BIKE Festival Riva 2023: Alternatives to the single gear from Classified & Zerode
Jan Timmermann
· 05.05.2023
Modern single drivetrains with 11 or 12 gears heralded the end of the front derailleur on mountain bikes. For many bikers, however, its burial was also accompanied by a loss of gear range. The new Powershift system for MTBs from Classified brings the range back to single-speed drivetrains - electronically and wirelessly. Solutions with manual gearboxes that combine a sufficient number of gears with maximum low-maintenance are not new but always exciting. Zerode has always favoured Pinion gearboxes. The bikes from New Zealand will probably be seen more often in Europe in the future.
When the gear lever no longer helps
Every biker knows this situation: On the steepest ramp of the home circuit, you desperately press the gear lever to shift into an easier crawling gear, but - oh shock! - the highly praised 12-speed drivetrain is already in the easiest gear. Instead of supporting your burning legs with a pleasant change of gear ratio, your shifting thumb is met with fierce resistance.
The most common 12-speed drivetrains from Shimano and Sram deliver a maximum gear range of 510 and 520 per cent respectively. At the BIKE Festival in Riva, we found two options to avoid this situation. Firstly, there are the bikes from Zerode with the Pinion gearbox. Until now, however, these have been difficult to obtain in Germany. This is now set to change. The company also presented Classified its new Powershift MTB system, which virtually relocates the second chainring to the electronically radio-controlled rear hub.
Zerode Bikes: Pinion full-suspension bikes now also available in Europe
Back in October 2022, the New Zealand brand Zerode announced its intention to better reach the European market through a sales office in Holland. Zerode was one of the first manufacturers to rely exclusively on gearboxes from the German manufacturer Pinion for its bikes - A novelty in full-suspension mountain bikes at the time.
A solid fan base has now been established for Pinion fullys. However, they have had to travel a rocky road to call a Zerode bike their own. Opportunities for test rides were extremely rare in Europe and anyone who wanted to put a Zerode in their garage in Germany had to bite the bullet and pay high customs duties. This is now set to change with the new European sales organisation.
In addition to low maintenance requirements and a low centre of gravity due to the weight of the gearbox, Zerode's fullys benefit from another design-related advantage. On regular mountain bike drivetrains, the gear parts on the rear wheel are part of the unsprung mass. This is significantly reduced by relocating the gears to the bottom bracket area on Pinion fullys.
The result is an improved function of the rear suspension. In theory, this is not always easy for many customers to understand, says Zerode. They need a test ride to be able to feel the benefits of the system with their own experience. This is another reason why the establishment of a European sales organisation was an important step for Zerode.
Classified Powershift MTB System - visually simple, technically twofold
Classified has already made a name for itself on gravel bikes with its alternative to the classic single drivetrain. With the introduction of the new Powershift MTB system, the Belgians now want to revolutionise the shifting experience for mountain bike tourers. The system works with twelve-speed drivetrains from both Shimano and Sram and should be compatible with any Boost rear triangle, whether fully or hardtail.
To this end, Classified has not simply blown up the existing Powershift hub to a width of 148 millimetres, but has also reinforced the inner workings for tougher use on mountain bikes. An eleven-speed cassette is also available so that the system can breathe new life into (old) single-speed drivetrains.
Classified relies on its own cassette with 11-40 teeth. This can be shifted as usual with the rear derailleur. However, by pressing an additional button, the Powershift hub switches to reduction mode and changes the gear ratio by a factor of 0.7.
This means that significantly lighter gear ratios and therefore lighter gears can be realised on mountain bikes than with regular single drivetrains. The smaller cassette also allows derailleurs with a shorter cage to be used, which can benefit the robustness of the drivetrain.
Another new feature of the Classified Powershift System for mountain bikes is the minimalist ring shifter. This small button is located on the left or right of the handlebars and controls the servomotor in the hub via radio. The entire system works electronically and wirelessly.
The ring shifter and Powershift axle can be easily charged via magnetic USBC interfaces. By eliminating the mechanical shift cable, the system should be particularly easy to install on all mountain bikes.
Classified hub only with own cassettes
The two-speed hub from Classified is not yet compatible with cassettes from other manufacturers. During an initial test of the gravel system with Shimano GRX drivetrain at Eurobike 2021, the drivetrain still had problems with shifting under load. Gravel expert Sandra Schuberth is currently putting the system through its paces and has already benefited from the gear reduction function on some very steep climbs. During a first short test of the MTB system at the BIKE Festival in Riva, the Powershift hub with Classified cassette and Sram GX Eagle AXS drivetrain demonstrated smooth operation and a fast response time.
If you want to build a wheel with the electronic two-speed hub and only want to purchase the hub, cassette, axle and ring shifter, you will have to pay 1549 euros. According to Classified, the difference in weight of a drivetrain with the Classified electronic two-speed hub compared to a classic two-speed drivetrain should be negligible.
Classified M25/30: Carbon wheels with two-speed hub in 29 inch
Together with the new Powershift MTB system, Classified presented the new M25/30 carbon wheels at the BIKE Festival in Riva. Nomen est omen, the 29-inch carbon rims come with a depth of 25 millimetres and an inner width of 30 millimetres. Naturally, the new Classified carbon wheels are compatible with the Powershift hub. The price for the wheelset including the entire Powershift MTB system is 2699 euros.
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Jan Timmermann
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