Bike Build Story: The drivetrain, shifters, rear derailleur, cassette. As explained in Part One, we're trying to build a bike "Made in Europe." I'm not really succeeding with the gear system. Rohloff and Pinion don't fit the bike or the concept. To keep things interesting, I opted for parts from Box Components. The Box parts also come... read more
Bike Build Story: The drivetrain, the chain. As explained in Part One, we're trying to build a bike "Made in Europe." The Connex 11SB achieves this. An article just about the chain? Yes, because the part is important: no chain, no propulsion. Connex 11SB, Made in Germany, Made by Wippermann. A successful French downhiller and freerider once said something like this: ... read more
With the new 105, Shimano is converting one of the world's most popular and widely used road bike groupsets to an 11-speed drivetrain, allowing 22 gears. The 105 5800 inherits the key technologies and features of the Dura-Ace and Ultegra groupsets introduced in previous years. Among the key innovations in the 105 are an 11-speed drivetrain, which... read more
The US component manufacturer will be selling a new groupset starting July 1, 2014. What's special about it: The Force CX1, designed for cyclocross use, features an 11-speed cassette, an optimized front chainring, and incorporates the advantages of its own 11-speed MTB groups. Sram is thus the first company to offer a cyclocross... read more
