The future after 1x? Two chainrings without a front derailleur could pave the way for a possible 1x16

Single-chainring transmissions have become dominant in MTB and gravel due to their simplicity, and now they are targeting road cycling. However, they still face the issue that the wider the cassette, the greater the angle the chain must adopt when working on the sprockets located at the ends. The company Marginal Gain believes it has a rather peculiar solution and has presented it under the name Orient, a system with two chainrings that automatically switches between them without the need for a front derailleur.

Two chainrings that function like a single chainring

The concept has been shown installed on a Blackwater Splitfire during the CRAFTED Bike Show, held at Cane Creek's facilities. At first glance, it may seem like a strange set of multiple chainrings, but its operation is relatively simple.

 

 

 

 

 

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Orient uses two parallel chainrings and, between them, a diagonal transition area. Imagine a spiral that connects both chainrings. It is the lateral position of the chain itself that causes it to switch from one chainring to the other as the rear derailleur moves across the cassette.

In a conventional 12-speed transmission, this transition would occur approximately around the sixth sprocket. Thus, when the chain moves towards one of the ends of the cassette, it also changes position at the front.

The goal is not so much to expand the range as to improve the chain line.

In a conventional 1x system, the chain always remains on the same chainring while moving from the smallest sprocket to the largest. This forces it to work with significant lateral angles, especially in setups like 10, 11, or 12 teeth on one end and 40, 46, or 52 teeth on the other.

This lateral articulation increases friction and can reduce transmission efficiency. Orient aims to keep the chain straighter for a larger portion of the cassette by also moving it laterally in the bottom bracket area.

Designed especially for gravel

Marginal Gain explains that the idea was born primarily with gravel in mind, where a single ride can combine technical and slow trails with long, extremely fast tracks or roads. A combination that demands a wide range of gears but also benefits from small jumps between gears and high efficiency.

Current prototypes use chainrings with the same number of teeth or very close ratios, such as a 30/32 teeth combination. This is important because Orient does not intend to replicate the traditional operation of a 2x system.

If the difference between the two chainrings were to increase too much, for example going from 34 to 44 teeth, it would be necessary to incorporate a conventional shifting mechanism, and precisely one of the keys to the invention, which is its mechanical simplicity, would disappear.

The prototype shown by Blackwater uses a separation of 25 mm between both planes and requires elevated chainstays to provide enough space. Marginal Gain is also developing a more compact version, with 18 mm of displacement, which should be compatible with common chainstay designs in mountain bikes.

15 or 16-speed transmissions?

The concept could make even more sense if the number of sprockets on cassettes continues to increase. According to Marginal Gain, Orient could allow for 15 or even 16-speed transmissions while maintaining more contained chain angles than in a conventional single chainring setup.

The company is also working on its own rear derailleur, with an advanced architecture that aims to increase the chain's engagement around the sprockets and position the mechanism slightly higher to gain ground clearance.

For now, Orient remains a very unconventional proposal, and important questions remain to be tested in real conditions, such as its durability, reliability, or performance under heavy loads. But its approach is interesting for inventing new paths.