Running a single chainring up front simplifies the drivetrain, cuts weight, and eliminates front-shift hesitation on rolling terrain, and the SRAM Force 1 D2 DUB 12-Speed Crankset is built around that setup. Force sits between Rival and Red in SRAM's road hierarchy, so you get the carbon crank arms and 8-bolt direct mount chainring interface that Red uses, without the price jump for the top-tier carbon layup and machining. The D2 designation marks the second-generation refresh, with updated graphics and a revised chainring profile compared to the original D1 version.

The 8-bolt direct mount interface bolts the chainring straight to the driveside crank arm without a spider, which keeps the assembly stiff and drops a few grams. For 1x, SRAM offers direct mount chainrings in 38T, 40T, 42T, 44T, and 46T, and 1x Aero direct mount chainrings in 48T and 50T . Pick the tooth count based on the terrain and your cassette pairing — smaller rings for climbing-heavy gravel with a 10-36 or 10-44 out back, larger aero rings for time trials, triathlon, and crits where you're spending most of the ride in the top half of the cassette.

X-SYNC tooth technology alternates wide and narrow teeth to lock the chain in place, which is what allows a 1x setup to run reliably without a front derailleur or chain guide. Chain drops on rough surfaces are the main risk with any 1x drivetrain, and this is the profile that lets you skip the chain catcher on gravel and mixed-surface rides.