Priced at £800, is this “the best mechanical derailleur possible”? Plus more tech news from Bianchi, Brooks Wahoo & more – road.cc
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First Published Dec 17, 2022
This week, we have brand new products to show you from Lusso, Brooks and Bianchi, and updates from Wahoo, Orbea and UDOG, but we’re going to start with a really interesting – and really expensive – new derailleur design from Rene Herse…
Rene Herse Cycles has unveiled a new Nivex mechanical rear derailleur that costs $729, doesn’t mount on a conventional hanger, can only handle a 30-tooth cassette, and uses a $249 down tube shifter. Oh, and there’s a good chance you’ll need a new frame to take it. Obvious question: why?
“Because we want a different derailleur,” says Rene Herse’s Jan Heine. “For lack of a better word, modern derailleurs are digital: You push a button, and they shift. That’s why the best derailleurs use electric motors, which are more consistent than a human pushing a lever that pulls a cable. Modern electronic derailleurs are very, very good, and yet…
“I love analogue experiences… When I ride my bike, I enjoy feeling the shift happen. I pull the lever and feel the chain mesh with the new cog as a result of my hand movement. It doesn’t make me faster, but it makes riding more fun.”
With that in mind, Rene Herse has spent four years developing a derailleur with no return spring. Instead, the derailleur is pulled by cable in both directions, the idea being to provide a consistent action that’s also light and immediate.
Rene Herse has moved the derailleur mounting point from a mech hanger at the dropout to the chainstay too.
“This allows for open cable to run all the way from the shift lever to the derailleur,” says Jan Heine. “Less friction, less flex, more direct action are the result.”
The location is also said to make the derailleur impervious to mud and protect it from damage although, Rene Herse concedes, it does make wheel removal more difficult. Oh, and of course, your bike doesn’t currently have a derailleur mount on the chainstay so you’ll need to have one brazed on – that’s not going to be possible on a lot of frames, including carbon ones, of course – or buy a new frame.
A ‘smart compensator arm’ keeps the spring tension constant as the derailleur cage rotates and “eliminates chainslap on all but the roughest terrain”.
The Nivex is optimised for 11-30 cassettes because, Rene Herse says, “with modern sub-compact cranks, a 30-tooth large cog is sufficient for most riders and most terrain.”
Weighing a claimed 176g, the Rene Herse rear derailleur is among the lightest out there, while the shift lever is 54g. The first lever to be available is indexed 11-speed for Shimano cassettes although 7-, 8-, 10- and 12-speed are on the way. If you want to go even more retro, friction (non-indexed) shifters are coming too.
The shifter attaches to a standard shifter boss on the down tube, although these haven’t been a feature of most bikes for many years so you’re going to need a vintage bike or to have a custom frame built.
“We are under no illusion that the Nivex will take over the cycling world,” says Jan Heine. “The idea is that if you’re building a no-holds-barred custom bike, there’s now an alternative for riders who are looking for an analogue shifting experience that you simply can’t find anywhere else.”
The Nivex rear derailleur is $729 (£597) with the shifter $249 (£204), the cable tensioner $39 (£32), and the extra long cable $10 (£8)… plus the cost of a new frame, or at very least the cost of having the hanger retro-fitted onto an existing frame.
Mass market it ain’t, but what do you think? Admirable ingenuity or tech for tech’s sake?
Find out more here
Wahoo is offering new features on its RIVAL watch that you can access via the ELEMNT companion app. They include Sleep Beta, Target Plan, Lap Swimming Drill Mode, STYRD integration, and Colour Zones to be used in training or competition.
The features offer the ability to track your sleep so you can “optimise recovery and performance”, the capability to set a target pace, power, heart rate, or cadence and get on-watch feedback and Colour Zones to ensure you’re in the right training zone at a glance.
Find out more here
Lusso have launched two “key all-weather garments” – the Perform Winter Jacket and Gravel Bib Tights.
This Jacket is a “soft shell” said to feel more like a jersey than a rain cape
but uses a 3-ply construction providing “insulation, breathability, and waterproofing”.
It’s available in both mens and womens fits, in orange or blue, priced at £150.
> Check out the best winter cycling jackets 2022
Secondly, they’re releasing their “all-weather, all-terrain insulated and water repellent bib tights”. They feature DWR-treated cargo pockets on the thighs and built-in stowage in the mesh upper of the bib.
Find out more here
Brooks is launching Ergonomic Leather Grips that feature a hard-wearing rubber body with vegetable-tanned leather panels up top to provide softness and style.
Available in a range of colours, the new Ergonomic Grips are available in two size options: 130/130mm or the asymmetrical 130/100mm. They’re said to be easy to install via a secure aluminium clamp and come with Brooks rivet-style bar ends.
They’ll be available from 20th December at a price of £75.
Find out more here
UDOG presents three exclusive variations of their CIMA shoe for its community to choose a favourite colour to be included in the range next year.
The three variations are Octane/Black, Salt White/Octane, and Pure White/Blue. Only 100 pairs are available to purchase on the UDOG website and the most appreciated will be included in their range next year.
> Read our review of the Udog Cima Pure Black
UDOG says the CIMA shoe is “the perfect blend between comfort and high performance, stiffness and softness”, with a claimed weight of 240g (size 42).
> Check out the best road cycling shoes 2022
They are available in 11 sizes, from 38 to 48 and cost £220. Order before Monday 19th December for delivery guaranteed before Christmas.
Find out more here
The portable, electric bike pump from CYCPLUS that we wrote about a few weeks ago, has gone live on Indiegogo and was fully funded in 12 hours.
The CUBE weighs 97g and has a maximum pumping pressure of about 100 psi. It is compatible with Presta and Schrader valves and it takes 20 minutes to charge fully.
You can be inline for one by pledging £57.
Find out more here
Orbea debuts new colours and updated components within the Orca road range and announces new features in its 2023 Avant range.
Orca range
There are five new colours in the Orca range – Shark Gray (Matte), Sulfur Yellow (Gloss) – Night Black (Matte), Carbon Raw – Iridescent, Blue Carbon View – Titan (Gloss Matte), and Cosmic Carbon View (Matte Gloss).
It features 12 models ranging from £2,499 to £11,499 with SRAM or Shimano assemblies.
New Avant range
Orbea’s endurance range, Avant, consists of two models with three new colours – Metallic Green Artichoke (Matte), Moondust Blue (Gloss) – Titan (Matte), and Orange Candy (Matte) – Cosmic Bronze (Gloss).
Avant pricing ranges from £1,499 for the H40 model to £1,699 for the H60 model.
Orbea says the Avant is an ideal bike for those starting out on the road but are looking for high-quality details and some racing bike features.
> Check out the best road bikes 2022
Find out more here
Bianchi launches a new coffee table book to tell stories of people, bicycles, and events through “inspiring” images.
“Casa Bianchi” includes never-before-seen images and photographs. It’s not cheap though! You’re looking at €75.00 (around £65).
Find out more here
Porsche are no strangers to e-bikes, having acquired stakes in several companies in the e-bike market and continuing to work with their long-standing partner Rotwild.
> Check out the best electric bikes 2022
Lutz Meschke, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche AG says, “We see great potential for Porsche in e-bikes. This is why we are consistently expanding our activities in this area”.
Porsche is developing and producing electric drive systems for two-wheelers which include motors, batteries and the necessary software architecture for connectivity solutions, under the Porsche brand name.
These will be distributed to e-bike manufacturers worldwide and powered by Porsche intends to use these drive systems to launch a new generation of Porsche eBikes from the middle of this decade.
Find out more here
In case you missed it earlier in the week…
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Emily is our track and road racing specialist, having represented Great Britain at the World and European Track Championships. With a National Title up her sleeve, Emily has just completed her Master’s in Sports Psychology at Loughborough University where she raced for Elite Development Team, Loughborough Lightning.
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Having said that if you want to get out into the Peaks for the bolder rider it looks well- positioned – small roads a-plenty!…
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