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rotor Cassette 11Rotor go 13 speed with launch of new 1x hydraulic groupset for all disciplines
Rotor have taken another jump forward in the ongoing gear wars and put another cog in the machine, with the launch of their 13 speed 1x hydraulic groupset, that they have simply dubbed 'The Only One'. There are numerous cassette sizes to cover off road, mtb, gravel and CX, and Rotor even claim their 13 speed system can match or even better gearing ranges on some current 2x11 systems.
Rotor's Uno groupset to make peloton appearance in 2018
First ride: Campagnolo 12 speed groupset
Rotor has been developing their hydraulic drivetrain for years, and the Uno road groupset with a front derailleur was only recently made available. The advent of a 13 speed cassette is another step forward, and could be the thing that really brings 1x for road to the forefront; The 3T Strada, road.cc's 2017-18 Bike of the Year, uses a 1x11 setup currently and according to 3T founder Gerrard Vroomen, the reason the bike was developed was because the advent of 12 and 13 speed cassettes was anticipated to close up gaps in the high gears.
So what gaps does a 1x13 close? Well as a 2x11 has fourteen possible combinations, some of those gears cross over; this means a 13 speed covers off all but one of those options, as detailed in the graph above. The total range of 1x13 has a 390% range with a 50t chainring with a 10-39 cassette, as opposed to 346% with a 53/39 and 11-28 setup; meaning no disadvantage at the top end, with closer gaps and more range at the rear. Rotor say the groupset can be combined with a huge number of chainring sizes (38 right up to 54) and the cassette offerings are 10-36, 10-39, 10-46 and a massive 1--52 for mountain bikers.
Rotor say the other main benefits are avoiding chain loss or chain suck by removing the need to faff with a front mech, and also the rear derailleur has a clutch-style mechanism to minimise dropped chains. The casing of the mech is made from aluminium and reinforced polymer and it can be adjusted to work with a 12-speed cassette by simply turning a bolt, if you wanna go all retro and that...
Rotor say the benefits of hydraulic are that there is virtually no maintenance when you've set it up - you simply install it, bleed and go. there are no cables and no batteries, and hydraulics is both "proven and reliable".
We don't know prices or availability dates yet but we'll have more to follow on 13 speed, including some video from Eurobike which is currently taking place in Germany, so check back for updates soon...
Arriving at road.cc in 2017 via 220 Triathlon Magazine, Jack dipped his toe in most jobs on the site and over at eBikeTips before being named the new editor of road.cc in 2020, much to his surprise. His cycling life began during his students days, when he cobbled together a few hundred quid off the back of a hard winter selling hats (long story) and bought his first road bike - a Trek 1.1 that was quickly relegated to winter steed, before it was sadly pinched a few years later. Creatively replacing it with a Trek 1.2, Jack mostly rides this bike around local cycle paths nowadays, but when he wants to get the racer out and be competitive his preferred events are time trials, sportives, triathlons and pogo sticking - the latter being another long story.
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19 comments
Yep, that's pretty cool.
Quite refreshing to have another groupset manufacturer on the market doing something not done by the big three!
Personally I don't see the point in a triple, but do I see this as just an extension to choice and there's nowt wrong in that. Rotor seem to have made the Q-ring stick where others have failed.
I spent a year riding one of the mountain bikes on a 32x16 singlespeed set up, without that much of a time difference on a 75km route. Use the gears that make you happy.
Is it really that long ago that we just had a choice between 5 or 10 speeds? Some advances are good, others less so. I don't think the boys from Alcala have gone too far wrong with this.
...if a triple or a double is cheaper and the parts are cheaper and the gear range is bigger and/or has smaller jumps compared to 1x of equal quality with any number of sprockets... maybe 1x isn't the end of the front mech after all.
Cheaper. Lighter. Stronger. Choose one.
Nobody is really claiming that 1x will kill off the front mech anytime soon. Different (pedal) strokes for different folks.
I'm useing a Deore-equipped 29er as a commuter. Its nice to have a triple chainring up front. Zero problems with the front mech.
I'm useing a Deore-equipped 29er as a commuter. Its nice to have a triple chainring up front. Zero problems with the front mech.
alu sprocket cluster made from a single bilet, that'll be cheap to replace then!
The jumps between the 11-10 and the jump between the 28-33 and 33-39 (IF you are using the no.2 smallest cassette) are still much bigger than on a 2x or even 3x system at those extreme ends. On the bigger cassette the jumps at the bottom end are absolutely massive and transitioning between gradients/going a different speed is going to be an issue finding the right ratio for your temp/revs, even more so if you are riding in a group or worse in a race.
And their comparison chart , who uses a 53*39 with an 11-28 anymore in the pleb ranks here, can't be many so to use that gearing to make their point is garbage. I use a 50/39 (on my winter/audax/tourer) with an 11-28 BUT only because I have a 24 inner and that 39 is only there as the triple came like that, I will swap it to a 36 (it's a compact triple) when I wear it out.
The 24 inner gives me a 22.9" low and a 121.3" top, if you need more than that you're racing at a very decent level/doing a TT, in which case you will absolutely not be wanting those ridiculous wide jumps at your low gears nor the 11-10 top (IMHO) OR you like pedalling downhill at over 35mph. Froome was pedalling at least 120rpm on his downhill attack on the crossbar in 2016, even on a measly 50-11 that'd be 43mph, who else needs a 133" top (using 50x10/28mm tyre/172.5mm cranks)
For hilly riding on the bikes set up as a double I'd much rather have a 50/33 with an 11-32 or even 12-32 which gives a 27.5" bottom roughly compared to having a 26.7" bottom using a 50/50!
I don't mind the idea of 13 gears, I've said on the CUK forum when 12 speed was first talked about that a perfect touring bike with a 2 or even 3x13 set up could get you some silly low gears for loaded touring without having the big jumps. Which just as the jumps at the high end for a sprinter are not great (so why do Rotor say this and then think 11-10 is more preferable to 12-11!!
) it's the same going up hills, keeping your cadence when loaded and moving through different gradients and also when you are dog tired is actually very important, that's why having these big dustbin lid cassettes is crap.
Oh and will it work on a current wheelset, answer no, it's a completely new design and only for those with a 142mm/148mm OLN bikes. Thanks but I'm out.
I hate to break it to you but 142 is standard on modern disc-braked bikes. Did you really expect 135 or 130?
You didn't break anything to me sonshine and I didn't expect anything, if you'd read I answered my own question and thus was making the point that you'll need at least new wheels and a new frame (if you don't have a disc bike frame) therefore I'm out of wanting this. I do not want to purchase/replace existing frames/wheels across the board just to gain two sprockets, not when the downsides of this system are many for road use and current options better it already and by a lot as I pointed out.
No one will want to use it until all the number 13's on the rear derailluer are written upside down.
When Shimano makes it, I will buy it. When the big S makes something you know you will be able to get parts and it will actually work... (ask the guy running 1x that has cost them results...).
13 sprockets on a cassette? Whatever next...?
Shot in the dark, but I'm going to say 14 sprockets.
No, they will be able to leave a space for the unlucky thirteenth sprocket, going straight from 12 to 14. No need for writing 13 upside down then.
But but there will still be....oh never mind
Oh no, the end of the world is coming, new technology to frighten the people who cant handle progress or choice. No cables, no small ring, no front mech. If only I could combine this with the CeramicSpeed Driven system...
This is too much, I think my head is going to explode!
I know I’m a bit of a fuddy duddy, but this really is solving a problem that doesn’t exist.
No one said there was a problem which needed solving, what it is though is another option for those who want it.
The derailleur is not exactly the most aesthetically pleasing but from an engineering point of view I think this is quite impressive.
The modular approach is also a refreshing change.