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Earlier this month SRAM (finally) officially announced its 12-speed road cycling groupset, AXS. Overnight, another company has joined the 10-tooth cog revolution with Rotor revealing a 13-speed groupset…

 

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Okay, we’re yet to touch and feel it but Rotor insists there’s a new groupset coming to market and it’ll be available from April 2019 onwards: Rotor 1×13, as the name suggests is a 13-speed cassette matched to one chainring.

It’s early days in this product launch and although it boasts one more cog on the cluster of what seems will be a proprietary-sized rear hub, there is relatively little hype surrounding the launch – certainly when compared with how effectively SRAM’s PR outfit got its message out.

Still, it is an exciting innovation and it suggests that Rotor is keen to try and take on the big players in the groupset market.

The Australian agent for Rotor, Groupe Sportif, is still refining the exact pricing structure but news about the groupset, complete with US, Euro and UK pricing has been published overnight.

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Photos: courtesy of Rotor

 

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Priced from USD$4,900 (or 4,499 euros) to USD$2,800 (2,599 euros) for the 13-speed options, the groupset has been developed for the road, gravel and cyclocross markets.

 

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Road (above) or gravel (below) options exists…

 

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There has been talk of an alternative new groupset offering coming for some time now and Rotor has been active with its quest to take on the big, established players.

Shimano is still using 11-speed cassettes on the road, SRAM recently jumped to 12-speed (matching Campagnolo’s cog count from recent years), and now Rotor has 13-speed.

We wait for more specifics about Rotor 1×13 and have been promised a review groupset once stock arrives in Australia. For now, however, it’s out there on the interwebs and you can find out more on the Rotor site.

One key point is that Rotor also has trimmed down the smallest cog on the cassette to a 10-tooth but there are a range of options, including a 12-speed configuration.

The 13-speed road cassettes are 10-36 or 10-39 configurations (apparently weighing in at 236g and 241g, respectively).

 

More to come but in the meantime, here are some photos to illustrate what is a most exciting addition to the cycling market. It’s proving to be a year of big changes to the way people can ride. We now wait to see how the market responds…

 

 

– By Rob Arnold

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