cyclezen

Was waiting to see/hear more real world info about the 'Classfied' PowerShift Hub/Wheel/Internal Shifting system, and just went by their website - seems its in the marketplace now !
Both 'Road' and 'Gravel' setups - 2399 € for 11 spd systems, includes hub, wheelset, cassette (I would expect it would have the bar mounted 'shift' button as well...)
Current setup has 1:1 and 1:.686 drive ratios - 2x chainring equivalence of 53/36 (52/36), 50/34 and 48/33.
Interesting enough to warrant some discussion; and noting only one quick mention on BF, a few months back.
I see some merit in it, and also have some reservations.
Who would be the customer for this? Pro Road race? Amateur Road race? Amateur general rider for performance equipment ? Tri-Geek? TT Geek? Gravel Racer ? CX racer ?
I expect this might also be applicable, in the future, for MTB & XC racing
for this...
Sadly I can't get a 'Test' ride because there are currently no dealers West of Salt Lake & Denver (one in each area ?) East Coast US has a broader dealer network, and Europe/UK seems an easy find for dealers...
... I mean, if you're gonna buy a new bike, and worries of compatibility, with wheels/components you already have, are not an issue. Considering that a higher end CF wheelset can easily set you back $2K (that's USD) - maybe the additional cost is quite economical ? If the wheelset is topnotch.
Maybe I sell all the roadies and my one gravel bike - and slim down to a couple with this... ? is sortta tempting.
What might be your thoughts/considerations/opinions?
Ride On
Yuri

chaadster

I recall some robust discussion here awhile back, I thought it was cool then, and still think so.

https://www.bikeforums.net/general-c...erailleur.html

It’s a pretty pricey retrofit, especially if one is currently on 2x, so OE fitments are probably the best way to get the system, or when doing a frame-up build, of course.

I’ll consider it when I’m replacing my main roadie, but that’s not on the docket yet.

Ironfish653

It’s not a totally new idea; SRAM had a ‘3x7’ hub that was essentially a 3-speed IGH with a cassette driver. It primarily saw use as an ‘overdrive’ on small-wheel ‘bents and folding bikes, so you could get ​​​​​ decent ground speed on 20” wheels without having to run oversized chainrings, or so you could get triple crank functionality but still run a single crank, for packaging reasons.

The wireless application is new, but not the idea.

cyclezen

I did a search, for classified and Powershift, before posting; but only came up with your brief mention of 'Classifed', but no other threads.
I didn;t come back on to BF until early Aug last year, after some 4+ years off...
Maybe I didn;t make the search broad enough - I'll have to review that thread...
I like the idea, and they have a fairly comprehensive ability to use the system on a variety of setups.
I really haven't had any FD issues since going to 'indexed' shifting, way, way, way back. Can't remember the last time I might have dropped a chain, 20 yrs ago or more ???
But the internal system certainly is a neater way to assure smooth operation.
There are still a lot of questions.
As it gets some use, many will be answered, and new ones will surface.
There may be other internal gear systems, but are any equal to the weight of a current 2x drivetrain? don;t know.
ANyway, if I was to step up to a completely new bike/build - this would be a serious consideration - more yea than nay.
Ride On
Yuri

chaadster

cyclezen Yeah, I don’t have “FD issues” either, but being able to snick off range changes worry-free, with lightning speed and the power on, would be awfully darn nice!

I’m a heavy rider on terrain with short, steep climbs, so my FD needs to work because I’m only going to need the small ring for a few minutes. I don’t have sustained periods in the small ring, nor predictable periods; crossing a moraine or climbing a river bank may be, say, 7% on tworoads, but that third route option kicks at 15%, if you know what I mean. I used to live in Colorado, in Avon, and there I knew when I headed out that I was gonna need the small ring until I turned around to come down, so that didn’t have the same kind of frequent, urgent FD demands.

So yeah, I would like Classified very much, I think. I do wonder if Classified can transmit gear data? It’d be very interesting to see and compare how it affects shift behavior compared to a conventional FD.

cyclezen

FAQ says that the Hub will report gear setting to a computer/app - so if you have something handlebar mounted, the gear will be visible/available.
Thing which holds me back, for 'road', from any of the 11 or 12 spd stuff is the 11 cog requirement - it's a total waste for me. I'd rather have a usable cog in the mid-teens...
so I'd be having a 10 spd anyway, with current 11 spd offerings... I'm too old, slow and weak for an 11 to be any use. When I hit 40 mph on a downhill, I pretty much stop pedalin anyway.
Not been dropped yet on downhills... so 11, meh...
Ride On
Yuri

chaadster

Ah, thanks for that!

I haven’t looked at the gear spreads Classified offers, but could you not get a sweet array by running a 40T front front, despite the 11t cog?

cyclezen

Yes, that's why I'm interested... This is 'doable' with current setups - but I've been holding out ... just because...
A 48/32 104BCD crankset and a 11-27 cassette would give me most all the gear ratios I use... problem is a most often used ratio is the 32-11 gear (80 inches) and may/likely be a cross chain problem.
With the 'Powershift' and a 48 (33 stepdown) I get the same gear ratios with 11-27, except no cross chain problem, the offset from middle is quite easy for 11 spd chain!
And since I don;t yet have a CF wheelset - the whole setup becomes a bit more 'reasonable' for me.
Also, all my road bikes are rim brake - so I would just build from scratch... Get a Disc Tarmac frame and set it up for my quirks... LOL!
If I sell off most of my 'vintage' stuff, it would clearly pay for a new bike, plus, plus... LOL!
I'm seriously thinking about it!
Ride On
Yuri

Harhir

Agreed. Sachs (before taken over by SRAM) introduced the 3x7 back in the 90s. Old school 3 speed Torpedo internal gear hub hub with a 7 speed cassette. I still have two bikes with that hub. One bike is a city/trekking bike with 700c wheels and the other one bent with 20" wheels. This hub later evolved to the SRAM Dual Drive which has now been discontinued since SRAM unfortunately discontinued all internal gear hubs. But Sturmey Archer still has a similar hub today with 3 speed IGH and 9 speed cassette.
I actually love the old SRAM hub for city driving because you can shift the IGH when you come to a sudden stop and don't have time to downshift your cassette.

dwmckee

Has anyone out there made the jump to Classified yet? The dealer network is starting to fill out in the US.

cxwrench

I test rode the rep's bike a few months ago and it worked great. Just built a bike for a guy that's doing Master's World's in Italy next month. Single ring on a Specialized Aethos w/ Red AXS. It's pretty cool.

BlazingPedals

It looks interesting. I'd like to eliminate the front derailleur on my carbon lowracer, but unfortunately between the thru-axle and the proprietary cassette, this still doesn't fill the bill.

freetors

I would be way more accepting of this hub if they had made it cable shift with a standard shifter. Personally I've had enough of all the electronically controlled gizmos.

dwmckee

Financially at least it makes most sense for an OEM build or a frame up build. Hard to toss out a lot of high-end expensive parts to convert existing. I wonder how much they could reduce the cost if they manufactured in Taiwan instead of Belgium. Or if they sold just a rear wheel. No way around the proprietary cassette I guess.