In April 2023, cycling drivetrain disruptor, Classified, launched its mountain bike range. It’s undoubtedly revolutionary technology, but who actually needs it? And why? We asked Steve Bowman, South African MTB racing pioneer and tech maestro at Omnico, the South African distributor of Classified, some questions.
Paid partnership with Omnico (Pty) Ltd
Firstly, a quick refresher: The new mountain bike product, launched in April 2023, the Powershift boost hub, together with Classified’s new 11-40t 12-speed cassette, has a gear range of 530%, the largest of any drivetrain system on the market.
The addition of the two-speed hub, multiplies the cassette gears and gearing range, giving the rider 16 unique gears (after removing duplicate ratios) to always be able to access the right cadence, reduce gear grinding and remove huge gear steps. On top of that the additional gears are all accessible in the middle of the cassette which helps keep cross chaining to a minimum.
What are the benefits of the Classified system?
There are many and I will list them all as they apply to road, mountain and gravel bikes.
- With a straighter chainline, the drivetrain efficiency is next level as there’s no cross-chaining
- For road and gravel, there’s no front derailleur which means it’s simpler
- Significantly reduces aero drag
- Bigger is better – it reduces 45% of normal chain forces
- It offers the ultimate gear range – with 24 gears, you get 530% range
- Instant shifting – 150 milliseconds, that’s all it takes to shift!
- It’s super smooth – it shifts effortlessly under full load up to 1000 watts
- It’s weatherproof, so no need to worry about dirt or rain.
- It’s equally light – or lighter – than a traditional electronic groupset
What do I need to do to convert my bike to fit the Classified system?
You will need the Powershift Kit Contents, Powershift hub, Smart Thru Axle, Handlebar unit and shift button and cassette of your choice. If you want, there’s also carbon wheelset, but this isn’t strictly part of the Powershift system.
How much will it cost me?
We are looking at R55000 to keep in line with Euro pricing.
What must I expect from a maintenance perspective?
Zero maintenance apart from the normal cleaning of groupset. The system is sealed and if a failure does happen it gets replaced, not repaired.
Who should consider fitting Classified to their bike and why?
Anyone who is serious about their cycling. For mountain bikers and gravel racers, you get a much wider range of gears. For the road racer, you have the benefit of never worrying about a dropped chain or planning your shifts – it’s instant no matter what power is being pushed through the pedals
When will it be available in South Africa?
You will start seeing demo bikes and wheelsets in selected dealers from the end of August 2023. To fully appreciate the benefit of the Powershift system, it needs to be ridden.
Will there be a way to test-ride Classified?
Yes, definitely. It’s almost impossible to explain the difference between regular drivetrains and Classified’s enhancements. You have to ride and feel it working to understand how it improves your ride experience and performance. We are in the process of fitting some bikes with Classified so that demo opportunities become available. We will communicate this when it’s in place.
Paid partnership with Omnico (Pty) Ltd
