Rotor has just released their 10–13-speed electronic UNO group set. It is compatible with road and mountain bikes. They were to my knowledge the first to release a 13-speed (then hydraulic) group set, and I thought of getting one, but was advised against it by someone in the bike industry. As a double-tap/eTap aficionado, I don’t like the button layout on their drop bar levers, but I can ignore those extra buttons.
Their new group set seems reasonably priced, very flexible and if the quality is comparable to their cranksets, they merit serious consideration. What do y’all think?
This does indeed sound very very interesting. I also was interested in the hydraulic system they came out with, but decided against it in the end because, iirc, things like cassettes were proprietary, meaning having to pay whatever they specify, and being stuffed if they went out of business. Seems like they’ve overcome that with this new product, allowing compatibility with other brands, which I guess is easier to do with an electronic derailleur as you can adjust each shift distance to whatever you want.
All I need now is someone to convince me that I actually need electronic shifting
I’m currently in the middle of testing a groupset from WheelTop. I need to look into what this new Rotor groupset spells for the WheelTop range (WheelTop acquired Rotor not so long ago, a lot of the tech here appears similar to what’s in the WheelTop range).
@Dave_Rome if this new Rotor rear mech can be adjusted for different numbers of gears, would that mean if could work with a SRAM 13 speed cassette? And a 12 speed cassette from whatever brand one chooses?
I’m not yet across the finer details of this product, but I suspect it’s quite similar to WheelTop at a basic level. Assuming it’s like WheelTop, then you’ll be able to adjust this to work on just about any cassette - assuming the derailleur cage has enough capacity for the gear range.
I’ve been running a WheelTop EDS-TX group for the better part of a year. It works quite well, and while there was a somewhat steep learning curve in early iterations of the app things have improved markedly over the past 3 months. It shifts well once it’s dialed in - seems akin to setting up Campagnolo indexed mechanical shifting in the olden days.
I’m running a rim brake version so I can’t speak to the disc calipers, though the WheelTop hydro levers work with any mineral oil system (e.g. Shimano).
The Rotor app, from what I understand, is just a refined version of the WheelTop one, and the components look like newer iterations of the EDS-TX stuff.
Not at all. I got it. (at least I hoped you weren’t actually worried)
Thanks for moving the topic.
Now I hope someone will answer my question about what cassettes this will work with!
I’m probably delusional but I’d quite like this if it means I can have a 1x13 sram gearing without needing a new frame with UDH.
If it’s like the wheel top derailleur (which it seems it is) it should work with almost any cassette. Except, probably, ones that need SRAM flattop chain, I’d be pretty surprised if it did anyway.
The derailleur will have a maximum capacity (e.g. 10 to 40) which is related to the limit screws and cage length, so you won’t be getting a massive dinner plate MTB cassette on your road bike. The other issue will be you won’t get linkglide/hyperglide shifting even if you have a Shimano cassette and chain., same for whatever magic SRAM uses.
If it’ll work with a ZTTO 11-42 13 speed cassette and 2x chainrings I’m potentially interested, otherwise not so much. 2x12 Shimano is okay otherwise, apart from no cable brake plus mechanical shifting option. (And no, I don’t like Campag’s ergonomics.)
I just had the opportunity to test both the road n mtb 12spd electric drivetrains at the Rotor booth at Sea Otter Girona event this week. (Yes that is a flex).
-ergonomics of the shifters and the tactile feel we’re quite good.
-i found the shifting a bit rough but quite quick when grabbing multiple gears at a time. Both up n down.
-The charging is via magnetic port like magsafe on a Mac laptop. So plan on dragging your bike to an outlet rather than removable battery. The magnet plug is a deal breaker with the iron rich soil where I live. The derail female plug will fill with dirt and be unusable on a gravel or MTB immediately.
-the ability to change drivetrain speeds or change the length of the cage to adjust the usable gear range sounds cool but not sure how much I would use those features.
All caveat that this was a quick test of two bikes mounted on trainers.
Bummer about the magnetic plug. That sounded like quite a great idea until you pointed out the dirt issue. I’m surprised they haven’t got a magnetic dirt proof cover, assuming they’ve used it outdoors during development.
PS: Stoked to see OMM RAP in our community here. I’m a keen customer of both businesses.
Love your work.
Magnetic plugs aren’t entirely uncommon in the drivetrain area. My power meter has one and it hasn’t been much of an issue. That’s on a road bike but I have mates with the same PM on their gravel bikes without any problems.
They do have a small rubber cover on the charge ports of the Rotor Uno’s WheelTop EDS-GeX and OX predecessors, but it can be fiddly to fit over the port. The same cover is on their EDS-TX road group and once you get the hang of seating the seal on the cover it’s quite good at keeping dirt and other stuff away from the magnets.
