Component brand SRAM has launched a new urban/trekking groupset called Via GT. It comes with super-wide gear ratios from a double chainset and 10-speed cassette.
The chainset comes with either 48/32-tooth or 48/34T chainrings and SRAM say the groupset is optimized (everything is ‘optimized’ these days) for a 11-36 cassette. If you work in gear inches, that 48/32T chainset with the 11-36T cassette, a 700c wheel and a 28c tyre will provide you with a range of 24 up to 117.
SRAM say that you can use all 20 gears without any chain rub. In other words, you can have the chain on the big chainring and the biggest sprocket at the same time without any problem, and on the small chainring and the smallest sprocket.
You control gear shifting via trigger shifters that come from SRAM’s X0 mountain bike groupset, a neat little indicator showing you which gear you’re in without the need to glance down at the cassette.
There are two different brake systems available: V-brakes and hydraulic disc brakes. The disc brakes have been, according to SRAM, ‘urbanized’. Huh? It means that the design has been tweaked so they’re not as grabby as a mountain bike version; they’re intended to slow you down more gradually and smoothly.
Two hub dynamos of different powers are available to provide lighting. SRAM reckon that the optimized (told you) coil doesn’t flicker, even when you’re moving at slow speeds.
SRAM are claiming a complete Via GT groupset weight of 2,448g, or 2,691g if you go for the disc brake version, and it's available in both black and gret (Icelandic black and Falcon Grey, to be precise). They say that many of the leading bike brands will be fitting the Via GT components for 2013. We don’t have prices yet but availability is promised from the beginning of September.
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5 comments
Be interested to know if this will work with drop bar levers.
What's the black spot on the disc?
Surely it's not The Black Spot?
-Simon
Oops, embarrassed, I should have known that. And yes Sheldon is the one.
We'll trust Sheldon Brown on this (as with most other things). http://sheldonbrown.com/gears/
(Where you're going wrong, horizontal dropout, is that the rim diameter of a 700C wheel isn't 700mm, it's 622, so all your calculations are out).
I think there's a slight miscalculation in the gear range.
Wheel size 700 + 28 + 28 = 756mm = 29.76 inches
29.76 / 36 * 32 = 26
29.76 / 11 * 48 = 129
So 26-129 instead of 24-117.
SRAM do a similar cassette with 12 tooth smallest which gives a slightly lower top gear - 119 - though don't know if it would be available with the groupset.
You can get about 13 useful gears if you can do a double shift on the rear derailleur while doing a single shift in the opposite direction on the front. Eg go from 32x19 to 48x25.
----32 48
11 86 129
13 73 109
15 63 95
17 56 84
19 50 75
22 43 64
25 38 57
28 34 51
32 29 44
36 26 39