Dura-Ace 9000 and SRAM XX1- both go to 11

4 Responses

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1. Andy says

   It will be interesting to see how long it takes before we ditch external gears altogether. I can’t imagine this increase can continue and still have reasonable parts. 12sp? maybe. 15? 20? I doubt parts can get that thin and have any durability.

   It’s about time to get major development on things like the NuVinci (continuously variable). It sounds like that particular one is heavy, requires a bit too much movement to shift it far enough, and isn’t built for performance – but it’s only a matter of time before these get built much better.

   I recently upgraded to 10sp on a bike and am not impressed. Frankly, I don’t notice the extra gear. I keep a reasonable cog on the back (11-28) but use a compact crank (34/50). That combo means that this commuter/touring bike has gearing good enough for road racing when needed, but also dirt road exploring in the hills. I’d prefer durability and easy maintenance over more intermediate gears, but I do understand the racers want that 1t difference for their special cadences.

   June 1, 2012, 2:31 pm Reply
2. Stu Cox says

   This is a technological race between brands and will have very little benefit or relevance for the vast majority of riders in the short term.

   This seems to add to the move to create ever more specialised and niche bikes and ancillary components. Every type of cycling is being sub divided and new markets are being created. These transmissions will fall into a niche, but 11 speed simply won’t have the longevity or be economical for the average user.

   I love innovation and mechanical craftsmanship so maybe 11 speed will appear in my cycle stable at some point, maybe teamed with a Schlumpf or Hammerschmidt!

   June 1, 2012, 5:53 pm Reply
3. Bubba Nicholson says

   Cogs and cranks, they stain my jeans and make me feel stupid.
   Muscles move like caboose-anchored maglev trains pulling track, then letting the movable track go, it being pulled back by another maglev train tethered and dragging the track in the opposite direction. Clearly, we be the battery, so why not run a rear-wheel motor from muscle electricity directly (the same energy that moves the muscle), getting rid of the bio-mechanical as well as the mechanical intermediaries? Until then, belts stare us in the face and dare designers to hunt for the hidden efficiencies. Might belts move upon command like chains to “change gears”?

   June 6, 2012, 5:58 pm Reply
4. LU says

   No front deraileur or shifter for the front either… like single speed but with gears… Ilike the idea. 2×10 has grown in popularity this 1x stuff should too.

   July 22, 2012, 9:42 am Reply