I’ve had my lauf true grit for 2.5 years. Love it. Would love the Seigla. The huge tire clearance and flex on the back end would be nice. My true grit I added the redshift sports seatpost which makes it comfy. I currently have 45mm Cinturato gravel m on my true grit and they have good clearance. Maybe if it was super muddy some minor issues in the back my crop up.
Ah okay. I must have misunderstood a video where they mentioned it not being blip compatible but they must have meant cables blip.
I have a 2x system on my Fuji (a 48/32 with 11-34), around here 95% of the riding I do is in the large ring and I probably would be OK with a 1x. Most of my mates run a 1x successfully and I only ended up with a 2x as that was available. That said the only gravel bike chain I’ve saw shipped was on a 1x and it got wedged so tight we needed to take the crank off, so perhaps I am better off with my 2x.
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I really wanted to love the checkpoint but I don’t seem to fit on it well. The 56 felt like a child’s bike and the 58 had me in a similar position to my road bike. That said, I realize I want to be a bit more upright on the gravel bike so I may need to re-eval my position and fit.
I’m also considering the Lauf weekend warrior bc I can put a 2x system on there if I want. The seigla doesn’t come with a FD mount. I’m also a bit hesitant on the rear flex being a bigger guy at around 92kg
This gravel game is really tough for finding the right bike! The more I seem to learn, the more questions I have!
There is a use case for both. So consider your needs. I am spoiled in that I have 2 gravel bikes. I have a Santa Cruz Stigmata with a 2x that I use for gravel rides with a good percentage of road or just tamer gravel. Also tend to use 32-35 tires on this one.
My Diverge is 1x. I use for rides/races that are almost 100% gravel, wet/poor conditions, chunkier stuff. Basically any ride that is going to be more difficult on a drivetrain.
I did a race a couple weeks ago and used the Stigmata. It had rained the night before the race, lots of grit on the drivetrain and we went thru deep creek crossings several times. Had some skipping and had to baby the drivetrain after most of the creek crossings. Really wished I would have used the 1x for that race. The other option that would probably work well in this circumstance is a 2x electronic drivetrain.
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I had basically decided on getting an Aspero with 2x, but then the Fezzari Shafer was introduced and I couldn’t pass it up at the price. I’m using a 9-46 12 speed cassette and it has the range I want and absolutely tight enough gear spacing for road riding/group racing. Most of my other bikes are 1x and I thought I missed 2x for gravel racing, but I definitely don’t.
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I’ve got a T-Lab X3 with 2x that I have raced twice now. The first race was brutal with a lot of single track and some hike a bike sections. The layout of the course, I could have easily used a 1x and been happier.
This last race on saturday, the 2x was perfect and I am so glad I had it. It is so nice to be able to go right into the big ring at the crest of hills and continue to put down power, and the flow of this course meant I was able to maintain a good cadence throughout.
I bought this bike for a do-it-all fun/racing/bikepacking gravel bike and I am very happy I got 2x for it.
If I got 1x instead would I also be happy? Probably!
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For me versatility is key. And I ride quite a lot on roads and I get around quite a bit. Varying terrain. Bikes I fancy (but not willing to pay for) are the Wilier Rave or the Aspero-5. In that context 2x is simply the better option for me. And I must admit, my 1x on the MTB is not really a love affair. Sometimes I miss those old 3x days.
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I still have my triple on an Orange P7 hardtail from 2005 or something, works great. Unclear what huge problems the front derailleur is causing.
I see gravel bikes as road bikes with chunkier tyres, would never think of 1x. Every ride with gravel in it involves significant distances on hardpack or tarmac roads.
Anyone claiming that 10 tooth cogs are a good idea is a charlatan anyway, and that’s what’s required to get the claimed gear range on many of these 1x setups.
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I have a 1x gravel bike - really a Crux converted to gravel.
When I was doing 50/50 road/gravel rides, I often wished I had had 2x. I never switched it out because it would have cost like $600 for a new hydro shifter and all the other parts. The issues was not enough big gear on the road and the larger jumps between cogs. Swapping wheels with road tires and smaller cassette wouldn’t really work because of the longer chain.
I later moved to NM where it was flatter and my tires would be on gravel 99% of the time. There, the 1x was great except for one downhill where I was trying to get a KOM. 
So it just depends on your terrain and riding style.
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that’s not true everywhere. At least in the US if you live anywhere close to a national forest there are likely long gravel routes with little pavement. And obviously the Midwest has a ton of mostly uninterrupted gravel.
And I don’t think most people when riding on gravel are missing out on top end speed with a 1x. Certainly some more aggressive riders barreling down some steep gravel descents might spin out.
But if you’re riding more pavement and faster it might be more of a problem
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You can’t really compare Di2 vs mechanical. The mechanical cable with the tension, it’s violent act when you shift that thing. I’m a 1x guy but if I were to get Di2 or AXS on my gravel bike, I might go back to 2x.
I went through the 1x vs 2x debate recently too and really the answer is “it depends” 
It’s hard to say for sure, because not everyone rides the same “gravel” and there’s a huge variance in gravel bikes reflecting this. It seems to me, if you are more on the roadie end of the spectrum, go with 2x. This could mean smoother gravel, faster speeds, flatter terrain etc. If you’re more on the MTB side of the spectrum, go with 1x - more undulating climbs, rougher terrain, 40mm+ tires. This is just where I landed, not a rule by any means.
I went more toward the MTB end of things with a Salsa Cutthroat, 29x2.2 tires, and an Eagle 1x AXS mullet. With a 38T chainring an 10-50 cassette, I can do 36 MPH at 110 RPM and frankly don’t need to go faster because at that point on gravel I’m holding on for dear life! The gaps in gears don’t bother me in the slightest.
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When did you get yours? They have a 50-week lead time. 
Do you find you need any suspension?
As others have mentioned, it’s all about “horses for courses”. On my gravel bike, I have AXS shifters and the flexibility to run 1x or 2x. On flatter and fast courses, I run a 2x with 46/33 in front and 10/33 in back. If the course has some really steep sections, I’ll go 1x with 40 or 42 in front with a 10/50 eagle cassette in the rear. That requires me to “borrow” the AXS Eagle RD (and eagle chain) from my mountain bike, but the swap takes less than 5 minutes.
The ability to switch between 1x and 2x so quickly is probably my favorite thing about SRAM AXS wireless. I’ve got the AXS force power meter crank/spider and it’s designed to take 1x or 2x by just swapping the rings.
If I were limited to only 1x or 2x for my gravel bike, the decision would depend on expected terrain and distance, but I’d lean towards 2x. With good 2x gearing, you should be able to tackle most climbs. That said, I ran 1x at a gravel race last weekend and while there were only 4 short steep climbs where the gearing was really useful, it was a very long hot day and I found myself grabbing the 42/50 combo several times trying to hold 200 watts up several moderate climbs late in the race and I was able to spin while others were mashing a bit (and cramping).
The bigger gear jumps on 1x bother me a bit, especially on the flats going into a headwind. That’s the biggest downside to 1x in my opinion. There are also some courses where there is a risk of getting dropped at high speeds if you spin out on 1x. I think the risk of spinning out is over-stated though. I raced gravel on my MTB for a couple years running 38/10 as my high gear and never got dropped from being spun out. We’re talking flat fast courses that averaged over 21mph for 60+ miles. I’m not saying it can’t happen, but it really takes a tail wind and long gentle downhill to get in trouble.
For those touting the “Simplicity” of 1x, I personally don’t get it. Modern 2x shifting just works, particularly the electronic versions. You could even argue having a front cage reduces the risk of a chain drop compared to 1x in some situations. While I agree that 1x probably would come out as slightly more reliable, we are talking fractions of a percent different. I’d be more inclined to give 1x the nod for aero or weight benefits before I give it any credit for reliability/simplicity over 2x.
One other factor to consider - If you are using your gravel bike as training for MTB, 1x might be better. My A race this year is leadville and I’ll be running 1x for that. I plan to keep 1x on my gravel bike (used as a road bike for the next few months) leading into leadville. Having 1x on that bike keeps me in tune with the larger gear jumps and also forces some leg speed I might not otherwise get.
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Best Gravel Bike according to Grand Fondo Magazine.
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Just put the 2x Force Wide on my gravel bike. It’s hurting my inner weightweenie, but it works great. The gears are close enough for road, and small enough for proper off-roading!
The smallest gear is about as small as 44/52 mullet, and the biggest gear is about the same size as well, but you get 1 tooth jumps from 10t all the way to 15t (Mullet has non such jumps, XPLR has 3 if I remember correctly).
On the other end of the spectrum, you have 2 gears below 1:1, with both 1x systems only offering 1 such gear.
I have ridden this set up pretty hard now an had zero chain drops (using a chain catcher always though).
Only downside compared to 1x is you can’t use it with 650b on most frames.
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I got it in early March, ordered it the day it came out I think. For what I’m using it for (race bike) I don’t want suspension, but I did just get a Fox TaperCast for another bike (drop bar mountain bike essentially) and it’s impressive. I could see using it on the Shafer for super tough terrain.
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I agree, but I still don’t understand what maintenance a mechanical FD needs, other than a new cable once in, maybe, a year?
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Not a great deal but I usually lube mine after I clean it.