I'm waiting for my new full suspension bike to arrive and I ended up spending twice my budget by the time I made a few tweaks like a dropper post and 1X12 drivetrain. I came out of the shop feeling like I'd been hit by a bus! But I'm replacing a 9-year-old bike so I'm hoping the cost of the new one will turn out to be reasonable on an annual basis. ;)
1x12? The low gear t of your cassette will be bigger than your old wheels!
As much as you ride, I'm sure it will amortize. I mostly "need" full susp for one race, which may sell out before I assemble a squad!
SRAM Eagle 1X12 drivetrain came out mid-2016. I think I would have gone with 2X if it weren't available.
http://www.vitalmtb.com/features/First-Look-First-...
I "need" full suspension because I'm older than you! :)
The groupset is more than normies think a bike should cost!
The store I popped into last night had a 50T on its fanciest bike's cassette and it was monstrous! (and cool of course)
If only there was a device you could add to a bike that would allow higher ratios without requiring such a large rear cassette...
Maybe you could even have such a device with a three position selector, and then drop back down to 9 or 8 or even 7 gears in the rear...
You're just jealous of my bike's feather weight!
Granted, if I had Jay's fitness, I would be annoyed spinning out my 1x in the low 20s, instead of what I currently do: take a much-needed break!
It must be really annoying to be as fit as Jay. Let's be grateful for what we (don't) have.
I rode a 1X11 and ran out of gears at a moderate speed on road, which really surprised me. But I like the idea of 1X and I try to avoid riding on roads so I will just have to increase my cadence.