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Video: Ivan Basso shows new FSA electronic groupset on Tour rest day

FSA's new electronic groupset makes an appearance on Tour de France rest day

One of the big questions heading into the Tour de France was whether FSA would debut its electronic groupset. So far we’ve not seen it on any team bikes, but on the rest day in Berne, Ivan Basso, who appears to be working with the Italian component manufacturer in a development capacity, shared this video of the new groupset. Could this mean it's about to make its Tour debut?

 

 

#letour no more rest day for me . Time to develop with @fullspeedahead_fsa @vision_tech_usa

A video posted by Ivan Basso (@ivanbasso) on

 

The groupset is seen fitted to a Specialized Roubaix belonging to Basso, but could we see one of the FSA sponsored team riders on the groupset before the end of the Tour? FSA sponsors a number of teams, like Etixx-Quick Step, which currently use Dura-Ace with FSA chainsets.

We’ve heard rumours that a select number of riders could actually be riding the new groupset from today onwards, we’ll get confirmation when the race rolls out  into the mountains today, so keep your eyes peeled. 

We already seen the FSA groupset, it was shown at the Eurobike trade show last year, but FSA is keeping the details of the groupset a closely guarded secret so we really don't know much about it at this stage, but we can speculate as to some of the key details.

FSA prototype electronic groupset - lever

It’s an electronic groupset, that much is clear, in the guise of Di2 or EPS, but it doesn’t appear to be a wireless groupset like eTap. Unless FSA is playing the same trick on us with fake wires as SRAM cleverly did when its groupset was first seen a few years ago. There’s talk of the shifters controlling the derailleurs wirelessly, while the two mechs are wired together. 

The front mech looks very bulky. Could it house the battery and/or the brains of the groupset? And how does the shifter work? It looks like FSA has developed a rocker button, but we can’t be absolutely clear.

More details on the new FSA groupset when we get them.

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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8 comments

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J90 | 8 years ago
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That hood setup looks really uncomfortable, how far down the bars??

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Gromski | 8 years ago
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Also, not wireless...

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DrG82 replied to Gromski | 8 years ago
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Gromski wrote:

Also, not wireless...

There are a few vids on youtube about this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dhNHjbKRTA

As mentioned in the article it's a somewhat hybrid wireless, as in the mechs are wired together and the levers are wireless.

Apparently it's lighter than Di2.

 

Avatar
Rapha Nadal | 8 years ago
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Agreed; this looks like it should be on a supermarket £99 special.  Not a good look but, it is a prototype so I guess looks could develop later on.

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danthomascyclist | 8 years ago
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This looks like cheap shit and with Di2 now under a grand FSA have a real challenge. They either need to enter at an untouchable pricepoint or accept that this iteration won't be profitable

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padonbike | 8 years ago
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"Ivan Basso, who appears to be working with the Italian component manufacturer in a development capacity"

Not "appears to be", but actually does.

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handlebarcam replied to padonbike | 8 years ago
1 like
padonbike wrote:

"Ivan Basso, who appears to be working with the Italian component manufacturer in a development capacity"

Not "appears to be", but actually does.

That's a step up from "intending to".

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Matt_S | 8 years ago
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I'm interested to see how it performs, what it weighs, and how it's priced. I can't help but think that making your first foray into groupsets with a high-end electric setup is setting yourself up for a fall. They need some sort of major differentiator. There's no way it will shift better than Di2, so either it needs to weigh less than 1900g, or it needs to cost £700 for the whole groupset.

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