The End For The Front Derailleur? | GCN Tech Show 334

Has this week seen the beginning of the end for front derailleurs? Alex and Ollie share their thoughts as pros are spotted using the Classified system at the Giro D'Italia.

Plus, this weeks hot tech is ACE, we have the new SRAM RED, the most expensive bike in the world, speedy new tyres from Pirelli, more tech spotted at the Giro, our favourite comments of the week and of course the bike vault!

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[gcntech]

Will you be ditching your front derailleur? 👀

[MrSJR]

Just because the pro peloton has adopted a new technology does not mean the death of the previous tech. Look at previous examples - carbon frames, disc brakes, electronic gears, integrated cockpits - there’s still a thriving market for metal frames, rim brakes, mechanical gears and separate bars and stems for those enthusiasts who cannot afford the price tag of these new technologies.

[PeakTorque]

It was used to facilitate the use 66T chainrings which lowers chain tension and improves drive train efficiency, first and foremost. Not so much aero, and theres a large weight penalty. Ineos did the calc to figure out for the flat section the gain in chain efficiency was worth the small deficit on the climb. For the 66T ring there is no small chainring option.

[mmurmurjohnson]

Have a triple on my race bike and love it for racing hilly courses, 1x is cool though, but a bit limiting especially if you like to toggle between high and low cadences

[tjohnson]

Last weekend I upgraded my Peugeot UO8 touring bike to a Stronglight triple crankset. Now it is 3x7 with the original Simplex downtube shifters. Super fun to ride and very reliable. Front derailleurs are great.

[reggierider]

That’s the beauty of 2x - you can always find and shift to the right gear without the compromise of big jumps between gears. This bike has also been my road bike in Barcelona for several months and I wouldn’t change it for that either

[robbchastain]

I'm still a 3x guy, so my front derailleur is not going anywhere but over the big, middle, and tiny rings. 3x9 mechanical for my dream build, Ollie and Joachim, and you can stop that mess about front derailleur killers. 😀

[raphaelmathe]

Guess which is more efficent, :
the 15 dollars front derailleur
the 1000 dollars hub ?

[drusek]

I'm a bit of a techno-geek and an avid cyclist so when I first learned of the Classified Hub, I was interested in the technology. I was lucky enough to do a test ride at a local bike shop and I was delighted with the experience! I was in the process of doing a custom build on a new bike so the time was right to adopt the Hub. I purchased the Hub without rims for ~$1, 000 and had it laced into Zipp 353s.

The frame is a Wilier Filante SLR which was fitted with a Shimano Ultegra groupset minus the front derailleur. I have a 52t 1x chainring in the front and I did install a K-Edge chain keeper to eliminate the possibility for chain drops - I've had none. My left DI2 shifter is wired into the Classified transmitter mounted in the left handlebar end (Classified provided the instructions on how to do this) and the right DI2 shifter controls my Shimano rear derailleur.

I'm very happy with what I've put together, but it's certainly not for everyone. I worked with a local bike shop that specializes in custom builds and there were some bumps along the way, but we got through them.

[zammap]

so they brought back the good old 3-speed hub...nice.
Next year: aero coaster brake

[stevenpike]

Great news…another proprietary part…will match the proprietary stem, post & bars…(in the bin with the polyurethane composite Far East rebranded frameset) when the new ‘black’ arrives…

[joehosegood]

Yes! Got my bike in the bike vault after 3 attempts and it’s super nice! 😊

[ColinKlupiec]

I ride 1x12 SRAM AXS on my gravel bike and 2x11 Shimano mechanical on my road bike. I like them both. As a recent adopter of 1x, there’s a lot to like…simplicity, clean look etc. Sure, the cadence isn’t always ‘just right’, but it’s fun to ride. I appreciate the innovation in the space. Ultimately it will lead to improvement.

[StalinorgelTV]

Another super expensive stuff no one really needs. Okay the pros may need this but we just want to have fun.

Front derailleurs are just absolutely fine, just as mechanical shifting or rim breaks are.

Edit: I just realized this is basically a fancy and advanced hub gear like my 1970s opafiets has...

[MicheleGardini]

I've had the triple on every one of my bikes and very few problems, but more important, with triple durability. Mtbs with triple had chainsucks when they're young, but after some years worked quite fine, so I had a triple on my road bike too, because when I bought mine (2008) compacts were coupled with 12-27, and I like to climb a lot. Since then I have never regretted it, still riding the 2008 road with the original drivetrain (8-10k kms a year), and now I go gravel too, and I choose a double. Singles are good to race, and I stopped racing a decade ago.

[pedalforsanity]

I’ll always have a front derailleur. It’s simple, works well, and gives me the ratios I need and want.

[litespud]

I have yet to see any *independent* data on the % efficiency of the Classified system. I have yet to see any real disadvantage in a properly adjusted FD

[edymarkonthego]

I recently changed my gravel bike and roadbike to 1x setup. At first i was struggling to find my cadence rhythm. After few more days to adopt the setting and i feel the change is like a holy grail.

[itsmepickles]

Them new Pirelli tyres £85 😮 that's wild

[kovie]

If anything obsoletes the front derailleur and of course chainrings, it won't be this 1x trend/fad, which works great for some people and situations and not so much for others. Rather, it'll be new or improved technology such as is described in this video. Which, of course, could eventually replace the rear derailleur and cassette/cogs with a similar technology. Ideally someday we'll have affordable, lightweight, reliable, durable and easy to use bike drivetrains with continuous gearing and wide gear ranges, to fit basically any real-world situation, matched with the ability to shift either completely manually, completely automatically, or something in-between, as you can on some cars these days, so that you'll always be in your ideal gear ratio, which either you, the computer or both decide on.

I'd love that, but am not holding my breath. And until then, I'm sticking with my ultra-reliable, very durable, not that expensive and fairly easy to use and maintain 3x10 10s setup on my road bike (53-40-30 x 12-23). It's never failed me and I can almost always find the ideal gear for the conditions I'm riding under. If I ever try to ride on steep mountains or bikepack, I'll just swap in a 12-30 and be set. I bet this is true of most cyclists, that their current gearing setup and drivetrain fit their riding needs nearly all of the time.