Quote Originally Posted by Aggie_Ama View Post
I wish my Epic was 2X10. ... So less weight and eliminates parts I am not using.
I think this is an exciting time for bicycle drivetrains! In the past (or since Shimano invented HG gears) the emphasis was on simply providing enough ratios. Now in the 10-speed era the focus is on the quality of the shifting.

SRAM is rumored to be working on a whole line of two speed internal geared hubs. I could see them introducing a single chainring 2x10 system that gets the "10" from a cassette, and the "2" from the hub. SRAM hasn't been a big name in hubs - this way they may get more of their product on a bike.

Two speed cranks already exist, but they are expensive and rare. Currently bottom bracket standards are in flux. I could see Shimano making a cheaper two speed crank that uses a new bottom bracket design. That would be an alternate way to 2x10 gearing. Shimano's big enough to push through a change to frames' bottom bracket shells. This crank would keep buyers locked to Shimano's cranks.

Note that this is the first year of 10 speeds on lots of mountain bikes. (Last year's XX was for racers.) It might be a while before the optimal configuration is found.