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TECH NEWS
2021 Ratio Technology 1x12 Upgrade Kit 4Ratio Technology brings 12-speed to riders with 10- or 11-speed shifters and derailleurs with new kit
Promising “12-speed for all”, Ratio Technology has released its new 1x12 Road Upgrade kit to allow riders to gain the advantages of greater gear range and closer ratios without the expense or weight of electronic shifting.
Ratio Technology’s new Road Upgrade Kit allows riders with 10 or 11-speed mechanical SRAM shifters and a 1x-specific Exact Actuation derailleur to pair this with a 12-speed eTap AXS cassette and chain.
This isn’t the first upgrade offering from the UK start up. Back in October 2020, Ratio Technology released its £49.50 conversion kit for turning Sram mechanical 1x11 shifters into wide-range 1x12.
SRAM’s 12-speed cassettes and chains are now available at a more accessible price point, but can still only be used as part of an electronic wireless groupset.
“The newly launched ‘mid-range’ Rival eTap AXS group is £1,102 in the 1x configuration. This shouldn’t be the middle of the market. Wouldn’t it be great if more riders could access the benefits?,” Ratio Technology says.
> SRAM introduces Rival eTap AXS groupset: find out what you need to know + video
The brand also argues that mechanical groupsets remain ideal for many. “Whether it’s weight, long bikepacking adventures away from a socket or because mechanical groupsets are easier to troubleshoot and maintain at home, there’s still a place for mechanical actuation.”
In terms of sustainability, there’s also a good argument for converting. “Chains and cassettes wear out, but there’s no reason you should need new shifters and derailleurs to access the benefits of 12-speed.”
Alongside the new upgrade kit, Ratio Technology has released another component, a cable spool for SRAM road shifters.
Ratio Technology’s upgrade kits (both the 1×12 Wide and the new 1×12 Road) can now be used with SRAM 10-speed road shifters. Previously the upgrade kits could only be used with 11-speed shifters.
“SRAM didn’t change much between the 10-speed and 11-speed generations but the ratchet/spool assembly was updated,” Ratio Technology explains. “This meant that the only thing preventing a 12-speed ratchet going into a 10-speed shifter was one small piece of plastic—we’ve fixed that now.”
Ratio Technology also says the cable spool prevents otherwise functional shifters from being chucked away. “In the last 12 months, we’ve seen a lot of shifters where the original cable spool has broken but the rest of the mechanism is in perfect condition. Previously there was no way of getting a replacement spool and carrying out the straightforward repair, now there is.”
Available now, the prices are as follows:
- 1x12 Road Upgrade Kit, £99.50
- Cable Spool, £9.50
More information about what you need to use the 1x12 Road Upgrade Kit and what you will find in the kit can be found here.
Although Ratio Technology do not provide an estimated time for converting your groupset using its kit, they do have a helpful video so you can upgrade your components at home.
Anna has been hooked on bikes ever since her youthful beginnings at Hillingdon Cycle Circuit. As an avid road and track racer, she reached the heady heights of a ProCyclingStats profile before leaving for university. Having now completed an MA in Multimedia Journalism, she’s hoping to add some (more successful) results. Although her greatest wish is for the broader acceptance of wearing funky cycling socks over the top of leg warmers.
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9 comments
What I'd like to know is can I swap the 12 spool for my 10 speed one, but then just put on a 12 speed cassette and chain (not sram so don't have to mess with new jockey wheels) and go for a ride?
The website has a full compatibiliy chart. Unfortunately all the 12-speed cassettes have proprietary spacings - SRAM 12 speed cassettes are different to Campag are different to Shimano. So unfortunately no - with this solution you're stuck with SRAM.
Apparently their is a lot of people using a 12-speed Campag cassette with the Sram AXS 12 speed systems with good success rates but I don't think anyone will have tried it with the Ratio kit yet.
I'm not sure what I'm shocked by
a) that people would chose to use expensive campag cassettes
b) SRAM 12 speed are even more expensive than campag cassettes
From my experience this is, how shall we say a "creative" interpretation that brands would like to believe to make sure you buy from them and not others - much like "you can't use a SRAM 11 speed chain with a Shimano 11 speed drive train". It appears to be bollocks.
In particular, from personal experience I can confirm that SRAM 12 speed spacing is the same as Shimano 11-speed and you can run Force AXS on an ultegra cassette (just don't go to the end of the range) and it works fine - I unfortunately had to do this on a turbo as my 11 speed TT bike needed a repair and my road is 12 speed (and my Kickr too old to take a 12 speed cassette). The SRAM 12 speed shifting worked fine on the Shimano 11 speed - my understanding is SRAM, by going XD/XDR have effectively squeezed an extra cog on instead of the lockring but the spacing from 11 upwards is the same.
What a cool product! The cable spool point is the more important one to my mind - so many bike bits fail for want of a single, tiny replacement part that the manufacturers simply refuse to manufacture. I wish the 'right to repair' would be extended to mechanical things as well as electronic ones!
what do you mean by 'right to repair' ?
Effectively a duty on the manufacturer to produce spares for the expected life of a product, e.g. if you sell a washing machine, you have to make spares available to repairers for a fixed time period as a minimum (up to about 10 years, depending on the product).
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56340077