The official press conference wrapped up yesterday and
media first impressions are trickling in
WeightsLeft & right levers
L-TWOO quoted weight: 225g (each)
Biketo measured weight: 445.1g
雪大爷单车 measured weight: 223.1g (left), 222g (right)
FD
L-TWOO quoted weight: 150g
Biketo measured weight: 139.3g
雪大爷单车 measured weight: 139.1g
RD
L-TWOO quoted weight: 270g
Biketo measured weight: 275.6g
雪大爷单车 measured weight: 275.7g
Seatpost battery & cables
L-TWOO quoted weight: 62g (battery only)
Biketo measured weight: 85.1g
雪大爷单车 measured weight: 85.2g
PricingBig surprise is that there is a 3500RMB eR9 Alloy to sit below the 4500RMB eRX Carbon. Disregard their mechanical naming convention because both are 12s.
It's unclear how much heavier eR9 will be.
TestimonialsI'll briefly summarise
this vlog from a LBS proprietor who was invited to the launch:
- He mentions that the derailleurs are not the only determinant of shifting quality. The supplied chainring, chain and cassette on the Java test bikes are not the best so it's hard to make an apples to apples comparison with the established brands
- FD sucks. He says that it feels like 'last gen SRAM' (not sure if he's referring to RED eTap A1 11s or Force AXS D1 here) where shifting under load especially uphill is difficult
- RD is fine and shifts like 'last gen Shimano' (R8070?) but has chain slap issues (not enough tension?)
- Lever buttons feel like a mouse click and aren't nearly tactile enough. Very mushy like SRAM pre-Rival/Force AXS D2.
- Due to how the inner shift button is half embedded into the leading edge of the brake lever, riding over bumps and uneven surfaces results in frequent accidental shifts
- You can see Joe Whittingham from China Cycling at 2:55 so you can look forward to his first impressions video
- He shifts up and down the entire cassette range at 3:45 and 4:05
- He says that the braking feels improved from the mechanical RX hydraulic he tried before
FunctionI was mistaken by the shifting logic. As opposed to being SRAM style with a single button on either side, it's actually Shimano style with 2 buttons on each lever but laid out the other way around. Shifting layouts and derailleur adjustments are configurable in-app.
Left lever: Inner textured button shifts to big ring, outer smooth button shifts to small ring
Right lever: Inner textured button shifts to a smaller cog, outer smooth button shifts to a larger cog
Direct mount hanger is a option for the rd. I can't figure out where a power cable goes for either derailleur. How do you charge the battery(s) what kind of battery.
We actually don't know if it's DM hanger capable until someone tries installing it. The callipers for example appeared to be PM at first but they're actually their own proprietary thing with different dimensions to work around patents.
The levers are semi-wireless and powered by CR2032 batteries while the FD and RD are powered by an 800mAh seatpost battery (for reference, BT-DN300 is 500mAh, EPS V3 is 720mAh and K-Force WE is 1100mAh). Charging is handled by a magnetic connector at the backside of the RD facing NDS.
Does that mean this hanger will be used for both gravel & road with a fairly big cassette clearance?
RD max capacity is still rated at 32T as opposed to the industry standard 34T. I'm sure that while an 11-34T cassette could fit, a 36T like CS-HG710-12 certainly wouldn't.
Personal thoughtsEven though they are the best 'put together' of the 3 upstart groupset manufacturers, it is still painfully obvious that this is a small operation prone to amateur mistakes. For example, L-TWOO's press conference presentation deck and website marketing material for this launch was riddled with typos and inaccuracies. They incorrectly spelled the word for brifter, the battery capacity was wrongly labelled at 850mAh and the eR9 was originally listed as 11s leading some to believe that 12s function would be software locked for eRX only.
And if you thought that getting your hands on a groupset abroad is difficult, local distribution isn't much better. For instance, they decided to setup a new WeChat account to handle all eRX direct pre-sales (unbelievably inane imo) which would quickly be disabled for overactivity because they used a personal account as opposed to an enterprise account. Lastly, they decided to respond to people who felt that the 4500RMB pricetag was too steep
by joking that it was a more of a 'you' problem (1:55) [EDIT: now cut from the video...I guess they aren't
that tone deaf] so don't expect price cuts any time soon. However, Chinese Shimano resellers have already responded by slashing the price of R7170 'small kits' so we may well see a price war unfold in the future.
MiscL-TWOO has also started supplying Hydraulic R7 Alloy 10s to OEMs
