All good things come in threes, as the saying goes. If it were up to the Rotor engineers, it would probably be 13. The Spaniards surprised us with a rear derailleur that can be switched from 12-speed to 13-speed operation by turning a screw. This requires a 13-speed cassette and the special 13-speed hub from Rotor. The manufacturer promises more precise shifting and maximum shifting power.
The tooth distribution from 10 to 52 means: 520 % bandwidth. According to the manufacturer, the new drivetrain is also lighter than comparable 12-speed drivetrains from the competition. The hydraulically actuated derailleur is also in no way inferior to the competition in terms of price. Located in the absolute top segment, the price will be comparable to Shimano's XTR and the Sram XX1 Eagle.
In addition to the rear derailleur, the Spaniards also offer a new shift lever which, according to Rotor, should ensure more effective shifting during the downhill. The manufacturer also recommends the in-house oval chainrings to get the maximum performance out of the rear derailleur. However, this is not mandatory: even if the derailleur is available as a complete system, only the 13-speed cassette, the hub and the rear derailleur including the shift lever would be sufficient. The crank and chainring can be freely selected.
Whether the drivetrain will become the new hit or rather an interesting gimmick for experts will probably only become clear in April 2019, when the new hydraulic 1x13 drivetrain from Rotor is due to be launched on the market.
