At last, a small manufacturer is once again standing up to the mighty on the MTB shifting market. The new Rotor groupset - which is already was shown by Rotor for the first time at Eurobike 2018 - is special in almost every respect: 13 gears are shifted via a closed, hydraulic system and a single lever - something that has never been seen before. In addition, all parts of the stylish MTB drivetrain are milled in Spain. At 781 grams, the set consisting of rear derailleur, shifter and cassette weighs less than Shimano XTR. Despite its 13 sprockets, at 331 grams the cassette is still a good 20 grams lighter than the Srams XX1 Eagle cassette. Rotor also trumps the competition in terms of gear range - or overall gear ratio - albeit only just. With a gear ratio of 520 per cent, the 1x13 tickles almost two per cent more out of its cassette than Shimano with its 10-51 cassette in its 12-speed groupsets. The four hardest gears are particularly finely graded with a jump of just one tooth. Rotor also goes its own way when it comes to shifting logic.
Read our first test of the Rotor 1x13 MTB hydraulic drivetrain in the ride report. The entire article with all test results and ratings is available as a PDF in the download area below.
You can find this article in BIKE 4/2020. You can read the entire digital edition in the BIKE app (iTunes and Google Play) or the print edition in the DK shop reorder - while stocks last:
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Stefan Frey
Editor
