The Radavist

When modern wide-range cassettes first hit the market, it was the giant 50-tooth (and now 52-tooth) cogs that grabbed all the headlines. But 1X drivetrains arguably wouldn’t have taken over if it weren’t for the 10-tooth cog down at the other end of the stack. That’s how brands can claim their 500, 510 and 520-percent gear ranges. Still, it wasn’t enough for e*thirteen. They introduced a lineup of cassettes with 9-tooth cogs, allowing for lighter, more compact setups with as much as 556-percent range.

And then, earlier this year, they introduced a 12-speed cassette that spanned from 9 teeth to 52 teeth, netting a 578-percent range. Travis Engel had to get his hands on one, but not for his mountain bike. He wanted it for his multi-headed beast of a gravel, touring and bikepacking bike. Range is king if you can’t (or won’t) run a front derailleur. But is one less tooth worth bowing down to?

Today, Shimano released the long-awaited mechanical 12-speed versions of their popular GRX gravel-focused drivetrain. With three 12-speed varieties to choose from (two 1x configurations and one 2x) and a list of desirable accouterments (optional dropper lever, interchangeable derailleur cages, refined wheelsets, updated ergonomics, and more), Shimano is covering a lot of ground in this new generation of gravel components. Josh recently had a chance to click through and pedal the wide range GRX RX820 groupset and, below, details the full product launch along with his first ride review…

If you are like me in assuming that SRAM has moved on to more technologically advanced projects and left those of us wanting native mechanical dropbar 12-speed functionality in Transmisson’s dust, then today’s news oughta be pretty exciting. SRAM has just announced that they will be releasing an Apex-level AXS XPLR and Eagle wireless electronic shifting groupset alongside Apex XPLR and Eagle mechanical 12-speed drivetrains. Below, Josh Weinberg offers a detailed look at the new components after testing them for a couple of days in the Driftless region of northwest Illinois…

You might be thinking, “does the world need another 12-speed MTB shifting system?” To which TRP answers, “for $329.99 retail it does!” The G-SPEC TR12 12-speed shifter and derailleur offer up some new technology including Hall Lock, named after Aaron Gwin’s mechanic, John Hall. The Hall Lock is a lever integrated into the derailleur mount, which locks the movement of the B-knuckle around the mounting bolt when closed. The Hall Lock can be opened to easily remove the rear wheel. When closed, it provides additional stability and less noise to the shifting performance. The TR12 shifter utilizes sequential shifting, which utilizes a linear shifting path, making it easier to shift on the fly. Here’s the TR12’s full cassette compatibility chart.

Check out more information at TRP.