12-speed for Shimano

Is it an attack on the industry giant Sram, which has a firm grip on the 12-speed field with its Eagle gears? Or a blow to the second big player, Shimano, which has so far been content with eleven sprockets? Either way, almost unnoticed, the small brand Now8 from Austria has launched a 12-speed cassette on the market that is designed to work with Shimano freewheels and conventional 11-speed components from the shifting giant from Asia. In addition to the cassette with 11-48 tooth gradation, all that is required is a new shifter, which Now8 also offers. For 500 euros, an 11-speed drivetrain can be converted to 12-speed. The Austrians simply place the additional sprocket on the freewheel in the free space between the 11-speed cassette and the spokes. The spacing between the sprockets remains the same compared to 11-speed, as does the chain. The set is already available from specialist retailers.

In terms of range, the retrofit cassette does not come close to Sram's Eagle, but the gradation is much finer. The weight of 299 grams is promising. The cassette costs 419.50 euros, the shifter 79.90 euros.

BIKE is currently testing the Now8 set. Whether the retrofit solution with the Sram Eagle, which is now also available as a GX version for smaller budgetscan keep up, read in BIKE 8/2017, on newsstands from 4 July.