14 speed cassette

[elmtree]

I just noticed that the tantan seraph tt-x43 is advertised as 14 speed with wheeltop eds. I looked at the pictures and counted sprockets and it does indeed have 14. The cassette is listed as ”CNC hollow colorful cassette-14 speed, 10-36T".

Can anyone find it? I'm curious if they're using a standard 12 speed chain and freehub body.

[coffeebreak]

Danggg that is some find. Them living in 2035 while I rock 10s mechanical.
The rear wheel spacing is the regular 12x142 and no mention of any odd freehub so I guess they have managed to fit 14 cogs on existing MS/HG freehub body? Also the chain seems 14 speed made by SUMC. Couldn't find any mention of 14s stuff on Aliex, yet. And the whole thing is $1050. Crazy.

[Serge_K]

At which point does adding cogs require new hub & rear thru axle widths?
Has anyone tested longevity of 10 vs 11 vs 12 vs 13s? Intuitively, the more cogs you add, the narrower the chain, the more fragile and fiddly, and the less durable, right?

[Sebastian]

At which point does adding cogs require new hub & rear thru axle widths?
Has anyone tested longevity of 10 vs 11 vs 12 vs 13s? Intuitively, the more cogs you add, the narrower the chain, the more fragile and fiddly, and the less durable, right?

It will inevitably get more fragile, I guess. That being said: I'm running Campy Ekar 13sp for around 3.500k now in all kinds of weather, full season, including winter and salty roads. I put it through a lot. Chain and cassette are hot waxed and still good as new. I got a Sram crank with a 13sp compatible chainring from Ratio components. That might be good for another 3000k but it'll need replacing first, I guess. But that's normal since it's the only aluminium part of the drivetrain and it has to deal with some pretty hardcore cross chaining compared to a 2x setup, I guess. And it's actually reasonably priced.

I can't speak for the quality of the Aliexpress stuff, though. I had a pretty bad experience with a ZTTO 12sp chain and I'm definitely not going to buy cheap chains on aliexpress again, no matter how light and shiny they are. ZTTO and SROAD cassettes (monobloc steel) however have been absolutely fine for me.

[kbernstein]

At which point does adding cogs require new hub & rear thru axle widths?
Has anyone tested longevity of 10 vs 11 vs 12 vs 13s? Intuitively, the more cogs you add, the narrower the chain, the more fragile and fiddly, and the less durable, right?

Yes. There are still people lamenting the switch to 10 (nevermind 11 and 12) speed because everything wears out faster and is harder to adjust. 9 is still the sweet spot for them
But most of the 13 speed cassettes afaik use 12 speed chains (campagnolo unofficially, rotor and now sram) with the largest cog moved inwards which may interfere with spokes in some wheelsets, to still fit 12*142

[SillyMochi]

And they are charging just 1049 USD for the full bike with carbon wheels and electronic shifting? Am I missing something (besides shipping)?

Otherwise that's a hell of a promising package. Much better than anything advertised to "beginner cyclists" locally.

[kbernstein]

And they are charging just 1049 USD for the full bike with carbon wheels and electronic shifting? Am I missing something (besides shipping)?

Otherwise that's a hell of a promising package. Much better than anything advertised to "beginner cyclists" locally.

Someone from china on another forum said twitter bikes have a reputation for being very shitty and poorly built in china. That's the only feedback I've seen for twitter. But at those prices it's weird nobody gambled on them, even if it's just to poach the wheeltop groupset you're getting good value

[SillyMochi]

Just to clarify: I guess you meant "tantan" when your autocorrect typed "twitter"? Otherwise I need some clarification

[kbernstein]

sorry i just misread and assumed the thread was about twitter as they've advertised 13 speed wheeltop for a while. i can't talk about tantan i simply misread

[Sebastian]

Yes. There are still people lamenting the switch to 10 (nevermind 11 and 12) speed because everything wears out faster and is harder to adjust. 9 is still the sweet spot for them
But most of the 13 speed cassettes afaik use 12 speed chains (campagnolo unofficially, rotor and now sram) with the largest cog moved inwards which may interfere with spokes in some wheelsets, to still fit 12*142

Campy 13sp chains and cogs are narrower than their 12sp stuff and they're not compatible with each other. I know, cuz I'm using both.
Sram has kept the spacing for their newest 13sp cassettes the same. They just moved the 46tooth sprocket further inboard and since it's so big, it can still clear the spokes. It wouldn't be possible with a 10-36, I guess.

[kbernstein]

Campy 13sp chains and cogs are narrower than their 12sp stuff and they're not compatible with each other. I know, cuz I'm using both.
Sram has kept the spacing for their newest 13sp cassettes the same. They just moved the 46tooth sprocket further inboard and since it's so big, it can still clear the spokes. It wouldn't be possible with a 10-36, I guess.

which 12sp chain are you using on ekar cassette? a flattop sram chain works best

[PLA]

At which point does adding cogs require new hub & rear thru axle widths?
Has anyone tested longevity of 10 vs 11 vs 12 vs 13s? Intuitively, the more cogs you add, the narrower the chain, the more fragile and fiddly, and the less durable, right?

The new SRAM 13sp has same cog dimension and uses the same chain as 12sp. Apparently they got a little extra room either side of the biggest and smallest cog, which allowed them throw another gear in.

[00Garza]

Yes. There are still people lamenting the switch to 10 (nevermind 11 and 12) speed because everything wears out faster and is harder to adjust. 9 is still the sweet spot for them
But most of the 13 speed cassettes afaik use 12 speed chains (campagnolo unofficially, rotor and now sram) with the largest cog moved inwards which may interfere with spokes in some wheelsets, to still fit 12*142

I'll die on the hill of 11 speed being peak bike tech!! lol!
My 11s XT is still going strong on my mtb. I see no need to upgrade.

[Sebastian]

which 12sp chain are you using on ekar cassette? a flattop sram chain works best

I’m using a Campy 13sp Ekar chain on the Ekar cassette and I’m using a Chorus 12sp chain on my 12sp Record mechanical groupset. No need to mix things up. I’ve used all kinds of chains and Campy chains actually last the longest for me.

[rasch]

Someone from china on another forum said twitter bikes have a reputation for being very shitty and poorly built in china. That's the only feedback I've seen for twitter. But at those prices it's weird nobody gambled on them, even if it's just to poach the wheeltop groupset you're getting good value

The main problem at least on my side has been the geometry of the cheaper options. Its super weird. When you get to 2k you have nicer geometries but at that price none of my clients want a non branded (western) brand when they can get for example a Superior for little more.