, and the 'on-off' clutch switch made virtually no difference in chain slap, even after a full service. With Force CX1, both the chainring and the jockey pulleys get SRAM's famous X-SYNC narrow-wide treatment, which dramatically cuts down on lateral movement and general slop in the chain. The spring also feels incredibly stiff, even after a few months of mixed-condition abuse and neglect. 

I'm still rocking the 105 11-34t cassettes. They work fine, and they're considerably cheaper than the Force alternatives, though definitely heavier. 

The derailleur is available in three different cage lengths. I went with the medium cage, and it has performed flawlessly with both an 11-28t and my preferred 11-34t for cyclocross. I've dumped the bike on the drive side a handful of times and come back up with a twisted hanger. Still, the derailleur is beefy enough that it hasn't gotten mangled itself. Finally, it features 3mm hex-head limit screws, so you Shimano heads can leave your screwdriver in the toolbox when you switch. Full marks for the rear mech!

Of course, by post-gravel conventions the long cage option's advertised 42t capacity is a bit small. The good news is that SRAM's mountain and road lineups share the same pull ratio, meaning one can throw any SRAM 11-speed mountain derailleur on to increase gear range. Or, if you want that Eagle 52t treatment, you can use a conversion kit from Ratio Technology to swap almost any 11-speed SRAM road shifter to 12-speed. So far I have found no such need, but I'll never bemoan having options.

Speaking of shifters, DoubleTap is really the star of the show if you ask me. With Shimano STI, misshifts abound in wet, bumpy, or braking-heavy conditions. DoubleTap's independent braking and shifting mechanisms help to circumvent this problem while brilliantly preserving the ability to brake and shift simultaneously. In tandem, the reach-adjust bolt and a faithful barrel adjuster on your brake of choice empower you to fine-tune your braking on the fly. With a properly adjusted V-brake and a good set of pads, I have never found myself for want of more braking power, and I attribute that largely to the ergonomics of the levers.

This is my second set of GXP Force CX1 cranks, which are also found on my Bianchi single-speed. When I bought my first set, the indisputably superior DUB version had not come out yet. I got a second GXP set for my geared bike simply for some extra insurance. I have heard horror stories from multiple sources of the pedal threads on SRAM carbon cranks ripping right out of the arms, so just in case that were to happen to me, I can easily swap a single crank arm from either bike. That being said, I have 5000+ miles on both sets and have never had an issue— knock on wood.

The other cool thing about these cranks is the removable spider. Countless companies make 3-bolt direct-mount chainrings for the design, but you can also run any 110 BCD chainring or buy an aftermarket 130 BCD spider to run a bigger gear. The hidden bolt design does add an extra step to changing a normal 5-bolt chainring, but it's honestly easier to wrestle with a spider detached from the crank than it is to juggle a full drive-side crank and the tools you need to crack the chainring bolts. 

Brand new, a full Force CX1 groupset (crank, levers, cassette, chain and derailleur) retails for about $1000, depending on what exact configuration you end up on. I understand that entry-level electronic groups cost about the same. But still, if the lifecycle of electronic bike components ends up being anything like phones or smart TVs, I'm not interested. If you want solid serviceability and off-road performance in a mechanical package, Force CX1 is a stone I would not leave unturned, even a decade after its debut.