Final yr’s premium mechanical mountain bike drivetrain was only a warmup to TRP’s huge drivetrain ambitions, and now, together with Categorized, they’re unveiling two wi-fi, electronic-shifting wide-range 1x teams for each street and gravel bikes!
Referred to as Vistar // Powershift, the group pairs a wireles derailleur and 12-speed cassette with Categorized’s two-speed internally geared hubs, they obtain a wider vary of distinctive gears – as much as 530% vary with an 11-40 cassette.
That’s huge vary. For perspective, Shimano’s 10-51 mountain bike cassettes have 510% vary. SRAM’s 10-52 Eagle cassette has 520% vary. And now you will get 530% in your gravel bike with a 10-40 cassette and easy 1x chainring. That’s actually cool, however it’s the execution that makes this actually one thing particular…
Guide shifting, computerized gear choice
With simply 12 cogs, Categorized says you’re getting the equal of 15 or 16 distinctive gears, relying on which cassette you select. They haven’t unveiled the entire choices but (keep tuned, they’re launching this at Eurobike and we’ll replace this put up with extra tech particulars quickly), however there must be gearing choices that prioritize cadence and kit steps for roadies, or extra vary for gravel cyclists.
As a result of it’s all electrical, and it’s all a part of the identical system now (versus pairing a Categorized hub with third social gathering derailleurs & shifters), all the things can work collectively harmoniously, and so they name this symphony of shifting QuantumShift.
With QuantumShift turned on, you possibly can merely shift up or down and it’ll routinely shift the derailleur or the hub (or each) to provide the smallest gear step doable in both route. This successfully offers you 15 to 16 particular person gears.
Flip it off and you’ll shift by the cassette and hub manually, supplying you with 24 gears similar to a standard 2×12 drivetrain, albeit with some duplication of substances ratios.
Eliminating the downsides
With Categorized’s 2x hubs, that are broadly thought of a gamechanger (attempt one should you can), the downsides have been that that you must add a 3rd shifter pod to your handlebar, and that you must use their proprietary modified cassettes on an in any other case SRAM, Shimano, or Campagnolo group.
Now, they’ve a whole system that takes benefit of TRP’s current HyWire-style digital shifters and confirmed hydraulic braking, identical as what’s used with Pinion’s digital shifting gearbox system. This provides you a well-recognized set of controls, with shifter paddles in all the same old locations.
It additionally offers you the aerodynamic benefits of a 1x chainring, and allows you to shortly change chainring dimension primarily based heading in the right direction situations. Chainline might be higher, and you should utilize a extra environment friendly bigger chainring up entrance for the reason that hub’s simpler gear acts like a small chainring.
Two cranksets are supplied – the Categorized aero chainset with stable chainring, or the Vistar crankset with lighter direct-mount chainrings.
You’ll nonetheless want to make use of their wheels, or have their hub constructed along with your favourite rims and spokes. There are a whole lot of manufacturers on board providing Categorized-compatible wheelsets, although, and I think about choices will proceed to broaden with this announcement.
