A few years ago, the cars broke into the mountain bicycle market with great force, leaving at first as many supporters as detractors.
Initially this new transmission system seemed more an involution than an advance in the development of product by SRAM and Shimano.
The more cyclists
Viejunos We remind that neighboring neighbor when children, who had been hesitation that his bike had more marches than ours.
Well, now the panorama has changed, boy. We move from the 3 dishes at 2, and the 2 to the monoplat transmissions.
In mountain cycling, and thanks in large part to the famous SRAM GX change group and the 11-46 and 11-50 Sunrace, the monopathy managed to establish relatively fast.
Many of us opted to keep our bike and, thanks to some small adjustments, move from 2x10 to 1x11. Others
Bikers They directly changed the change group or even bought a bicycle that already had a monoplat transmission.
[IRP Posts = "1117" Name = "We analyze the bicycles.
They were happy years for the industry, especially for local distributors, who saw their sales of mountain bicycles increase thanks to the monopath became fashionable. The phenomenon was similar to that lived a few years before when everyone wanted to change their bicycle with wheels of 26 "for another that mounted the new measures of 29".
Now all this hit us again from the hand of Rotor, a Mdrileña company that carries the avant-garde by flag, and that has already delighted many with their famous oval dishes Q-Rings, and the -No so recent- Grupo Rotor one .
[IRP Posts = "3381" Name = "Should I change to a 1x12 transmission in Mountain Bike?"]
A few months ago
Rotor We were surprised once again with a monopathic group, both for road and for Mountain Bike, with monopath (to taste) and cassette of 13 pine nuts. For mountain it seemed excessive, and for a scarce road. Thus we are skeptical cyclists, and especially the
roads.
In September 2019, my partner Edu and I, along with some friends, approached the Rotor stand in Festibike Las Rozas, and very kindly a person from the commercial team of the distributor who presented in this event explained to us why of the 1x13 Road, which is as a rotor calls the 1x13 transmission group on the road. Let us analyze the premises and developments.
What rotor sells us
Madrid, both on their website and in the talk we kept in Festibike, strongly affect the fact that their 1x13 covers the same maximum and minimum range as a 2x11 system. Let's look at these comparative tables that appear on the rotor website:
As we can see, they do not lie. The correspondences between maximum and minimum development in the 2x11 system (depending on what dishes and cassette we use) and the 1x13, are clear.
I, as Asturian and port lover, I see that I could replace my beloved 52/36 with piñonera 11-30 (9.98 and 2.53) with a monopath of 44 teeth plus piñonera 10-39. So far everything looks good, but you have to analyze beyond the extremes.
Intermediate developments
The road cyclists look for total comfort during our routes, and especially when we climb ports. In plain or in descent we will not have so much problem, but ... What jumps do we have among the largest pine nuts in the rotor monopath?
Rotor defends that 2x11 transmissions are left over 7 developments, since they are overlapping between those of the small and large dish. Is it true? To verify it, we can use the Bicycle Gears Calculator development calculator.
The left table shows the developments that are achieved with a 2x11 change with 11-36 cassette and biplatum 52-36. On the right, the same result for a 1x13 transmission with 44 and Cassette 10-39 (the one that sets the rotor group).
As we see in the boards, for a 700-25mm road wheel, the ends, although a bit displaced, are very similar.
In terms of speed, we see that the maximum speed in Llano would be almost 60km/h for the transmission with the 2x11 and 55.7km/h change group for the 1x13 rotor group. We take these data to cadence 100 and, being honest, I do not think we endure more than 55km/h with cadence 100 in plain. Therefore, I do not consider it a problem for the 1x13 rotor change group.
Speaking now of minimum speed, 60 of cadence, which is almost the worst scenario that we can find in a port, we can see that rotor cars would be even more generous. Extra point, especially for those who dare with exploits such as the Hell of Angliru or Gamoniteiru.
It is clear that the calculator speaks of plain, and not of ports, but we could extrapolate at 12% slope without problem and continue comparing.
The big problem: the progressivity of development
The big problem of the 1x13 transmission is in the relationships of each pinion or crown of the cassette.
The rotor group offers jumps in the last 6 pine nuts from the 2 teeth to 6 teeth, while a 2x11 transmission jumps only 2 teeth from the first to the eighth pinion and 3 teeth among the four largest. And how are this data translated? Well, in the progressivity of development.
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Why does progressive development make me happier?
The answer is simple. Imagine that you are uploading a port like Connio (La Vuelta 2019, in Cangas del Narcea). They are almost 20km of port, with an average slope of approximately 5%, with ramps of 9%.
Imagine that you are going up to 15km/h with a 6%slope. You have already 10 kilometers of port and 60km route. You are going well, but without boasts. Your colleague, who goes with his perpetual Shimano Ultegra R8000 of 2x11 speeds, suddenly squeezes a little when a change arrives at 8%, only a bit.
You go with your new and brand new rotor 1x13. A practically the same cadence, he has been engaged in 36-19 and you on 44-24. What happens when does it squeeze a little? That he rises 1 pinion (2 teeth) and keeps the cadence, but you have to climb 4 teeth (from pinion 24 to 28), and the increase in cadence, from the 75 where you were comfortable, it takes you out of point.
It is true that you can choose not to change your pinion, stand up and give it hard. Even down 2 teeth to the immediately smaller pinion and look a few meters, but unfortunately it will only be a few meters.
We all know that the cadence gives you that comfortable point of
"I'm suffering but I'm going well". That's where a progressive development shows, in small changes in inclination, speed, etc.
Another negative point: the price
I will not prime in this regard because Rotor has never been a cheap brand. And especially in technological avant -garde the price is usually obscene.
Even so, it should be noted that the complete 1x13 rotor hydraulic group, for more than € 3,500 (10% discount already applied to its website), today it might seem that it is the most bulky in the market. But remember that it includes carbon wheels and disc brake group.
If you add picture and peripheral components, we could be talking about riding a bike to the letter for about 6,000 euros. Little joke equally.
On the other hand, let's not forget that the new SAM Red ETAP AX group with 2x12 transmission is not short in price either. And it does not have a monopath.
Conclusions: Is it worth taking a 1x13 transmission on the road?
The arrival to the Rotor Change Group 1x13 is good news for the wealthy fan that can afford an investment of more than 3,000 euros to update the transmission of their bicycle.
It is a very simple, resulting and very beautiful group. But for those who seek the detail, the one who notices in the armchair the type of oil he has thrown into the chain, that cyclist I do not think that a road monopath is ever ... or yes?
