Gravel gear ratio guide: choosing between 1x and 2x drivetrains

Speed, engagement, comfort, and control - the gear ratios you run dictate so much of your experience on the bike. Modern bikes offer endless configurations which if chosen well, create a seamless connection between body and machine. 

In this article we take a look at what we mean by gravel gear ratios, the different options, what 1x and 2x is and what it all means in real-world riding scenarios to help you choose the perfect gravel gear setup for you. 

When we talk about gear ratios, we’re referencing the combination of teeth on your front chainring and the rear cog, that make a specific gear. It’s what determines how many times your rear wheel rotates with each turn of your pedals.  

The difference between the number of teeth on each is what gives us the ratio: Front chainring teeth ÷ rear cog teeth. A simple example is 42 ÷ 21 = 2:1 – meaning that for a single complete pedal revolution, the rear wheel will rotate twice, providing a moderate gear, ideal for flat cruising or easy inclines. 

Traditional gearing exists in two main camps, road gears with high top speeds, dialled-in with small steps between the gears for the optimum cadence at any speed or gradient; and mountain biking gears, designed to maintain maximum engagement with more focus on lower gears to ensure you can negotiate even the steepest terrain. Gravel bikes are where these two trains of thought collide, combining fluid movement at high speeds on flatter terrain with the technical requirements of climbing off road. 

Here are a few gear ratios for gravel and where they might be used. The 46T and 30T chainring ratios are typical for a 2x setup while the 40T example would match a 1x, but more on this later.

It’s easy to get lost in the details of every possible ratio, but what really matters is knowing the ratios at the top and bottom of your range — making sure you’ve got suitable gears for the riding you want to do. 

Not sure what ratios work best for you? Our guide on how to find the right gear ratio breaks it down. 

To get our heads around gearing, first we need to understand cadence. In cycling, cadence refers to the number of pedal revolutions per minute (RPM) a rider makes while pedalling – a measure of how quickly the pedals turn. 

A combination of the power put through the pedals and the chosen gear, these are a few examples of cadence in the real world. 

• 110 RPM: A higher cadence means faster spinning with less force per stroke, providing more grip but less speed for the effort.  
• 80-90 RPM: A medium cadence provides steady pace and a balanced ride. 
• Below 70RPM: Lower cadences mean slower pedalling with more power, be that for high speeds on the flat or very steep climbs. 

We all gravitate towards a natural cadence that feels good, but gravel riders, often on loose surfaces, climbs, and rolling roads, tend to spend much of their time in lower or mid-range gears for better control, traction, and endurance. The right gear ratios for you allow you to find the right gear instinctively, allowing you to maintain your cadence regardless of the terrain. 

Canyon gravel bikes are designed for specific characteristics of mixed terrain riding. The Grail range built for racing, uses speed-focused gearing, more similar to a road bike for fast, flat terrain, while the Grizl range emphasises climbing versatility, optimised for rougher trails and the added weight of bikepacking gear.

When we talk about 1x or 2x we’re referencing the number of chainrings the bike has – in this case single or double. Understanding the differences is one of the biggest factors in choosing your ideal gravel bike gearing. On a really simple level, having two chainrings doubles the number of gears, maximises the range of gears available. But of course it’s more complicated than that and simply having more gears isn’t always better.

Across two chainrings, there will be significant overlap, particularly in the middle of the cassette. Take Shimano’s GRX system for example, which we use on several of our race-focussed Grail models. A popular option would be to run 46-30T chainrings with a 11-36T cassette. With this setup, there is rough overlap between 46 × 28-36 and 30 × 17-24.

That means mid-to-lower gears in the big ring produce nearly the same ratios as mid-to-upper gears in the small ring. In practice, around those middle gears, you’d shift between chainrings to maintain a smooth, continuous range without big jumps – ideal for those seeking precision for fast competitive riding.

On steep, technical climbs, rough descents and loaded bikepacking a 1x drivetrain really comes into its own. This terrain often requires more time in lower gears and the larger steps are less of a worry. 

Paired with a wide-range cassette, a single 1x setup can provide plenty of gear range. Lighter, simpler, more reliable than a 2x system, with cleverly designed narrow-wide chain rings, it offers better chain retention on bumpy, rocky rides too. 

For all-round versatility, most 1x gravel setups use a 40-42T chainring. Riders tackling rougher, more demanding terrain or loading up for bikepacking may prefer a 38-40T setup for easier climbing gears.  

Many of Canyon’s Grizl and Grail models equipped with SRAM’s XPLR 1x groupsets, delivering wide-range gearing that’s ready for anything.  

Having two chainrings and a front derailleur is all about the perfect gear for every scenario. Much finer steps between gears mean you can always ride at the optimum cadence. 

While it’s a more complex system, with smoother transitions and higher top speeds, it’s best suited to those mixing surfaces or racing on flatter hard-packed gravel.

Borrowing technology from their long-standing road and mountain bike drivetrains, Shimano’s GRX groupsets put the best of both into a design specifically for gravel. For ultimate versatility on mixed terrain, our race-bred Grail built with a Shimano GRX 2x drivetrain is suited to those who value speed and precision. 

Your decision as to which is best suited to you comes down a calculation of simplicity vs range.

Dialling in your gravel gearing is about more than just how many chainrings you run. Chainrings and cassettes come in a wide range of sizes, each designed for specific riding styles. The key is understanding not only which sizes suit you best, but how they work together to deliver a smooth, balanced range of ratios tailored to the rides you love. 

Larger chainrings with more teeth are built for speed, which is why you’ll find them on road bikes built to fly. The smaller chainrings, you see on mountain bikes mountain bikes however, deliver lighter gearing for climbs and rough, technical terrain where control matters more than pace. Between these two extremes, sits a range we see on modern gravel bikes, and the ideal chainring for your gravel setup comes down to your riding style and goals. 

If you’re taking on long, mountainous rides or rough bikepacking routes, a smaller ring — up to 40T — will keep your wheels turning smoothly and your tyres engaged when the gradient bites. The Grizl CF SLX built with SRAM 1x40T is built for exactly that: steep climbs and fully loaded adventures. 

If you’re coming to gravel from the road and want to maximise speed on smoother hardpack  gravel or race competitively, a 2x drivetrain with 48/31T chainrings, like on the Grail CF, might be your best match — letting you hold power and pace when the trail opens up.

Chainrings are only part of the puzzle. When it comes specific gear ratios, the cassette does much of the work. The modern cassettes used on Canyon’s gravel bike builds are 10-13 speed, meaning they have between 10 and 13 sprockets of various sizes intended for different riding styles.

Similarly to chainrings, the number a cassette is labelled with refers to the number of teeth on the sprocket. Instead of listing the number of teeth in each sprocket though, it tells us just the smallest and biggest, indicating its range.

Confusingly though, the sprocket’s number of teeth works in the opposite way to that of the chainring. So, fewer teeth on a sprocket, like 10T or 11T, mean more wheel rotations per pedal stroke, while larger sprockets, like 42T or 50T, make pedalling easier.

A wide-range cassette, like 10–44T, offers more versatility across varied terrain, ideal for gravel or adventure riding, whereas a tight-range cassette, like 11–36T, provides smaller jumps between gears for smoother cadence and a more consistent feel.

The perfect gravel configuration is about matching your chainset to your cassette for functional gear ratios that match the terrain and how you want to ride it. Think of it as balancing speed and climbing ability.

On rolling terrain, a 40T chainring with a 10–44T cassette offers a broad spread of ratios from 4:1 to 0.9:1, ideal for maintaining a smooth cadence across varied gradients. For off-road explorers or bikepackers, a 38T chainring with an 11–48T cassette delivers lower gearing when the going gets tough.

Adding teeth to the chainring has the biggest effect on overall speed, with each step up raising your gear ratios across the board. A gravel racer for example, might opt for a 44T chainring with a 10–36T cassette, giving ratios from 4.4:1 for high-speed efforts to 1.2:1 for manageable climbing.

The SRAM XPLR drivetrains on Canyon’s Grizl and Grail bikes put this balance into practice – each precisely tuned to match the bike’s purpose, whether that’s all-out gravel racing on fast-rolling gravel roads or adventure-ready exploration on loose, mountainous gravel.

Gear ratios are personal and should reflect your fitness, riding style and natural cadence as well as where you like to ride. 

The geometry and gearing of Canyon’s gravel bikes are carefully balanced to suit their intended purpose. So, if your bike aligns with your goals as a rider, it’ll give you a great foundation to start from. Our Perfect Position System and gravel bike finder tool is great a way to find the right bike with the perfect setup. 

As your fitness and confidence grows, you can experiment with chainring and cassette size to fine-tune your setup. 

Versatile and fluid, gravel riding means something different to everyone. While it can be easy to get bogged down in the technically of it all, choosing the right gravel gearing comes down to knowing your aspirations as a rider, and understanding them will help you make the best decisions.

A well-matched drivetrain with the right gear ratios should elevate your gravel experience, matching your rhythm and feeling good, wherever your ride takes you. At Canyon, with carefully considered builds that balance simplicity, reliability, and performance, every gravel bike is designed to help you reach your goals. From wide-ranging 1x drivetrains to precision-tuned 2x systems, there’s a Canyon setup built to elevate your gravel riding, and if you’re not sure where to start, our Bike Finder, Bike Comparison Tool, and Gravel bike buying guide make it easy to find the perfect match.

So, whether you’re exploring dusty forest trails, taking on overnight adventures, or racing all-out on mixed terrain, you can let the right gear take you further. Because when you’ve dialled-in your perfect setup, you’re left to focus on the ride itself and where it’ll take you.